Anomera
Anomera is a Montreal-based advanced materials company that produces patented cellulose nanocrystals and powders for cosmetics, coatings, bioplastics, and adhesives manufacturers. The McGill University spinout sells direct and through distributors including Croda globally, serving 25+ customers with FSC-certified, biodegradable ingredients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Anomera does
Anomera is a Montreal-based advanced materials science company founded in 2016 as a McGill University Department of Chemistry spinout. It develops and manufactures cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and cellulose powders derived from FSC-certified wood pulp using a patented low-energy, green-chemistry manufacturing process housed at its Specialty Materials Facility in Témiscaming, Quebec (co-located with Rayonier AM's pulp and paper plant) and a Montreal R&D headquarters with pilot plant and applications laboratory. The company sells four product lines — ChromaPur (optical and sensorial cellulose powders for cosmetics and personal care, COSMOS-certified), DextraCel (carboxylated nanocellulose additives for paints, inks, and coatings), AddiCel (polymer masterbatches for bioplastics), and CellAno (cellulose powders for paints, coatings, and composites) — as biodegradable, microplastic/silica-sparing alternatives serving cosmetics manufacturers, CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers) producers, bioplastics compounders, and construction-materials innovators such as LafargeHolcim and Sika.
The business operates a B2B specialty ingredients model: revenue comes primarily from one-time product sales of cellulose suspensions and powders in various grades, supplemented by customized formulation services from an in-house team of cellulose scientists. Distribution is heavily channel-driven — Croda International is the global distributor for ChromaPur in cosmetics, with regional distributors Potentia (Canada), MASSO (Europe), TAOS (US), EMCO-INORTECH (Canada CASE), Biesterfeld (Europe CASE), KD Chemicals (South Korea), and GSI Creos (Japan) covering industrial and geographic territories. Direct enterprise field sales target major cosmetics, coatings, bioplastics, and adhesives manufacturers, supported by academic research collaborations with six Canadian universities and ongoing R&D validation. Capitalization has been primarily non-dilutive: the company completed a CAD ~$3M USD seed round in 2017–2018 and has since raised material Canadian government funding (SDTC $5M, Programme Innovation Bois $2.5M, NSERC, NRC-IRAP, GreenCentre Canada, OCE, MEIE/PRIMA Québec), with co-founder Nathan Hordy reappointed President & CEO in 2024 to lead global scale-up.
Anomera firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Anomera
- Legal name
- Anomera, Inc.
- Website
- https://anomera.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Anomera is a Montreal-based advanced materials company that produces patented cellulose nanocrystals and powders for cosmetics, coatings, bioplastics, and adhesives manufacturers. The McGill University spinout sells direct and through distributors including Croda globally, serving 25+ customers with FSC-certified, biodegradable ingredients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Anomera industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Chemicals — Advanced Cellulose Materials
- NAICS
- Pulp Mills (322110), Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211), Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522)
- SIC
- Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Pulp Mills (2611)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nanocellulose & Cellulose Derivatives (CNC/CNF, MCC, ethers/esters) (IMAMALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cellulose Derivatives (CMC, MCC, HPMC/MC; Cellulosic Thickeners) (AFAJABAH), Compostable & Bio-Based Packaging (PLA/PHA, Starch Blends, Cellulose Films) (IMALAMAB), Bio-based Materials & Fibers (e.g., cellulose derivatives, lignin-based materials, nanocellulose) (EUAAAIAD)
Keywords
Where Anomera is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Anomera business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cellulose Product Sales: Sale of advanced cellulose materials including suspensions and powders. Products sold in various grades and sizes for different industrial applications. Delivered as liquid suspension or powder form.
- Customized Solutions: Team of in-house cellulose experts ready to customize patented technology to meet unique needs of each customer. Technical support and formulation assistance included.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | DextraCel® product line for industrial evaluation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels5 records
Anomera product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Anomera manufactures and sells advanced cellulose materials — cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose powders, and polymer masterbatches — derived from sustainably sourced FSC-certified wood pulp using a patented low-energy green chemistry process. Its portfolio (ChromaPur®, DextraCel®, AddiCel™, CellAno™) is sold to industrial product manufacturers in cosmetics and personal care, bioplastics, paints/coatings, and adhesives as 100% natural, biodegradable, high-performance alternatives to microplastics, silica, and petroleum-based additives.
Product overview
Anomera offers four multi-functional FSC®-certified product lines manufactured from advanced cellulose materials derived from sustainably sourced wood pulp using patented green chemistry technology. The portfolio includes ChromaPur® for cosmetics and personal care applications (optical and sensorial powders), DextraCel® for industrial coatings and adhesives (cellulose nanocrystals/additives), AddiCel™ for bioplastics (polymer masterbatches), and CellAno™ for paints, coatings, and composites. These products serve as sustainable, biodegradable alternatives to microplastics, silica, and petroleum-based materials across cosmetics, bioplastics, coatings, and adhesives industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ChromaPur: Optical and sensorial cellulose powders for cosmetics and personal care applications. Products include ChromaPur CV, CV2, and CV7 - 100% natural, biodegradable alternatives to plastic and silica microbeads.
- DextraCel
- AddiCel
- CellAno
Products and services
- ChromaPur® Optical and sensorial cellulose powders (including ChromaPur CV, CV2, and CV7 grades) for cosmetics and personal care applications, providing soft-focus benefits, texture enhancement, and a 100% natural, biodegradable replacement for microplastics and silica; COSMOS certified.
- DextraCel® Advanced carboxylated cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) additives for paints, inks, coatings, and CASE applications (coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers), available in liquid suspension or powder form.
- AddiCel™ Polymer masterbatches for bioplastics that enable improved processing performance and enhanced mechanical strength and oxygen/grease barrier properties in biodegradable plastics, helping bioplastics overcome performance hurdles compared to petroleum-based plastics.
- CellAno™ Cellulose powders for use in paints, coatings, and composites, enabling water-based formulations to replace polluting solvents and reduce VOC and CO2 emissions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Quarterly sales increased 500%
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Anomera
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Anomera technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Anomera partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- TAOS Inc. (Technical Art of Science)majorStrategic distribution agreement for US market expansion. Technical Art of Science provides expertise in cosmetic science for distribution support.
- MASSO (Comercial Química Massó)majorEuropean distribution partner for ChromaPur in cosmetics and personal care. Supports European rollout of Anomera's cellulose ingredients.
- Potentia IngredientscoreExclusive Canadian distributor for ChromaPur CV2 and CV7 in personal care and cosmetics market. Based in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec with strong market knowledge and direct support for Canadian formulators.
- Polytechnique MontréalmajorMEIE-backed research collaboration ($97,400 grant) led by Professor Abdellah Ajji to integrate nanocrystalline cellulose into biodegradable plastics. Project budget of $215,960. Aims to improve processing performance, mechanical strength, and oxygen/grease barrier properties. May lead to production facility expansion.
- Biesterfeld GroupmajorStrategic partnership expansion announced March 2025 for CASE industry (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Elastomers) promotion in Europe. Biesterfeld is a specialty chemicals distributor.
- Croda InternationalcoreCroda serves as global distributor for Anomera's ChromaPur products in cosmetics and personal care. Croda officially launched ChromaPur CV2 and CV7 in October and distributes to cosmetic manufacturers worldwide.
- KD ChemicalsminorInternational collaboration for distribution of innovative cellulose products in South Korea. KD Chemicals is a trusted source for cosmetic ingredients.
- EMCO-INORTECHmajorExclusive Canadian industrial distributor for DextraCel in Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants and Elastomers (CASE) formulations.
- McGill UniversitycoreOrigin of Anomera as spinout from McGill's Department of Chemistry. Co-founders Nathan Hordy and Tim Morse are McGill alumni. Ongoing relationship with university's chemistry department.
- Queen's UniversityminorMitacs-supported research collaboration with Professors Kevin De France and Marianna Kontopoulou on nanocellulose research.
- Université de SherbrookeminorResearch collaboration with Professor Arezki Tagnit-Hamou from Department of Civil Engineering and Building Engineering for innovative research program.
- University of OttawaminorResearch collaboration with Professor Marc Dubé in Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
- University of British ColumbiaminorMitacs-supported collaboration led by Professor Emily Cranston for nanocellulose applications research.
- LafargeHolcimminorCollaboration on Concrete 2.0 research. Anomera's DextraCel being tested in France and Germany as part of LH Accelerator program.
- SikaminorCollaboration with LafargeHolcim and CCCC investigating Concrete 2.0 applications for DextraCel.
- GSI Creos CorporationminorPartnership for exhibiting DextraCel at Cellulose Material Expo 2023 in Shizuoka, Japan.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Anomera competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Imerys: Global specialty minerals and cellulose-based performance additives supplier through its FiberLean JV. Overlaps with Anomera in cosmetics, paints, and coatings performance additives with much broader product portfolio and geographic reach.
- Stora Enso: Major European pulp and paper producer with a Cellulose Foam and MFC/CMC-based product portfolio targeting sustainable packaging, food service, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Anomera's bioplastics and packaging additive opportunities.
- Ashland: Global specialty chemicals company with a personal care and coatings portfolio that includes cellulose-derived rheology modifiers and texturizing agents. Comparable to Anomera in cosmetics formulation additives and CASE applications.
- UPM-Kymmene: Finnish pulp and biomaterials company producing Biofibrils (MFC) for paper, packaging, and composite applications. Competes with Anomera's cellulose additives in industrial and packaging verticals with significant scale advantages.
- Sappi: Global pulp and paper major with a dedicated BioNanocellulose business line producing CNC and CNF. Competes with Anomera in industrial applications, packaging, and biomaterials, with substantially larger scale and vertical integration.
- J. Rettenmaier & Söhne (JRS Group): German manufacturer of cellulose-based functional ingredients (including MCC and cellulose fibers) for cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, and industrial applications. Comparable as a cellulose ingredient supplier targeting similar formulators.
Direct peers
- CelluForce: Canadian nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC/CNC) producer headquartered in Montreal — the closest direct competitor to Anomera, operating in the same geography with overlapping cellulose nanocrystal technology targeting cosmetics, coatings, and industrial applications.
- Borregaard: Norwegian specialty biopolymers and cellulose-based ingredients producer with global reach across cosmetics, coatings, and industrial markets. Highly comparable to Anomera in serving bioplastic additives, CASE applications, and sustainable microplastic replacements.
- FiberLean Technologies: Joint venture between Imerys and BASF producing microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) for paper, packaging, and industrial applications. Directly competes with Anomera's DextraCel in coatings, packaging, and composite end markets.
Emerging players
- Trinseo: Specialty materials company with bioplastics and latex binders for CASE applications. Comparable to Anomera's AddiCel and DextraCel lines in bioplastic masterbatches and water-based coating additives.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Anomera social profiles
Digital presenceAnomera compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Anomera financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Anomera leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Anomera funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Anomera M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Anomera
What does Anomera do?
Anomera manufactures and sells advanced cellulose materials — cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose powders, and polymer masterbatches — derived from sustainably sourced FSC-certified wood pulp using a patented low-energy green chemistry process. Its portfolio (ChromaPur®, DextraCel®, AddiCel™, CellAno™) is sold to industrial product manufacturers in cosmetics and personal care, bioplastics, paints/coatings, and adhesives as 100% natural, biodegradable, high-performance alternatives to microplastics, silica, and petroleum-based additives.
Is Anomera a public or private company?
Anomera is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Anomera founded?
Anomera was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Anomera based?
Anomera is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Anomera make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Cellulose Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are customized Solutions.
Who are Anomera's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Imerys, Stora Enso, Ashland, UPM-Kymmene, Sappi and J. Rettenmaier & Söhne (JRS Group). Direct peers are CelluForce, Borregaard and FiberLean Technologies. Trinseo is listed as an emerging player.
Does Anomera have an API?
No public API is recorded for Anomera.
What industry is Anomera in?
Anomera's product category is Specialty Chemicals — Advanced Cellulose Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMALAD, Nanocellulose & Cellulose Derivatives (CNC/CNF, MCC, ethers/esters), with a secondary code of AFAJABAH, Cellulose Derivatives (CMC, MCC, HPMC/MC; Cellulosic Thickeners). Its NAICS code is 322110 and its SIC code is 2820.