• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Formulary
    • Exclusives
    • Top Companies
    • Raw Materials
    • End-User
    • Packaging
    • Directories
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Formulary
  • Exclusives
  • Top Companies
  • Raw Materials
  • End-User
  • Packaging
  • Directories
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Columns
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    Stepping into the Spotlight for 2021

    The Independent Beauty Association Supports Sensible Reform

    Essential Workers

    A Clean Commitment

    Deliver & Delight
    Online Exclusives
    Association News
    Breaking News
    Financial News
    Industry News
    International
    Marketing News
    New Products
    News Front
    Packaging News
    Patents
    Personnel
    Regulations
    Snapshots
    Top News
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Flow Launches Collagen Waters

    Associations Congratulate Biden & Harris

    David Stanko Joins JPMS

    Ross Introduces Double Cone Tumble Blender

    Colonial Chemical Announces New Facility
    Blog
    Online Exclusives
    Infographics
    Podcasts
    Whitepapers
    Videos
    Expert's Opinion
    HappiTV
    eBook
    Surveys
    International Top 30 Report
    Top 50 Report
    Top Companies
    29. Energizer

    39. Seventh Generation, Inc.

    46. Dermalogica

    6. L Brands

    28. Bare Escentuals
    Actives
    Functional Ingredients
    Pigments
    Polymers
    Preservatives
    Surfactants

    Associations Congratulate Biden & Harris

    Ashland Acquires Schülke & Mayr's Personal Care Business

    FDA Issues New Guidance On Pharmaceutical Alcohol

    No7 Adds At-Home Resurfacing Peel

    A Surge in Interest for Supplements & Vitamins
    Air Care/Environmental Fragrance
    AP/Deo
    Color Cosmetics
    Disinfectants
    Fine Fragrance
    Hair Care
    Household Cleaning
    I&I Marketplace
    Laundry Care
    Oral Care
    OTC/Medicated
    Packaging
    Personal Cleansers
    Skin Care
    Sun Care
    Testing

    Flow Launches Collagen Waters

    David Stanko Joins JPMS

    Ashland Acquires Schülke & Mayr's Personal Care Business

    FDA Issues New Guidance On Pharmaceutical Alcohol

    State Announces First SARS-CoV-2 Kill Claim
    Lab Equipment
    Mixing
    Packaging
    Testing

    Ross Introduces Double Cone Tumble Blender

    Happi Talks: Overnight Labels

    Three Form Vertical Beauty Alliance

    Logo Design Trends for 2021 & Beyond

    Coming Clean About Stink
    Contract Manufacturing / Private Label Directory
    Buyer's Guide
    Add New Company
    Corporate Profiles
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Jeen International

    QRS (Quality Resourcing Services)

    Centerchem Inc

    LipoTrue Inc.

    KLK OLEO
    Live From Shows
    Meetings
    Webinars
    Snapshots
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Formulary
    • Directories
      • Buyer's Guide
      • Contract Manufacturing / Private Label Directory
      • Corporate Profiles
      • Add Your Company
    • Raw Materials
      • Actives
      • Functional Ingredients
      • Pigments
      • Polymers
      • Preservatives
      • Surfactants
    • End-User
      • Air Care/Environmental Fragrance
      • AP/Deo
      • Color Cosmetics
      • Disinfectants
      • Fine Fragrance
      • Hair Care
      • Household Cleaning
      • I&I Marketplace
      • Laundry Care
      • Oral Care
      • OTC/Medicated
      • Packaging
      • Personal Cleansers
      • Skin Care
      • Sun Care
      • Testing
    • Packaging
      • Lab Equipment
      • Mixing
      • Packaging
      • Testing
    • Top Companies
      • International Top 30 Report
      • Top 50 Report
    • Online Exclusives
    • Experts Opinion
    • Slideshows
    • HappiTV
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • eBook
    • Infographics
    • Blog
    • Whitepapers
    • Surveys
      • R & D Salary Survey
      • Sales & Marketing Salary Survey
    • Job Banks
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live from show Events
      • Webinars
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Features

    Front & Center

    For 70 years, Centerchem has been a leading partner in the personal care category.

    Front & Center
    The Centerchem team.
    Front & Center
    Centerchem’s Personal Care Group.
    Related CONTENT
    • The Power of Preservatives
    • Sustainable Omega-3 Oil in Nebraska
    • Register for FounderMade's Show Today
    • 2018 R&D Salary Survey
    • Beauty Empowered Solutions by DSM
    Christine Esposito, Associate Editor08.03.18
    Distributors play a key role in managing and delivering products to customers, but there is more to the business than shipping product on time or supplying samples and a SDS. The best distributors are the link between great chemistry and great brands.

    Tracing its history back seven decades this year, Centerchem has solidified its position as a go-to distributor in the beauty and personal care category by forging deep and lasting partnerships on both sides. When beauty and personal care brands need active ingredients that can take their formulations to the next level, Centerchem is there. Likewise, when raw material suppliers have a big breakthrough in their pipeline, Centerchem plays a role in the how, when and where that ingredient finds success in finished formulation.

    In fact, components provided through Centerchem’s partnerships can be found in leading products across the category,  president Jon Packer told Happi during an interview held at the company’s headquarter in Norwalk, CT.

    Packer, who has been with Centerchem since 1984, is not just the man in the c-suite; he’s the de facto head historian, too.

    Packer traced Centerchem’s history with great detail from the earliest days, including company founder Rolf Benzian’s personal journey as young boy in Hamburg; he survived Kristallnacht, was whisked away to Copenhagen by his father, served in the Swedish Air Force and landed in Flushing, NY, where he eventually started his company.

    In 1948, Benzian founded European Chemical Company—a name that would later be changed to Centerchem. In the early days, the firm was based in New York City (on Broadway), later moving to the Empire State Building and then to 32nd Street and Park Avenue South.

    In 1985 Centerchem moved its headquarters to Tarrytown, finally becoming a Connecticut-based entity in 1990 and to the present time.

    Making the most of his European roots and family’s experience in various aspects of the pharmaceutical sector, Benzian’s business began to take shape.

    “He was intrigued with natural products, he was intrigued with alkaloids,” Packer said about Benzian. During the 1950s, Benzian worked on developing pharmaceutical connections to import alkaloids from tropical origins. 

    In 1971, Benzian formed a relationship with a Swiss-based company called Pentapharm—a company it would represent for decades. Around that same time, Benzian’s love of travel and exploration would lead to a business relationship in Indonesia with a producer of quinine hydrochloride and other quinine derivatives, an area where Centerchem is still actively involved today (the next time you pour Schweppes tonic, know that Centerchem is in there).

    In the mid 1970s, Centerchem’s business included animal-derived extracts that had applications in human and veterinary health, and its relationship with Pentapharm was starting to flourish as the Basel-based company’s expertise in extraction evolved.

    The Move into Skin Care
    In 1975, Centerchem was working with Pentapharm’s 1% collagen solution intermediary, an ingredient with potential medical and dental applications. A suggestion came from Dorit Stuerm, the wife of Caspar Stuerm, son of Pentapharm’s co-founder, to explore marketing this solution as a raw material to the cosmetic industry.   Dorit’s insight proved to be a pivotal point for both companies.

    “Pentapharm’s collagen solution is what started us on the journey 43 years ago into the skin care space,” explained Packer. Michael Boyar, vice president, led the marketing and sales initiative for Centerchem during this important foray into a new business area. His insights and marketing acumen were important contributions over his years of tenure.

    During the mid-1980s, Centerchem rapidly expanded its skin care offerings, forging alliances with multiple companies.  

    When Packer came on board in 1984, Centerchem had established a relationship with a new company, Provital, and the relationship with that Barcelona-based company continues today. Long-lasting relationships are the norm at Centerchem, as the company’s principals have forged alliances with companies providing unique ingredients and technologies for personal care and cosmetics including DSM, Provital Group, Amyris/Apprinova, Pentapharm, Lipotec, Gist Brocades/Cosmoferm, Hispano Chemica, Ajinomoto, Indena and Sederma, to name just a few.

    The company’s current roster of ingredients includes natural and synthetic anti-aging ingredients, peptides, botanical extracts, certified organic materials, delivery systems and components that provide sensorial benefits, moisturization, increased cell turnover and much more for skin, hair and scalp. Centerchem also has a food and beverage group which offers a range of ingredients like MasterCoat polishes, glazes and surface treatment agents, colorants, quinine bittering agents and enzymes for confection products, fruit and vegetable processing.

    Over the years, Centerchem has been front and center with cutting edge research and active ingredients, and its team is well respected for its wealth of knowledge and experience. University relationships and outside research has also been an important source of innovation.

    “People come to us and ask ‘what’s going on in the microbiome?  What do you have in blue light, mitochondria or miRNA?’” Packer said.

    And it is not only skin care marketers that turn to Centerchem; raw material suppliers come to Centerchem to grow their businesses.

    “It is not unusual for us to partner with them to develop information or explore a new direction or create new opportunities,” Packer said.

    Centerchem has grown from the days when Packer was the lone junior salesperson. Today, there are 12 full-time sales people in the field and Centerchem sells to more than 700 companies from small start-ups to the most high-profile brands in the business.

    That depth and breadth comes from Centerchem’s history of investment in its own capabilities, according to Packer.

    “We invest in basic research, invest in basic science, we invest in cell biology and tissue biology. We invest in in vitro and in vivo studies,” he explained.

    But success also comes from personnel, according to Packer. 

    “It is thematically who we are—people who have real world experience, who are well educated and can actively talk the talk and walk the walk with people in R&D, and where it is relevant, in production settings and with the marketing people.”

    Centerchem’s highly specialized technical staff has a firm grasp on unique, functional technologies for modern formulations. That wealth of expertise is evident in Centerchem’s library of starting point formulations that are among the most-read and accessed content in Happi, both in print and online.

    Forward Focused
    As it marks 70 years in the business, Centerchem’s team isn’t taking its foot off the pedal.

    Said Packer, “We’re continuing to get better—establishing a dialogue so that when your partner or your potential customers are doing work, they pick up the phone and call you and say ‘I’m working on something now, can we talk?”

    The category, as we know, is competitive and always on the hunt for the next big thing—and that’s where key partners, like Centerchem, need to be armed and ready.

    “The challenge is to have a high-quality ammunition in the armory, but also knowledge and insight to be able to listen, synthesize and develop, and fit ideas together,” noted Packer.

    For 70 years, Centerchem has proved time and again that it will always be up for that challenge. 
    Related Searches
    • it
    • world
    • Botanical Extracts
    • collagen
    Related Knowledge Center
    • Hair Care
    • Functional Ingredients
    • Skin Care
    Suggested For You
    The Power of Preservatives The Power of Preservatives
    Sustainable Omega-3 Oil in Nebraska Sustainable Omega-3 Oil in Nebraska
    Register for FounderMade Register for FounderMade's Show Today
    2018 R&D Salary Survey 2018 R&D Salary Survey
    Beauty Empowered Solutions by DSM Beauty Empowered Solutions by DSM
    Health Is Wealth Health Is Wealth
    LAST CALL: Take Part in Happi’s R&D Salary Survey LAST CALL: Take Part in Happi’s R&D Salary Survey
    Beat the Effects of Stress & Rebalance with DSM Beat the Effects of Stress & Rebalance with DSM
    DSM Receives Halal Certification DSM Receives Halal Certification
    DSM Receives  Halal Certification DSM Receives Halal Certification
    In Full Bloom In Full Bloom
    Leadership Changes at Presperse Leadership Changes at Presperse
    Happi.com Is Off to a Great Start Happi.com Is Off to a Great Start
    DSM Helps Ease the Stress of NPD DSM Helps Ease the Stress of NPD
    Transforming Comfort Mask Transforming Comfort Mask

    Related Features

    • Color Cosmetics | Hair Care | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care
      Stepping into the Spotlight for 2021

      Stepping into the Spotlight for 2021

      A look at the leading indie brands in household and personal care for the new year.
      Melissa Meisel, Associate Editor 01.06.21

    • Color Cosmetics | Hair Care | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care | Sun Care
      The Independent Beauty Association Supports Sensible Reform

      The Independent Beauty Association Supports Sensible Reform

      What will the 117th Congress have in store for the cosmetics industry?
      Ken Marenus, Independent Beauty Association 01.06.21

    • Functional Ingredients | Laundry Care | Polymers | Surfactants
      A Clean Commitment

      A Clean Commitment

      In a pandemic, clean matters more than ever; which explains the gains in fabric care sales. A list of new ingredients follows the article.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 01.06.21


    • Disinfectants | Functional Ingredients | Household Cleaning | Laundry Care
      Deliver & Delight

      Deliver & Delight

      The fragrances used in home cleaning products must communicate clean, but increasingly health and wellness, too.
      Christine Esposito, Managing Editor 01.06.21

    • Color Cosmetics | Fine Fragrance | Hair Care | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care
      A Rebound for Beauty

      A Rebound for Beauty

      After a difficult year, the global cosmetics market is on the mend and will even exceed 2019 levels, according to predictions from McKinsey & Co.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 01.06.21

    • Hair Care | Skin Care
      Beauty Brands Must Prepare for a

      Beauty Brands Must Prepare for a 'Decade of the Home'

      The crisis will define consumption for the next decade, and it will force change for brands and companies more accustomed to catering to on-the-go consumers.
      Kim De Maeseneer, Accenture 01.06.21


    • Actives | Functional Ingredients | I&I Marketplace | Surfactants
      Front  & Center

      Front & Center

      The COVID-19 pandemic has moved commercial cleaning into the spotlight.
      Christine Esposito, Managing Editor 12.02.20

    • Functional Ingredients | Hair Care
      Clean-Label Shampoos with Xanthan Gum

      Clean-Label Shampoos with Xanthan Gum

      Thanks to its distinctive structure, xanthan gum provides a host of benefits when used as a thickener.
      Amirah Bajawi, Cameron Whitney and Dr. Teresa Berninger, Jungbunzlauer 12.02.20

    • Functional Ingredients | Hair Care | Polymers | Surfactants
      Just Hit Refresh

      Just Hit Refresh

      This year has been all about clean including advanced shampoo, conditioner and treatments for the scalp. A new ingredient list follows the article.
      Melissa Meisel , Associate Editor 12.02.20


    • Household Cleaning | Laundry Care | Personal Cleansers | Skin Care
      The Invention Legacy of COVID-19 & Implications for Home & Personal Care

      The Invention Legacy of COVID-19 & Implications for Home & Personal Care

      Recent inventions may reverse the course of COVID-19 and provide opportunities that could change the household and personal care industry.
      Robert and Margaret Lochhead, Lochhead Consulting LLC 12.02.20

    • Actives | OTC/Medicated | Skin Care
      Skin Care Actives  During  Inactivity

      Skin Care Actives During Inactivity

      When there’s nowhere to go, the focus is on the face.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 12.02.20

    • Fine Fragrance | Functional Ingredients
      This Stinks!

      This Stinks!

      The pandemic has been a plague on the fine fragrance industry; but the beauty industry is resilient and there are signs of a rebound.
      Tom Branna, Editorial Director 11.05.20


    • Actives | AP/Deo | Functional Ingredients | Personal Cleansers | Surfactants
      Me Time: The Market for Women

      Me Time: The Market for Women's Wellness

      While there is probably some slacking off due to social distancing, personal hygiene never goes out of style.
      Happi Staff 11.05.20

    • Actives | Personal Cleansers
      Lather Up for Long-Term Hand Hygiene for All

      Lather Up for Long-Term Hand Hygiene for All

      For Global Handwashing Day, October 15, several Henkel campaigns were aimed at improving compliance for everyone, but especially students.
      Martina Spinatsch, Henkel North America 11.05.20

    • Actives | Skin Care

      Rice-Derived Lactic Acid Bacteria Improves Skin Flora and Barrier

      Ichimaru Pharcos researchers detail the benefits of Fairy Flora K-1, which boosts the beneficial skin bacteria Coagulase-negative staphylococci.
      Kentaro Hirose and Arunasiri Iddamalgoda PhD , Ichimaru Pharcos Co.Ltd. 11.05.20

    Trending
    • Nu Skin Launches ‘Clean’ Formula Line
    • L'Oréal Bans Animal Hair In Brushes
    • Honest, Refillable Cleaners
    • Formulating Liquid Laundry Detergents
    • P&G & The Post-Pandemic Shopper
    Breaking News
    • Flow Launches Collagen Waters
    • Associations Congratulate Biden & Harris
    • David Stanko Joins JPMS
    • Ross Introduces Double Cone Tumble Blender
    • Colonial Chemical Announces New Facility
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    January 2021

    • Stepping into the Spotlight for 2021
    • The Independent Beauty Association Supports Sensible Reform
    • Essential Workers
    • A Clean Commitment
    • Deliver & Delight
    • Reusables for Consumables In the Pandemic and Beyond
    • A Rebound for Beauty
    • Beauty Brands Must Prepare for a 'Decade of the Home'
    • A Societal Shift
    • View More >

    Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
    You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe
    Nutraceuticals World

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    Ingredient Manufacturers Discuss the E-Sports Market
    Euromonitor Names Top Ten Trends for 2021
    Study Highlights Differences Between EPA's and DHA's Effect on Sleep
    Coatings World

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    IGL Coatings Launches Graphene Reinforced Dual System Ceramic Coating
    Miller Paint Declares Simple Serenity its 2021 Color of the Year
    TAUBMANS Paint by PPG Releases ‘Chromatic Joy’ Palettes
    Medical Product Outsourcing

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    Eitan Medical Receives FDA Clearance for Sapphire Infusion System
    Researchers Successfully ‘Fine Tune’ New Thermoplastic Biomaterial
    RSIP Vision Announces Versatile Medical Image Segmentation Tool
    Contract Pharma

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    Global Biosciences Co. Selects ValGenesis VLMS
    Eisai Appoints Chief Clinical Officer of Oncology Biz
    Nexelis Acquires GSK Vax Lab in Marburg
    Beauty Packaging

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    Top Beauty Brands in the World—And Most Loved Fragrances
    P&G Reports Q2 Results
    A Lacquering Technique Makes Very Good Girl by Carolina Herrera Shine
    Happi

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Flow Launches Collagen Waters
    Associations Congratulate Biden & Harris
    David Stanko Joins JPMS
    Ink World

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    Morancé Soudure France Adds Comexi F2 MC 10-color Flexo Press
    THIMM Group Installs 1st Koenig & Bauer CorruFLEX
    Cowan Graphics Adds Fujifilm Inca OnsetX3 HS
    Label & Narrow Web

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    Domino grows installation and service teams
    ABG keeps pace with demand with recruitment drive
    Acucote expands FSC-certified portfolio
    Nonwovens Industry

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    First Quality Launches Incognito by Prevail
    Essity Launches Reusable Underwear Product
    Honeywell Delivered 225 Million Masks in December
    Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    DJO Acquires Trilliant Surgical
    FDA Breakthrough Device Designation Granted to Spiderwort's Spinal Cord Technology
    Bioventus Appoints SVP of Operations
    Printed Electronics Now

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    UDC Subsidiary Adesis' Website Wins 2020 MarCom Platinum Award
    Roadsimple Modernizes Warehouse Ops with Zebra Technologies
    Graphene Flagship Launches Redesigned Website

    Copyright © 2021 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

    AD BLOCKER DETECTED

    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
    Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


    FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login