Symrise opens Hydrolite® 5 green plant in Spain, boosting sustainable supply, reducing emissions, enhancing capacity, and supporting Europe’s cosmetics industry.
Symrise has officially launched a new production unit at its facility in Granada, Spain, dedicated to manufacturing Hydrolite® 5 green. This biobased version of pentylene glycol, developed within the company’s Cosmetic Ingredients division, plays a crucial role in meeting the growing demand for sustainable cosmetic ingredients. The new site will provide European customers with a more localized supply chain, ensuring greater security of supply while also supporting the global market.
The opening of the Granada facility marks a significant investment for Symrise, as it mirrors the success of its existing Hydrolite® 5 green production plant in Charleston, USA. With this expansion, the company strengthens its capacity to meet rising global demand for multifunctional ingredients that offer both performance and sustainability benefits. Hydrolite® 5 green is known to improve skin hydration and enhance hair fiber quality, while enabling cosmetic formulators to boost the efficacy of active ingredients and deliver a superior sensorial experience in finished products.
One of the key advantages of this new plant lies in its ability to shorten supply routes across Europe. By doing so, Symrise not only enhances supply chain resilience but also supports customers in reducing their Scope 3 emissions, which are indirect greenhouse gas emissions generated across the value chain. This step underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. Additionally, the new unit will contribute to the local community in Granada by creating employment opportunities in various departments such as operations, purchasing, and engineering.
The Hydrolite® 5 green production facility is designed to set a benchmark in efficiency and sustainable operations. It incorporates processes that recycle and upcycle by-products, reflecting Symrise’s long-standing emphasis on circular economy principles and environmental stewardship. The continuous production system ensures consistent product quality while delivering high levels of energy efficiency. Moreover, the plant features an on-site hydrogen generation setup with a closed-loop recycling system, which optimizes hydrogen use and minimizes environmental impact. Automation also plays a central role in the site’s operations, improving safety and operational efficiency.
According to Yohanna Sander, Vice President of Symrise’s Micro Protection Business Unit, the global market for pentylene glycol continues to expand in line with consumer demand for clean, natural, and sustainable beauty products. Hydrolite® 5 green, being fully upcycled and multifunctional, meets these expectations by providing significant formulation benefits alongside its sustainability credentials. Sander emphasized that the establishment of a new European production unit brings Symrise closer to its customers, offering them easier access to the ingredient while reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation.
With this development, Symrise reinforces its position as a global leader in 1,2-alkanediol production and chemical engineering. The Granada facility is a strategic addition that combines technological excellence with sustainability, aligning with the company’s broader vision of building a greener value chain for the cosmetics industry.
