What Seprify does

Seprify AG (formerly Impossible Materials) is a Swiss specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in October 2022 as a spin-out of the University of Cambridge and the University of Fribourg, headquartered in Marly, Switzerland. The company produces cellulose-based white pigments designed to replace titanium dioxide (TiO2) in applications where regulatory pressure, sustainability requirements, or supply-chain risk make TiO2 less attractive. Its product platform is organized into the SILVA line (SilvaLuma, SilvaAlba, SilvaFolia, SilvaMatt) targeting cosmetics, personal care, food and beverages, pet food, pharma, coatings and paints, and the DYNA line (DynaBase, DynaFlow, DynaMark) serving inks and functional printing customers. Technology is anchored by a patented cellulose extraction, separation, and purification process yielding bio-inspired particle morphology, validated at TRL 7-9.

Seprify addresses seven end-markets through more than 100 customer organizations and three flagship distribution partners: Grolman Group (cosmetics, personal care, EU/UK/Turkey), Oterra (food and beverage, global), and BIOGRUND (nutraceutical and pharma excipients). Products are sold as functional ingredients requiring multi-year qualification cycles and regulatory dossier support, which creates a high-friction sales motion but also meaningful switching costs once designed in. Target production capacity is hundreds of tonnes per year, up from pilot scale funded by an Innosuisse grant in December 2023.

The company has raised more than €22 million to date, including a CHF 3.4 million seed round in April 2023 and a €13.4 million Series A in March 2026 co-led by Inter IKEA Group and Una Terra, alongside non-dilutive Swiss and EU grants. It operates with fewer than 10 employees and is transitioning from pilot production to commercial-scale manufacturing. Recognition includes the TOP 100 Swiss Startups ranking (#9) and the Cosmetic 360 Raw Materials Award (2024). Revenue is not disclosed; first material commercial bookings are concentrated in late 2025 and early 2026.

Name

Seprify

Legal name

Seprify AG

Website

https://seprify.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seprify AG is a Swiss specialty chemicals producer of cellulose-based white pigments that replace titanium dioxide across cosmetics, food, pharma, and inks, selling through Grolman, Oterra, and BIOGRUND to 100+ customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals — Cellulose-Based White Pigments and Functional Ingredients

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211), Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins (325991)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Pigments & Dyes (IMAEAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM), Coating & Finishing Chemicals Application (Resins/Softening/Water-Repellent/FR/Antimicrobial) (IMAOACAD), Label Stock, Inks, Coatings & Laminates (Materials Supply) (IMALAKAL)

Keywords

• Cellulose white pigments
• Titanium dioxide alternatives
• Bio-based functional ingredients
• Specialty chemicals manufacturing
• Microcrystalline cellulose materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial cellulose ingredient sales: Sale of cellulose-based ingredients (SilvaLuma, SilvaAlba, SilvaFolia, SilvaMatt, DYNA) in powder, suspension, gel, emulsion, slurry and formulation forms to industrial buyers in cosmetics, food, pet food, pharma, coatings and inks; scaling commercial production to hundreds of tonnes per year through established manufacturing partners.
2. Sample and formulation development services: Customers request samples and Safety Data Sheets; Seprify provides customised formulation support, technical expertise and co-development with brand owners and contract manufacturers (e.g., BIOGRUND ready-made coating systems, Grolman pan-European rollout).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seprify produces and sells cellulose-based white pigments and functional ingredients — including the SILVA line (SilvaLuma SPF booster, SilvaAlba food-grade whitening, SilvaFolia coatings/paints/inks white, SilvaMatt matting agent) and the DYNA line (DynaBase, DynaFlow, DynaMark for electronics) — supplied as powders, suspensions, gels, emulsions, slurries and finished formulations to industrial manufacturers in cosmetics, food, pet food, pharma, coatings, inks and electronics as a sustainable alternative to titanium dioxide.

Product overview

Seprify offers a single cellulose-based functional material platform organised into two named product families: the SILVA product line (optical/whitening performance ingredients) and the DYNA product line (circular solutions for the electronics sector). The SILVA line comprises SilvaLuma™ (SPF booster for cosmetics, personal care, and oral care), SilvaAlba™ (food-grade white pigment replacing titanium dioxide for food, pharma, and pet care), SilvaFolia™ (white pigment for colour coatings, paints, and inks), and SilvaMatt™ (matting agent for coatings and paints). The DYNA line covers DynaBase™ (substrate coatings), DynaFlow™ (electrolytes, piezo and sensing inks), and DynaMark™ (conductive inks). All products are powered by Seprify's patented extraction, separation, and purification technology that processes cellulose from pulp, agrofibres, recycled sources, and industrial sidestreams into functional ingredients without chemical modifications. Materials are available as powders, suspensions, or gels and serve functionality areas including pigment, opacifier, emulsifier, texturiser, electrolyte, SPF booster, and rheology modifier across cosmetics, food, pet food, pharma, coatings, inks, and electronics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SilvaLuma™: 100% natural SPF booster derived from cellulose for cosmetics, personal care and oral care applications, providing light-scattering and mattifying performance.
• SilvaAlba™
• SilvaFolia™
• SilvaMatt™
• DynaBase™
• DynaFlow™
• DynaMark™

Products and services

• SilvaLuma™ 100% natural cellulose-based SPF booster and mattifying pigment for cosmetics, personal care, and oral care applications; delivers high light-scattering, sun protection boosting, and a soft-touch finish, compatible with both organic and mineral UV filters.
• SilvaAlba™ 100% natural cellulose-based white pigment designed to replace titanium dioxide (E171) across food, pharma and pet food applications; provides brilliant whiteness, high opacity, neutral flavour and odour, smooth mouth feel, and light/heat/pH stability as a form of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) compliant with EU and US regulations.
• SilvaFolia™ 100% natural white pigment derived from cellulose for colour coatings, paints, and printing inks; delivers high opacity and whiteness with a matte finish, no discoloration upon ageing, and a significantly reduced carbon footprint relative to TiO2.
• SilvaMatt™ 100% natural matting agent derived from cellulose for white and clear colour coatings and paints; provides powerful mattifying at 2.5-5% loading, bright white to light neutral finish, high transparency, low impact on viscosity, and good chemical resistance.
• DynaBase™ Cellulose-based circular solution for substrate coatings in the electronics sector, part of Seprify's DYNA product line for emerging electronics applications.
• DynaFlow™ Cellulose-based circular solution for electrolytes, piezoelectronic polymers and sensing inks, part of Seprify's DYNA product line for the electronics sector.
• DynaMark™ Cellulose-based circular solution for conductive inks, part of Seprify's DYNA product line for the electronics sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• At least 5x lower CO2 emissions per product compared to TiO2 (current cellulose pigment); immediate 20% GHG cut via post-treatment optimisation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered strategic partnership for pharma & nutrition segment, flagship commercial partnership for cosmetics and personal care segment, flagship commercial partnership for food & beverage segment, acceleration partner and foundational academic origin (spin-out).

• BIOGRUNDstrategic partnership for pharma & nutrition segmentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Partnership to introduce mineral-free tablet coatings for the nutraceutical market. BIOGRUND's ready-made coating systems integrate Seprify's plant-based cellulose ingredient SilvaAlba, enabling manufacturers to achieve bright white appearance and processing stability traditionally provided by titanium dioxide (E171) or calcium carbonate (E170) while supporting clean-label formulation strategies. BIOGRUND showcased the solution at Making Pharmaceuticals (21–22 April) and Vitafoods Europe (5–7 May) 2026.
• Grolman Groupflagship commercial partnership for cosmetics and personal care segmentChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 February 2026Joint commercial rollout of Seprify's SilvaLuma cellulose-based SPF booster and mattifying ingredient across the European cosmetics market (EU, UK, Turkey), following 20+ months of R&D and validation. Grolman Group introduces the product across its pan-European cosmetics footprint, while Seprify provides scientific know-how and manufacturing capability. SilvaLuma integrated into Grolman's portfolio in Q1 2026. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to circular ingredient systems.
• Oterraflagship commercial partnership for food & beverage segmentStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2025Strategic commercial partnership to develop and commercialize a plant-based white coloring that can replace titanium dioxide in food and beverage applications. Oterra integrates Seprify's patented cellulose technology into its global natural color portfolio. The two companies have collaborated for more than two years, testing across more than 15 food categories (bakery icings, confectionery coatings, sauces, plant-based dairy/meat, powdered beverages). Seprify's cellulose is sourced from FSC-certified virgin wood pulp, classified as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and is nano-compliant and food-safe. Oterra cites ~80% lower CO2 emissions vs TiO2.
• MassChallenge Switzerlandacceleration partnerOthers · 8 October 2024Affiliated with the MassChallenge Switzerland accelerator program providing mentorship, networking, and non-dilutive prize funding (CHF 500,000 distributed in 2023).
• University of Cambridge & University of Fribourgfoundational academic origin (spin-out)Others · 1 October 2022Seprify was created in 2022 as a spin-out from the University of Cambridge and University of Fribourg; Prof. Dr Silvia Vignolini (University of Cambridge) functions as the company's scientific advisor. Company incorporated in Switzerland in October 2022 (previously Impossible Materials Ltd / AG).

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Borregaard: Norwegian specialty biorefinery producing microfibrillated cellulose and cellulose-based specialty ingredients for industrial, food and pharma applications. Most directly comparable peer to Seprify's cellulose platform across both functional ingredients and adjacent industrial uses.
• CelluForce: Canadian producer of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) targeting cosmetics, food, oil & gas, and electronics. Closely comparable on cellulose-based functional ingredient platform with similar multi-segment targeting.
• FiberLean Technologies: Producer of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) for paper, packaging and coatings applications (now majority-owned by Borregaard). Comparable as a cellulose-based additive platform targeting industrial coatings — overlapping with Seprify's SilvaFolia and SilvaMatt use cases.

Emerging players

• Anomera: Canadian deep-tech startup commercialising cellulose nanocrystals for cosmetics (SPF boosting, mattifying) and industrial applications. Direct overlap with Seprify's SilvaLuma use case in SPF-boosting cellulose ingredients.

Broad incumbents

• Tronox Holdings: One of the world's largest TiO2 pigment producers serving coatings, plastics, paper and specialty applications. The incumbent that Seprify is directly positioning to displace; comparable in end-market and product category but not in chemistry.
• Venator Materials: Global TiO2 pigment and performance additives producer serving coatings, plastics and specialty applications. Comparable as the entrenched incumbent Seprify targets for substitution, with overlap in matting agents and white pigments for coatings.
• Chemours (TiO2 / Opteon): Major global TiO2 producer (Ti-Pure brand) and fluoroproducts company. Relevant as the dominant TiO2 incumbent whose product portfolio Seprify aims to substitute across multiple end-uses.
• IMERYS: French-listed specialty minerals group producing TiO2 (through ImerTech joint venture), mineral pigments and performance additives for coatings, plastics and paper. Comparable as a broad incumbent in white pigments and functional mineral additives.
• Kronos Worldwide: Major global TiO2 pigment producer serving coatings, plastics, paper and specialty applications. Relevant incumbent comparable to Tronox and Venator that Seprify targets for substitution across coatings and industrial end-markets.

Others

• Oterra: Danish global leader in natural food colors and Seprify's flagship distribution partner for food & beverage TiO2 replacement. Listed as an adjacent partner with overlapping customer base rather than direct competitor; useful as a distribution-side peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seprify
• Xx.com/Seprify_Mat

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors15 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seprify