BASF and Catexel close the transaction for the optical brightening agent business

Ludwigshafen and Wiesbaden, Germany – The sale of BASF’s optical brightening agent business to Catexel was completed end of February 2026. Optical brightening agents are ingredients in laundry detergent formulations. Both parties have agreed to keep the financial details of the transaction confidential.

The transaction comprises the international business including the production of optical brightening agents at the Monthey site in Switzerland. As part of the divestment, around 80 employees transfer to Catexel.

Catexel is the Care Chemicals platform of the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), specializing in high-quality specialty chemicals for detergents and cleaning products, personal care, and industrial applications.

BASF remains a leading supplier of a comprehensive portfolio of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications.
  
About Catexel
Catexel is a leading global manufacturer of detergent ingredients with locations in Germany, the USA, and the Netherlands. With 220 employees worldwide, Catexel develops, produces, and distributes specialty chemicals for detergents and cleaning agents, personal care, and industrial applications. Catexel is part of the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG). Further information at www.catexel.com.

About ICIG
International Chemical Investors Group is a privately owned industrial group with a total turnover of more than €4 billion. ICIG focuses on several main platforms: Fine Chemicals under the WeylChem brand, Care Chemicals (Catexel), Chlorovinyls (Vynova), Compounds (Benvic), Hydrocarbons & Solvents (HCS Group), Superabsorbents (Stockhausen Superabsorber) and Enterprises with specialized businesses in industrial drying services, fermentation products, viscose filaments, activated carbon and wood protection chemicals. Today, the ICIG companies employ more than 7,150 people and operate more than 50 production sites in Europe, the U.S and India. Further information at www.ic-investors.com

About the Care Chemicals division at BASF
The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are a leading global supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergent and cleaner industry, and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The division’s high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available online at www.care-chemicals.basf.com.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 108,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €60 billion in 2025. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

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