BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) announced that its Aroma Ingredients business unit has launched three newly built world-scale plants – menthol and linalool in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and citral in Zhanjiang, China. This announcement follows the inauguration ceremony of BASF’s Zhanjiang Verbund site held on March 26, 2026. In Ludwigshafen, the investment is in the triple-digit million-euro range.
The citral plant in Zhanjiang will supply the local market as well as the expanded downstream production, including menthol and linalool in Ludwigshafen. Menthol is an indispensable mint ingredient used in numerous products for oral and body care, in flavor compounds for confectionary and in the pharmaceutical industry. Linalool is a lavender aroma ingredient widely used in a broad range of applications – one of the largest areas of use for linalool is laundry care, but it is also a popular ingredient in other home, personal care and fine fragrance applications.
The new Linalool plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany
Photo: BASF
The integration of the new menthol and linalool downstream capacities into the Ludwigshafen Verbund site enables BASF to use resources, expertise and advanced production technologies based on the already existing assets at the site in the most efficient way. Dr. Katja Scharpwinkel, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, as well as Site Director of Ludwigshafen said: “These investments underscore the advantages of the Verbund within BASF’s global production network and represent a clear commitment to the Ludwigshafen site.”
Groundbreaking for the three construction sites was completed by June 2023. Since the first quarter of 2026, the citral plant in Zhanjiang and the expanded downstream capacities in Ludwigshafen have successfully produced in-spec products made available for customers as of April 2026.
The added capacities for some of BASF’s most in-demand aroma ingredients products in the citral value chain will support more opportunities for customers in the fragrance and flavor (F&F) industry in key growth regions while increasing supply reliability for a broad range of aroma ingredients and further downstream products. “This investment underlines our strong commitment to growth with our customers in the F&F industry,” said Steffen Goetz, Senior Vice President, Global Aroma Ingredients. “The large-scale investment projects have been completed safely, on schedule, within the defined scope, and on budget at two Verbund sites across two continents. With the new capacities, we have one of the broadest asset footprints in the industry, allowing us to maintain high levels of supply reliability and security for our customers,” he added.
With the full integration of the new capacities into the Verbund sites in China and Germany, BASF will use resources optimally and create synergies efficiently, thereby contributing to the company’s ambitious sustainability goals.