Brenntag takes Sudarshan cosmetic pigments across Southeast Asia
Key takeaways
- Brenntag has secured exclusive rights to distribute Sudarshan’s cosmetic pigments across six Southeast Asian markets.
- The portfolio stems largely from Sudarshan’s 2025 acquisition of Germany’s insolvent Heubach Group.
- Brenntag will pair the pigments with regional formulation support through its Application and Innovation Centers.
Brenntag has agreed to distribute Sudarshan Chemical Industries’ cosmetic pigments and colorants across Southeast Asia, and dyes and pigments for home care in Australia and New Zealand.
The chemicals and ingredients distributor has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Sudarshan to supply its cosmetic-grade pigments and specialty colorants for the beauty and personal care industry across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“Southeast Asia continues to be a dynamic beauty market, with brands seeking innovative ingredients and formulation support to bring products to market. With Sudarshan’s cosmetic pigments, we are expanding our solutions portfolio and technical support capabilities to help customers develop high-performing products with strong visual appeal,” says Wissanee Ruangsorn, regional president of Beauty and Care, Asia Pacific, at Brenntag.
Meanwhile, in Australia and New Zealand, Brenntag will offer tailored color solutions for home care, industrial, and institutional markets. The company says it will provide customers with access to color technologies that support diverse formulation and performance requirements.
“Home care, industrial, and institutional customers in Australia and New Zealand will likewise benefit from access to Sudarshan’s broad range of dyes and pigments,” adds Ruangsorn.
What Brenntag gets
Sudarshan is a pigment and colorant producer. Its cosmetics portfolio includes organic and inorganic pigments, effect pigments, pearlescent pigments, and dispersions for makeup, skin care, hair care, and other personal care applications.
The company’s portfolio includes: Sumicos cosmetic pigments, Prestige effect pigments, Sumicair specialty color solutions, Cosmenyl pigment dispersions, and Sanolin dyes. These offer a broad spectrum of shades and visual effects, ranging from natural tones to vibrant colors and high-impact pearlescent finishes.
The portfolio Brenntag will now distribute is largely the product of Sudarshan’s 2025 acquisition of Germany’s Heubach Group, bought out of insolvency for approximately €127 million (US$139 million).
Brenntag’s relationship with the assets predates the deal. The distributor has supplied Heubach pigments in New Zealand for over two decades, and expanded that arrangement into Australia in September 2025 with an agreement covering Sudarshan’s Heucophos and Heucorin anticorrosive ranges.
Sudarshan’s cosmetics portfolio includes organic and inorganic pigments.
Sudarshan says it draws on generations of expertise in color science and serves customers in over 120 countries. The company operates 19 manufacturing plants globally, a footprint it expanded through the Heubach acquisition.
Beyond distribution
Brenntag will implement its regional Application & Innovation Centers, which it says allow customers to benefit from formulation expertise, application testing capabilities, and market insight. The company expects to accelerate innovation and create differentiated beauty and home care products.
Brenntag has around 600 sites in over 70 countries. Last year, it generated sales of €15.2 billion (US$17.73 billion).
Brenntag’s Asia push
Brenntag has recently broadened its operations in Asia, with a special emphasis on China.
Earlier this year, Brenntag Specialties signed an exclusive international distribution deal with Shinehigh for its Supramolecular technology targeting beauty and personal care applications. The Chinese technology company’s AI R&D Center platform, Supramolecular, is touted to develop active ingredients, engineered on the molecular level via enhanced scientific fine-tuning. The technology is said to provide improved skin care benefits by enabling the development of precise active ingredients.
Additionally, Brenntag opened a Life Sciences Innovation & Application Center in Shanghai, China, to expand its technical and formulation support for the personal care industry in the region. The facility supports formulation development and ingredient testing for personal care and home care products, thereby strengthening the company’s Beauty & Care division.
