COSMETICS & PERSONAL CARE
Elementis
London, United Kingdom · FTSE 250 · Nearly 200 years of ingredient innovation · Including Alchemy Ingredients, acquired 2025
Unique chemistry, sustainable solutions.
Elementis is a global specialty chemicals company built around rheology and surface chemistry. Its personal care business manufactures natural and synthetic rheology modifiers for skin care and colour cosmetics, alongside emollients, conditioning additives, bio-functional actives, and active ingredients for antiperspirants.
In November 2025 Elementis acquired Alchemy Ingredients, a UK developer of natural functional ingredients whose oil and water gelling technologies are highly complementary to Elementis' hectorite platform. Alchemy was presented globally as part of Elementis for the first time in 2026, and the combined range now covers both mineral and plant-derived routes to texture.
- Cosmetics & Personal Care
Over 400 mineral salts and more than 7,000 specifications. The specification count is the more meaningful number: it is the measure of how far a grade can be tailored.
ABOUT THIS PRINCIPAL
Two routes to texture, now under one roof.
Elementis Personal Care is built on hectorite clay chemistry. The BENTONE brand covers clay-based rheology modifiers used to stabilise and structure systems that polymers struggle with, particularly water-in-oil and water-in-silicone emulsions, high pigment loads, and anhydrous phases. BENTONE LUXE DM is an all-in-one clay-based stabilising and emulsifying gel for those systems, and the BENTONE ULTIMATE series introduced a patent-pending oil-phase rheology technology extending formulation flexibility further.
Around the rheology core sit the FANCOR botanical emollients, the FANCOL conditioning additives, and a bio-functional active range, giving a formulator the structure, the feel, and the claim from one supplier.
The Alchemy acquisition adds the plant-derived route. Alchemy's mantra was replacing synthetic raw materials in cosmetic formulations with natural functional ingredients without compromise, and its Sucragel and Sapogel oil gelling and Clearthix and Sclerothix water gelling systems give formulators naturally derived blends for gelling, emulsifying and thickening.
Hectorite and natural gelling chemistry are not competing answers. Having both in one portfolio means the natural constraint can be applied where it works and relaxed where it does not.
ADCHEM distributes the Elementis personal care range, including the Alchemy technologies, with formulation support from our own laboratories covering W/O and W/Si stabilisation, pigment dispersion, and natural gelling substitution work.
FEATURED TECHNOLOGY
Four technology platforms across the combined range.
The portfolio now spans mineral and plant-derived approaches to the same formulation problems.
MINERAL RHEOLOGY
Hectorite clay chemistry
The BENTONE platform structures and stabilises systems where polymers fail: water-in-oil and water-in-silicone emulsions, heavy pigment loads, and anhydrous phases. BENTONE LUXE DM combines stabilisation and emulsification in a single clay-based gel.
OIL-PHASE RHEOLOGY
BENTONE ULTIMATE series
A patent-pending oil-phase rheology technology giving formulators structure in the oil phase with greater flexibility than conventional clay gellants, including grades developed for cold-process sun and colour formats.
NATURAL GELLING
Alchemy oil and water gelling
Sucragel and Sapogel for oil gelling, Clearthix and Sclerothix for water gelling. Naturally derived blends that fully or partially replace synthetic raw materials while producing distinctive textures and sensory profiles.
SENSORY AND ACTIVES
Emollients, conditioning and bio-functionals
FANCOR botanical emollients, FANCOL conditioning additives, and a bio-functional active range, alongside active ingredients developed specifically for antiperspirant systems.
Portfolio
The Elementis personal care portfolio.
Mineral rheology, natural gelling, emollients, conditioning additives and actives.
BENTONE range
What it is
Hectorite clay-based rheology modifiers across multiple grades
Primary Use
Stabilisation and structure in W/O, W/Si, anhydrous and high-pigment systems
BENTONE LUXE DM
What it is
All-in-one clay-based stabilising and emulsifying gel
Primary Use
Water-in-oil and water-in-silicone systems, from a single addition
BENTONE ULTIMATE series
What it is
Patent-pending oil-phase rheology technology
Primary Use
Oil-phase structure with enhanced formulation flexibility
BENTONE ULTIMATE CCC
What it is
Grade within the ULTIMATE series developed for colour and cold-process formats
Primary Use
Cold-press tinted sun care and hybrid beauty formulations
FANCOR range
What it is
Botanical emollients
Primary Use
Sensory design, spreading and after-feel in skin and hair care
FANCOL range
What it is
Conditioning additives
Primary Use
Conditioning and substantivity in hair and skin systems
Bio-functional actives
What it is
Active ingredient range within the personal care portfolio
Primary Use
Efficacy claims alongside the rheology and sensory system
Antiperspirant actives
What it is
Active ingredients developed for antiperspirant systems
Primary Use
Aerosol, stick and roll-on antiperspirant formats
Sucragel (Alchemy)
What it is
Naturally derived oil gelling system
Primary Use
Oil gelling, cleansing oils, and distinctive natural textures
Sapogel (Alchemy)
What it is
Naturally derived oil gelling system
Primary Use
Oil-phase structure and sensory profiles in natural formulation
Clearthix (Alchemy)
What it is
Naturally derived water gelling system
Primary Use
Water-phase thickening in clear and natural systems
Sclerothix (Alchemy)
What it is
Naturally derived water gelling system
Primary Use
Natural water-phase rheology and suspension
APPLICATION AREAS
Where Elementis chemistry performs.
Colour cosmetics
Face, eye and lip colour requiring pigment dispersion, vibrant payoff and controlled sensory behaviour at high solids.
BENTONE
BENTONE ULTIMATE CCC
Skin and sun care
Rheology modifiers that improve efficacy, sensory experience and sustainability profile in skin and sun formulations.
BENTONE LUXE DM
BENTONE ULTIMATE
Antiperspirant and deodorant
A portfolio spanning aerosol, stick and roll-on formats for long-lasting, sustainable odour protection.
ANTIPERSPIRANT ACTIVES
BENTONE
Hair care
Formulation solutions across shampoo, conditioning, styling and treatment for all hair types.
FANCOL
FANCOR
Natural gelling and texture
Alchemy oil and water gelling systems for cleansing oils, balms and clear gels built without synthetic rheology modifiers.
SUCRAGEL
SUCRAGEL
CLEARTHIX
W/O and W/Si systems
The category where clay rheology is not merely preferable but structurally necessary for long-term emulsion stability.
BENTONE LUXE DM
DOCUMENTATION TO BE HELD
Documentation that supports your submission, not just your specification.
The documents below are the set a personal care principal should be able to supply. For a rheology and mineral-based supplier, the composition and safety group carries particular weight: heavy metals, nanomaterial status and impurity statements are routinely requested for clay-derived material.
Technical and quality
- Technical Data Sheet (TDS)
- Product specification sheet with agreed release limits
- Certificate of Analysis (CoA), batch specific
- Safety Data Sheet (SDS / MSDS) in the language of the destination market
- Stability data and formulation compatibility guidance
- Recommended use levels, incorporation and processing instructions
- Physical characterisation data: appearance, pH, viscosity, particle size where relevant
Composition and safety
- Full INCI declaration with composition breakdown and percentage ranges
- Toxicological summary and safety data suitable for the CPSR safety assessment
- Allergen declaration covering the EU listed fragrance allergens
- Heavy metals and trace impurity statement
- Nanomaterial status statement
- Microbiological specification, and preservative efficacy data where applicable
- 1,4-dioxane, nitrosamine and other process impurity statements where the chemistry requires it
Efficacy and claim support
- In vitro study reports
- Ex vivo and in vivo study reports for actives
- Claim substantiation package mapped to the claims the brand intends to make
- Mechanism of action summary
- Marketing concept and formulation starter material
Certification and origin
- COSMOS and Ecocert certificates for certified grades
- NATRUE certificate where held
- Vegan declaration
- Halal certificate
- Kosher certificate where required by the market
- RSPO certification for palm-derived material
- ISO 16128 natural origin index calculation
- Country of origin declaration
- GMO-free statement
- BSE / TSE-free declaration
Regulatory and market access
- ISO 22716 cosmetic GMP certificate for the manufacturing site
- REACH registration status statement
- China compliance and IECIC listing statement
- Compliance statement against the restricted and prohibited substance annexes of the destination market
- Microplastic-free statement
- Animal testing position statement
- Change notification and supply continuity commitment
WORKING WITH ADCHEM
What ADCHEM adds to the Elementis relationship.
PROCESS SUPPORT
Clay dispersion and activation support
Hectorite performance depends almost entirely on correct dispersion and activation. Our laboratories supply and validate the protocol alongside the material.
STABILITY-LED
W/O and W/Si stabilisation development
The systems clay rheology exists to solve are the hardest to stabilise. We build and stress-test the emulsion before you commit to a production trial.
SUBSTITUTION TESTING
Natural substitution using Alchemy
Where a brief requires synthetic rheology to come out, we run the Alchemy substitution and present the sensory comparison rather than asserting equivalence.
AUTO-ATTACHED VIA COSMO
Full documentation with every sample
TDS, SDS, CoA, INCI statement and applicable certificates dispatched with the sample as standard, via COSMO, our digital platform.
On this page
Quick facts
HEADQUARTERS
London, United Kingdom
LISTING
FTSE 250, London Stock Exchange
HISTORY
Nearly 200 years of ingredient innovation
SCALE
Approximately 1,000 employees across 18 global locations
BUSINESS UNITS
Personal Care and Coatings
CORE BRANDS
BENTONE, FANCOR, FANCOL, and bio-functional actives
ALCHEMY INGREDIENTS
Acquired November 2025; Sucragel and Sapogel oil gelling, Clearthix and Sclerothix water gelling
Mineral and natural rheology, from one technical team.
Three ways to start: a sample, a technical data sheet, or a conversation with a specialist who will ask how you disperse before recommending a grade.
Request a Sample
Any product in the portfolio
Download a TDS
Full technical library
Talk to Our Specialist
Someone who knows the chemistry first
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