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The Ludwigshafen site integrates menthol and linalool expansion projects, giving full play to the operational efficiency, mature architecture and advanced process technology advantages of the existing integrated system.
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The new world-class citral production plant in Zhanjiang will strengthen BASF's supply stability and meet the rising market demand in the local and global markets.
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The menthol and linalool plant was officially put into commercial operation in April 2026, adding approximately 60 new jobs to the Ludwigshafen site.
BASF's Fragrance Ingredients Division officially announced that three newly upgraded world-class production facilities have been fully commercially operated, including menthol and linalool plants at the Ludwigshafen site in Germany, and citral units at the Zhanjiang integrated site in China. The commissioning operation will begin immediately after the overall commissioning ceremony of BASF's Zhanjiang integrated base on March 26, 2026, with an investment scale of hundreds of millions of euros in the Ludwigshafen project, which is an important strategic layout for BASF to strengthen its global fragrance raw material landscape.
In addition to serving the local Chinese market, Zhanjiang's new citral plant will also provide a stable and high-quality supply of raw materials for the downstream expansion project of menthol and linalool in Ludwigshafen, Germany, forming a cross-continental efficient and collaborative supply chain system. In terms of product applications, menthol is an indispensable key ingredient for mint, widely used in oral care, body care, candy flavor blending, and pharmaceutical industries. Linalool is a classic fragrance raw material with a lavender aroma, and its largest application field is in the washing and care industry, and it is widely used in home care, personal care, and high-end fragrance products, with diverse and extensive market applications.
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A new linalool plant was built in Ludwigshafen, Germany
The newly built downstream production capacity of menthol and linalool will be fully integrated into the Ludwigshafen integrated production base, which can rely on existing production facilities, technology accumulation and industrial resources to maximize resource utilization, production professionalism and process advancement. Dr. Katja Scharpwinkel, Member of the Executive Board of BASF Group and Director of the Ludwigshafen Integrated Site, said: "This series of investments fully demonstrates the unique advantages of BASF's integrated production system in the global production network, and also represents the Group's long-term firm layout and commitment to the Ludwigshafen core site."
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A new menthol plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany
It is understood that the groundbreaking of these three new projects was completed in June 2023, and the progress is stable and progressing as scheduled. Since the first quarter of 2026, Zhanjiang Citral Plant and Ludwigshafen have expanded their downstream production capacity, successfully meeting the standards to produce high-quality products, and will be officially supplied to the outside world from April 2026, fully entering the commercial operation stage.
BASF's capacity expansion for the citral value chain and the strong demand for fragrance raw materials will not only bring more development opportunities to customers in the core growth market of flavors and fragrances (F&F), but also comprehensively improve the supply stability and delivery capacity of various fragrance raw materials and their downstream products. Steffen Götz, Senior Vice President of BASF's Fragrance Ingredients Division, said: "The implementation of this production capacity fully fulfills our commitment to creating growth and long-term companionship with customers in the flavor and fragrance industry."
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A new citral plant in Zhanjiang, China
He further added that this large-scale investment project spanning the two core integrated bases on Europe and Asia was successfully completed safely, on time, within budget and established specifications. With the new world-class production capacity officially put into operation, BASF has built one of the industry's most complete global asset layouts, continuing to provide high-stability and high-security supply guarantees to global customers.
By integrating the new production capacities of two international-level integrated bases in Zhanjiang, China and Ludwigshafen, Germany, BASF has achieved optimal resource allocation and efficient production capacity synergy across regions, not only optimizing the global fragrance raw material supply system, but also steadily advancing the Group's sustainable development goals and continuing to lead the high-quality development of the fragrance chemical industry.
