Sigma-Aldrich
Sigma-Aldrich, operating as MilliporeSigma, is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, supplying 200,000+ products including chemicals, reagents, filtration technologies, and contract testing services to pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology firms, research institutions, and diagnostic manufacturers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersSt Louis, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sigma-Aldrich does
Sigma-Aldrich, operating as MilliporeSigma, is the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany. The business was formed following Merck KGaA's 2015 acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich and its combination with EMD Millipore. MilliporeSigma supplies more than 200,000 life science products and services to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies, academic and government research institutions, in vitro diagnostic manufacturers, and clinical laboratories across global markets. The portfolio is organized under six sub-brands: Sigma-Aldrich (lab and production materials), Millipore (pharma/biopharma CTDMO services), SAFC (pharma and biopharma raw materials), Supelco (analytical products), Milli-Q (lab water purification), and BioReliance (contract testing services).
Core technology spans asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) membrane virus filtration systems (Viresolve Pro and Pro-S families) delivering log reduction values ≥4.0 for parvovirus removal in monoclonal antibody and recombinant protein manufacturing, the Emprove regulatory documentation program supporting pharmaceutical compliance, MultiScreen 96- and 384-well filtration plates for high-throughput screening, SureWick glass fiber conjugate pads for lateral flow diagnostics, and Milli-Q ultrapure water systems. The company also operates contract testing services through BioReliance across facilities in Singapore, China, the U.S., and the UK for viral clearance and regulatory studies.
Revenue is generated through direct product sales via the sigmaaldrich.com e-commerce platform, tiered organizational contract pricing with annual contracts, custom synthesis and contract manufacturing services (oligonucleotides, peptides, custom chemistry), and BioReliance contract testing. Distribution combines direct e-commerce, inside sales for quotes and custom orders, enterprise field sales for pharmaceutical and biopharma accounts requiring consultative support, and a partner ecosystem that resells products from Roche, Corning, Cytiva, Eppendorf, and other manufacturers through the same platform alongside MilliporeSigma's branded portfolio.
Sigma-Aldrich firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sigma-Aldrich
- Legal name
- Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
- Website
- https://sigmaaldrich.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Sigma-Aldrich, operating as MilliporeSigma, is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, supplying 200,000+ products including chemicals, reagents, filtration technologies, and contract testing services to pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology firms, research institutions, and diagnostic manufacturers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sigma-Aldrich industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Science Products and Laboratory Reagents
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Medical Laboratories (621511)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency) (HLAGAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA) (HLAGAGAC), Diagnostic & Laboratory Packaging (Specimen Containers, Transport Tubes) (IMALAIAF)
Keywords
Where Sigma-Aldrich is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sigma-Aldrich business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales (Chemicals, Reagents, Labware): Direct sale of chemicals, biochemicals, reagents, lab equipment, filtration products, and labware through e-commerce platform and direct sales. Products include specialty chemicals, reference materials, solvents, biological reagents, and custom synthesis materials.
- Contract Manufacturing & Custom Products: Custom product synthesis services including oligonucleotides, peptides, and custom chemistry solutions. Process development services for virus filtration optimization.
- Contract Testing Services (BioReliance): Viral clearance studies, contract testing, and regulatory compliance services for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical客户 through global facilities.
- Organizational Contract Pricing: Tiered pricing programs for organizational customers with registered accounts, providing contract pricing, volume discounts, and 3% web-only promotional pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard web pricing with promotional discounts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Millipore filtration products |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for custom/bulk orders |
| Subscription | Annual | Organizational contract pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Sigma-Aldrich product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sigma-Aldrich (operating as MilliporeSigma) sells more than 200,000 life science products including chemicals, biochemicals, reagents, solvents, filtration devices, labware, diagnostic components, lab water purification systems, and biological materials to pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies, research institutions, and diagnostic manufacturers. The company also provides contract testing services through BioReliance covering viral clearance studies and regulatory compliance testing, plus custom oligonucleotide, peptide, and chemistry synthesis services.
Product overview
MilliporeSigma operates as a diversified life science company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products organized under six primary sub-brands: Sigma-Aldrich® (lab and production materials), Millipore® (pharma/biopharma CTDMO services), SAFC® (pharma raw materials), Supelco® (analytical products), Milli-Q® (water purification), and BioReliance® (contract testing). The core product portfolio spans chemicals and biochemicals, virus filtration solutions (Viresolve® Pro and Pro-S families), filtration plates (MultiScreen®), diagnostic components (SureWick® pads), molecular biology reagents (phosphoramidites, fluorescent probes), biological reagents (recombinant antigens, isotopes), and lab equipment. The Emprove® Program provides regulatory documentation and compliance support. The company also distributes partner brand labware products and offers e-commerce tools including order lookup, quick order, and online quotation services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Millipore®: Expert Pharma / BioPharma Products & CTDMO Services
- Sigma-Aldrich®
- SAFC®
- Supelco®
- Milli-Q®
- BioReliance®
Products and services
- Viresolve Pro Virus Filtration Solution Standalone virus filtration product line using asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) membrane for viral clearance in monoclonal antibody and recombinant protein production, delivering log reduction values ≥4.0 for parvovirus and available in scalable formats from micro to process scale for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturers.
- Viresolve Pro-S Virus Filtration Solution Advanced virus filtration solution designed for challenging process fluids including hydrophobic or high-concentration molecules such as complex monoclonal antibodies, available in gamma-irradiated presterilized formats for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- SureWick Glass Fiber Conjugate Pads Glass fiber pads engineered for lateral flow diagnostic tests, providing superior consistency for releasing detector reagents and facilitating reliable sample flow, sold to in vitro diagnostic manufacturers for use in COVID-19, HIV, influenza, and other infectious disease tests.
- MultiScreen Filter Plates 96- and 384-well filtration plates with diverse membrane options (PVDF, PTFE, MCE, nylon mesh) for cell-based assays, sample preparation, ELISpot, chemotaxis, and high-throughput screening applications.
- Milli-Q Lab Water Purification Systems Lab water purification systems and consumables producing ultrapure and pure water for laboratory applications, with consistent quality and documentation.
- BioReliance Contract Testing Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Viresolve Pro solutions provide log reduction values (LRVs) ≥ 4.0 for small, non-enveloped parvovirus
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sigma-Aldrich
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sigma-Aldrich technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Sigma-Aldrich partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and standard.
- RochecoreRoche portfolio of biochemical reagents, qPCR, and nucleic acid purification products distributed through MilliporeSigma platform. Includes cOmplete protease inhibitor cocktails, DNase I, collagenases, and Liberase enzymes for genomics, proteomics, and cellular analysis.
- CorningcoreCorning glass and plastic labware, filtration membranes, cell culture supplies, and equipment for life sciences distributed alongside MilliporeSigma products.
- CytivacoreEssential life science tools including chromatography resins, Whatman and Pall filtration solutions, and Amersham western blotting products distributed through the platform.
- EppendorfcoreEppendorf brand conical and microfuge tubes, pipettes and tips, dispensers, centrifuges, microplates, mixers, and PCR equipment available through MilliporeSigma.
- BRAND (BRANDTECH)coreBRAND glassware, plasticware, and liquid handling products including micropipettes and pipette tips distributed in North America.
- Benchmark ScientificstandardAdvanced centrifuges, water baths, plate readers, cell counters, fluorometers, homogenizers, and incubators for laboratory research.
- DWK Life SciencesstandardWorld-class quality glass and plastics including DURAN glassware, WHEATON labware, and KIMBLE glassware distributed through the platform.
- Excel ScientificstandardSealing films and foils for PCR, ELISA, cell culture, cold storage, and autosampling applications distributed alongside MilliporeSigma labware.
- Heathrow ScientificstandardBenchtop equipment and lab essentials including Rota-Rack tube racks, focusing on product innovation for lab work efficiency.
- LGC BiosearchstandardGenomics workflow products including electrocompetent cells for expression and cloning, nucleic acid extraction reagents, and molecular biology enzymes.
- OHAUSstandardPrecision analytical instruments including analytical, precision, and high-capacity balances and moisture analyzers for laboratory weighing applications.
- Pop-BiostandardPop-Bio Vü chemiluminescence and fluorescence imaging systems for gel documentation distributed through the platform.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sigma-Aldrich competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Waters Corporation: Specialty analytical instrument company focused on chromatography, mass spectrometry, and lab informatics. Direct overlap with MilliporeSigma Supelco's analytical chemistry product lines.
- Bio-Rad Laboratories: Life science research and clinical diagnostics company with complementary offerings in lab reagents, protein separation, and analytical instruments. Overlaps with Sigma-Aldrich's research chemical and life science reagent business.
- Eurofins Scientific: Global testing services network with overlap in pharmaceutical product testing, environmental analysis, and life science services. Comparable to BioReliance's contract testing franchise.
- PerkinElmer (Revvity): Life science and diagnostics company offering analytical instruments, reagents, and lab services. Overlaps with MilliporeSigma's analytical products and diagnostics component offerings.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: The largest direct competitor across life science products, bioprocessing, and analytical services. Thermo Fisher's Life Sciences Solutions and Analytical Instruments segments directly overlap with MilliporeSigma's chemicals, filtration, and contract testing portfolio.
- Sartorius AG: Focused bioprocessing competitor with strong overlap in upstream and downstream biomanufacturing consumables. Directly comparable in filtration and bioprocess solutions for pharma manufacturers.
- Agilent Technologies: Analytical instruments and lab consumables competitor with strong positioning in chromatography, mass spectrometry, and spectroscopy. Direct overlap with MilliporeSigma's Supelco analytical products and Milli-Q lab water franchises.
- Charles River Laboratories: Early-stage CRO with biopharma testing services comparable to BioReliance. Overlaps in viral clearance, biosafety testing, and other regulated laboratory services for pharma manufacturers.
- Lonza Group: Global biopharma contract development and manufacturing organization with overlapping offerings in pharma raw materials, bioprocessing, and cell & gene therapy services. Comparable to MilliporeSigma's BioReliance and SAFC offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Danaher Corporation: Diversified life science conglomerate owning Cytiva (bioprocessing), Pall, Beckman Coulter, and Leica. Competes head-on with MilliporeSigma's filtration and bioprocessing offerings through Cytiva while serving a broader portfolio overall.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sigma-Aldrich social profiles
Digital presenceSigma-Aldrich financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sigma-Aldrich leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sigma-Aldrich funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sigma-Aldrich 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 Sigma-Aldrich
What does Sigma-Aldrich do?
Sigma-Aldrich (operating as MilliporeSigma) sells more than 200,000 life science products including chemicals, biochemicals, reagents, solvents, filtration devices, labware, diagnostic components, lab water purification systems, and biological materials to pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotechnology companies, research institutions, and diagnostic manufacturers. The company also provides contract testing services through BioReliance covering viral clearance studies and regulatory compliance testing, plus custom oligonucleotide, peptide, and chemistry synthesis services.
Is Sigma-Aldrich a public or private company?
Sigma-Aldrich is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Sigma-Aldrich founded?
Sigma-Aldrich was founded in 1951. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Sigma-Aldrich based?
Sigma-Aldrich is headquartered in St Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sigma-Aldrich make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Product Sales (Chemicals, Reagents, Labware) is the primary driver. The others are contract Manufacturing & Custom Products, contract Testing Services (BioReliance) and organizational Contract Pricing.
Who are Sigma-Aldrich's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Waters Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Eurofins Scientific, PerkinElmer (Revvity), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sartorius AG, Agilent Technologies, Charles River Laboratories and Lonza Group. Danaher Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sigma-Aldrich have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sigma-Aldrich.
What industry is Sigma-Aldrich in?
Sigma-Aldrich's product category is Life Science Products and Laboratory Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAGAF, Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency), with a secondary code of HLAGAGAC, mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 8734.