- CEO
- Jens Birgersson
- Full Time Employees
- 18,122
- Sector
- Basic Materials
- Industry
- Chemicals - Specialty
- Address
- Messeallee 11 Essen Germany 45131
- IPO Date
- May 15, 2012
- Business
- Brenntag SE serves as the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, providing a full-line portfolio of industrial and specialty chemicals along with comprehensive value-added services including repackaging, blending, mixing, filling, labeling, just-in-time delivery, vendor-managed inventory, technical support, formulation services, and supply chain solutions. The company operates through two primary divisions, Brenntag Essentials, which offers broad process chemicals for industries such as nutrition, pharmaceuticals, personal care, water treatment, lubricants, coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, construction, polymers, and rubber; and Brenntag Specialties, which delivers tailored solutions across diverse applications. Its extensive product range encompasses acids, solvents, bases, salts, surfactants, resins, solvents, oxides, and thousands of other chemicals marketed under local expertise with over 10,000 items sourced from a worldwide supplier base.
Brenntag SE maintains a global footprint with approximately 600 sites across more than 70 countries, employing over 18,100 people and serving thousands of chemical producers and end-users in sectors spanning energy, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, and industrial manufacturing. Founded in 1874 in Berlin, Germany, by Philipp Mühsam as an egg wholesale business, the company evolved into chemical distribution, relocating headquarters to Essen, Germany, where it remains based, and listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2010 with DAX inclusion in 2021.
Recent developments include the June 2025 acquisition of Gefahrstoffzentrum (GSZ) Kaiserslautern GmbH by Brenntag Essentials, enhancing toll manufacturing, mixing, blending, filling, storage, and logistics capabilities in southwest Germany to bolster last-mile services; and the November 2025 acquisition of Chem Tech Services in North America, integrated into subsidiary Coastal Chemical to expand production chemicals for upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas markets in the Permian Basin. In April 2025, Brenntag divested its liquefied chlorine gas distribution activities in Spain to Gazechim Group, refining its portfolio focus. The company continues active M&A execution as part of its growth strategy, alongside cost containment programs delivering significant savings, such as 45 million euros in Q3 2025, amid a challenging market environment.