BASF inaugurates emollient production plant in Düsseldorf

GERMANY – BASF has launched a new plant in Düsseldorf, Germany, to manufacture speciality emollients primarily for skin care and sun protection products. 

The investment, worth a mid double-digit million-euro amount, is part of the company’s plan to expand capacity and keep up with rising market demand.

The opening was marked by BASF management together with customers, political representatives, the City of Düsseldorf, and industry associations, underscoring the project’s broad significance. 

Sven Crone, who oversees production globally in the Care Chemicals division, stated, “We are convinced that our Düsseldorf production site is well positioned for the future, and we are taking decisive steps to secure its competitiveness.”

“From planning and regulatory approval to the construction phase, we overcame many challenges and, thanks to the excellent collaboration among all those involved, were able to commission the plant after only two years of construction.”

The Düsseldorf site is one of BASF’s key locations for cosmetics and personal care ingredients, already home to the company’s broadest emollients portfolio. 

Meanwhile, BASF has reported a strong second quarter in 2026, with sales rising 16% to €17.2 billion (USD 19.7 billion) from €14.8 billion (USD 16.95 billion) a year earlier, driven mainly by higher prices and volumes, while currency and portfolio effects slightly offset the increase.

The company noted that this result was above analyst expectations, which had placed average sales at €16.5 billion (USD 18.9 billion) for the quarter.

The group’s EBITDA before special items is expected to have reached €2.4 billion (USD 2.75 billion), which was clearly above both the prior-year figure of €1.6 billion (USD 1.83 billion) and the analyst consensus of €2.1 billion (USD 2.41 billion). 

EBITDA for the group is expected to have come in at €2.0 billion (USD 2.29 billion), matching analyst estimates and rising sharply from €1.3 billion (USD 1.49 billion) a year earlier. 

EBIT before special items is expected to have climbed to €1.5 billion (USD 1.72 billion), well above the analyst consensus of €1.1 billion (USD 1.26 billion) and the €0.7 billion (USD 802 million) recorded in the prior-year quarter. 

Net income is forecast at €4.1 billion (USD 4.70 billion), largely because BASF recorded a €3.9 billion (USD 4.47 billion) pre-tax disposal gain from the coatings transaction with Carlyle, which closed on June 30, 2026. 

For full-year 2026, BASF raised its EBITDA before special items outlook to between €6.9 billion (USD 7.90 billion) and €7.7 billion (USD 8.82 billion), up from the earlier range of €6.2 billion (USD 7.11 billion) to €7.0 billion (USD 8.02 billion).

The company left its earnings range unchanged amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and maintained its free cash flow forecast at €1.5 billion (USD 1.72 billion) to €2.3 billion (USD 2.63 billion).

BASF said the updated outlook assumes global GDP growth of 2.5%, industrial production growth of 2.0%, and chemical production growth of 1.8% in 2026, along with an average euro-dollar exchange rate of USD 1.17 per euro and an average Brent crude price of USD 80 per barrel.

The company also warned that the global economy and chemical markets in the second half of 2026 remain highly uncertain, especially because of negotiations between the United States and Iran over access to the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for transporting energy and petrochemical feedstocks from the Middle East.

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