BASF SE BASFY recently inaugurated a new specialty emollients production plant in Dusseldorf, Germany. The investment is valued in the mid double-digit million-euro range. It aims at expanding the company’s production capacity for specialty products to meet rising global demand, particularly for ingredients used in skin care and sun protection products.

The new facility will manufacture specialty emollients, enabling customers to bring differentiated products to market. This investment supports BASF’s strategy to offer innovative and more sustainable solutions for the cosmetics and personal care industry. The investment builds on the company’s expertise to address growing consumer expectations for performance, formulation flexibility and sustainability.

The project was completed after two years of construction despite numerous challenges. The expansion underscores the company’s long-term commitment to the Düsseldorf site and strengthens its competitiveness.

Emollients are key ingredients in personal care formulations, helping retain skin moisture while improving the sensory profile. BASF’s Düsseldorf site offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive emollient portfolios, and the additional capacity is expected to further reinforce its strength.

Düsseldorf remains BASF’s third-largest production site in Europe and its largest site for the production and development of cosmetic ingredients, making the expansion a milestone for the company’s Personal Care business unit.

BASFY’s shares have gained 9.4% over the past year against the industry’s 3.8% decline.

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BASFY’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

BASFY currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). 

Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Kronos Worldwide, Inc. KRO, Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS and Albemarle Corporation ALB.

While KRO and CRS currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each, ALB carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRO’s 2026 loss is pinned at 33 cents per share, indicating a 65.63% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in one of the trailing four quarters and missed the remaining three. KRO’sshares have gained 8.8% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRS’ 2026 earnings is pegged at $10.56 per share, indicating a rise of 41.18% year over year. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.95%.