Univar deepens EMEA footprint with beauty and home care deals

Univar Solutions has expanded its ingredient offerings with three suppliers in European, Middle Eastern, and African (EMEA) markets. The global distributor has partnered with fine chemicals provider CABB Group, SPF-specialized Vizor, and sustainability-focused chemical company Lygos.

Univar Solutions unpacks how the three partnerships will impact the business and its ingredient offerings with Personal Care Insights

Glycolic acid solutions

Univar’s Ingredients + Specialties division has secured an exclusive distribution partnership with CABB Group, a specialist in custom active ingredients and high-purity offerings.

The partnership includes glycolic acid as part of its exclusive distribution deal, including Glycos Clear 70 and Glytech Basic 80. The ingredient is established in the industry for its exfoliating, cleansing, and moisturizing properties.

“Our expanded relationship with CABB Group will help strengthen the security, consistency, and quality of a European glycolic acid supply for beauty and personal care brands,” says Lise Laure Dunoyer Morali, laboratory and technical manager, Beauty and Personal Care, EMEA, Ingredients + Specialties at Univar Solutions.

“CABB Group is widely recognized for its expertise in high‑purity alpha‑hydroxy acids, and this partnership enables Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions to help deliver reliable access to these essential actives at a time when demand for exfoliating and skin‑renewing ingredients continues to grow.”

Dunoyer Morali highlights that the partnership offers opportunities for further innovation.

“With their technical chemistry capabilities and our formulation expertise, we’re working together to support new beauty care solution pathways. Whether that’s new bonding haircare systems or glycolic acid‑based ingredients tailored for sensitive skin, scalp care, or multi-functional formulations,” she adds.

“For brands, this means access to emerging technologies and the ability to differentiate in highly competitive categories.”

A better way to SPF

From glycolic acid to biodegradable polymers, Univar expands its innovation footprint across EMEA.

Univar is furthering its partnership with Vizor to expand into Polish and German markets. The move focuses on the sun care ingredient company’s zinc oxide technology, SuperZinc.

The zinc powder product is developed for use in SPF and sun care formulations. It offers high dispersibility and lower viscosity, allowing SPF values with greater transparency and aesthetics.

Dunoyer Morali tells us that Univar is seeing “steady and diverse” demand for zinc oxide powders across the Polish and German markets for their use in high-efficacy sun care products and sensitive skin formulations.

Citing the demand for “new generation minerals and UV filters with clean and traceable sourcing and without white cast on skin,” the company believes that the demand for zinc oxide solutions will continue to grow.

“Our partnership with Vizor will also help customers meet product demand with reliable supply, quality ingredients, and stronger technical support for ingredients and product development,” says Dunoyer Morali.

“Vizor’s materials are known for their patented coating processes, making the final products transparent and suitable for skin complexions, which are attributes that formulators value for performance. Together, we can help regional manufacturers access reliable zinc oxide solutions while also exploring new applications for mineral‑based ingredients in next‑generation beauty and personal care formulations.”

In related SPF news, Univar partnered with Calumet as the sole distributor of its Versagel ingredients in the Brazilian market last autumn. The partnership was announced the same week as Univar’s exclusive agreement with Best Value Chem, naming it the sole distributor of its UV filters in the region.

Sustainable home care

Univar’s home care partnership with Lygos centers around sustainable solutions and aims to bring biodegradable polymers to home care markets in Europe.

“Biodegradability is becoming a critical lever for innovation and growth in home care because it supports sustainability claims that help drive growth and complements product performance capabilities,” Morgane Ezanno, commercial sustainability lead, EMEA, at Univar Solutions, tells Personal Care Insights.

“Our home care partnership with Lygos will help brands with their formulations by giving access to high-performance, sustainability-focused polymer technologies that support cleaning efficacy, environmental profiles, and cost-effectiveness.”

The partnership features the sustainable specialty chemical company’s Soltellus 2101 ingredient, a water-soluble, biodegradable material.

“The Soltellus polymer portfolio consists of next-generation polyaspartates that help deliver performance in both laundry and automatic dishwashing, while being readily biodegradable. Soltellus 2101L and 2101G can also provide anti-redeposition and stain-removal performance in laundry, together with anti-spotting and anti-filming benefits in automatic dishwashing,” says Ezanno.

“These benefits help formulators to achieve the level of cleaning performance that consumers expect.”