- Business
- Clariant AG is a Swiss-based global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes innovative and sustainable chemical products and solutions across diverse industries including personal care, agriculture, automotive, energy, plastics, coatings and mining. Founded in 1995 as a spin-off from Sandoz and headquartered in Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland, the company operates through key business units encompassing Care Chemicals, which offers industrial and consumer specialties such as surfactants, emulsifiers, emollients, preservatives and active ingredients for personal care, home care, crop solutions, paints and coatings, aviation and industrial lubricants; Catalysts, providing energy-efficient catalyst technologies for chemical processes, refining and petrochemicals; Adsorbents & Additives, supplying bentonite-based desiccants, molecular sieves, non-halogen flame retardants like Exolit OP for e-mobility plastics, light stabilizers, pigments and additives for plastics, adhesives, sealants and electronics; and additional segments covering mining solutions with flotation reagents and emulsifiers, chemical intermediates, heat transfer fluids and purification specialties for food, beverages and oils. With manufacturing sites and subsidiaries in over 36 countries across Europe, North America, South America, Asia and other regions, Clariant serves a broad customer base from multinational corporations to specialized end-users focused on high-value, sustainability-driven applications. Recent developments include the April 2024 completion of its USD 810 million acquisition of Lucas Meyer Cosmetics from IFF, enhancing its Care Chemicals portfolio with high-value cosmetic ingredients and funded via a CHF 350 million bond issuance; a CHF 100 million investment finalizing in October 2025 to expand flame retardant capacity at its Daya Bay facility in China for e-mobility and electronics; and an 80 million CHF Care Chemicals expansion at the same site celebrated in November 2025, boosting production of pharmaceutical excipients and specialties for personal and home care to meet Asian market demand.