Carus
Carus is a specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1915, headquartered in Peru, Illinois, producing permanganate, blended phosphate, and catalyst products for water, air, and soil treatment. It serves municipalities, mining operators, and industrial customers globally as the sole Western Hemisphere producer of permanganate.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1915
- HeadquartersPeru, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Carus does
Carus is a privately held specialty chemical manufacturer headquartered in Peru, Illinois, founded in 1915 as a family-owned company and now operating as Carus Group Inc. The company manufactures and sells three core product families: permanganates (AQUOX, CAIROX, CARUSOL, LIQUOX, and RemOx ISCO reagents), blended phosphates (AQUA MAG, AQUADENE, CALCIQUEST, and the CARUS 1000-8000 series), and proprietary catalysts (CARULITE 200-500). It is the only manufacturer of permanganate in the Western Hemisphere, supplying water utilities, mining operators, environmental remediation firms, food and beverage processors, pharmaceutical sterilizers, electronics manufacturers, and oil and gas operators across North America and EMEA. Carus holds NSF/ANSI 60, Kiwa, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and Responsible Care certifications, supporting municipal drinking water treatment, corrosion control (including EPA Lead and Copper Rule compliance), taste and odor control, ISCO soil and groundwater remediation, ozone destruction, VOC oxidation, and ethylene oxide emission control.
The company generates revenue primarily through one-time product sales of chemical consumables, supplemented by paid technical services including laboratory testing, treatability and feasibility studies, and custom dosing equipment design. Pricing is custom-quoted, with recent phosphate price increases ($0.05-$0.10/lb) effective December 1, 2025, reflecting raw material cost pass-through. Distribution combines a direct sales force reachable via phone and email with a distributor network, regional sales offices (Carus Europe, S.L. in Oviedo, Spain for EMEA), and a wholly-owned DOT Hazmat-certified logistics subsidiary, Alliance Transport. Manufacturing is concentrated at two ISO- and RCMS-certified facilities in LaSalle, Illinois and Belmont, North Carolina. Carus also pursues a thought-leadership and event-driven GTM via webinars, technical content, and conferences such as AWWA ACE, WATERCON, Battelle, and RemTec.
The company is led by Andy Johnston (appointed September 28 of the year following Ashland LLC tenure), employs 101-250 people with an average tenure of 10 years, and operates as an independent, non-PE-backed enterprise without any publicly disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors. Customer testimonials emphasize reliable lead times, responsive service, and trusted sole-source relationships, particularly for municipalities requiring EPA-compliant drinking water treatment.
Carus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carus
- Legal name
- Carus Group Inc.
- Website
- https://carusllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1915
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Carus is a specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1915, headquartered in Peru, Illinois, producing permanganate, blended phosphate, and catalyst products for water, air, and soil treatment. It serves municipalities, mining operators, and industrial customers globally as the sole Western Hemisphere producer of permanganate.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Water Treatment Chemicals
- NAICS
- Chemical Manufacturing (325), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251)
- SIC
- Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Biocides & Disinfection Chemicals (Non-Agricultural) (IMAEAJAL)
Keywords
Where Carus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Peru
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Carus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Permanganate Products: Sale of potassium permanganate (AQUOX®, CAIROX®) and sodium permanganate (CARUSOL®, LIQUOX®) products for water treatment, remediation, and industrial oxidation applications
- Phosphate Products: Sale of phosphate-based corrosion control products including AQUA MAG®, AQUADENE®, CALCIQUEST®, and CARUS™ 1000-8000 series for municipal drinking water treatment
- Catalyst Products: Sale of CARULITE® catalyst products (200, 300, 400, 500) for ozone destruction, VOC oxidation, and ethylene oxide emission control
- Technical Services: Laboratory testing, feasibility and treatability studies, product/treatment recommendations, safety & handling training, and custom dosing equipment design
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom quotation-based pricing for permanganate, phosphate, and catalyst products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Carus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carus manufactures and sells specialty chemicals that clean water, air, and soil, organized into three core product families: permanganate oxidizers (AQUOX®, CAIROX®, CARUSOL®, LIQUOX®, RemOx®), phosphate-based water treatment chemicals (AQUA MAG®, AQUADENE®, CALCIQUEST®, CARUS™ 1000-8000), and CARULITE® catalysts for ozone, VOC, and ethylene oxide emission control. The company is the only manufacturer of permanganate in the Western Hemisphere and supplies municipalities, industrial processors, mining operations, remediation contractors, and pharmaceutical/electronics manufacturers globally from facilities in LaSalle, IL and Belmont, NC. Supporting services include laboratory testing, treatability studies, custom dosing equipment design, and field technical support.
Product overview
Carus is a specialty chemical manufacturer offering three main product families: Permanganates (AQUOX®, CAIROX®, CARUSOL®, LIQUOX®, RemOx®), Phosphates (AQUA MAG®, AQUADENE®, CALCIQUEST®, CARUS™ 1000-8000), and Catalysts (CARULITE® 200/300/400/500). These products clean water, air, and soil across applications including drinking water treatment (corrosion control, iron/manganese removal, lead/copper management), wastewater treatment (odor control, cyanide destruction), air purification (ozone destruction, VOC oxidation, EtO emission control), soil and groundwater remediation (chlorinated solvents, 1,4-dioxane, petroleum hydrocarbons), and mining wastewater treatment (acid mine drainage). The company is the only manufacturer of permanganate in the Western Hemisphere. Carus also provides technical services including laboratory testing, feasibility studies, and custom equipment design.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AQUOX: Potassium permanganate product line (ACS & Pharma Grade, Free Flowing Grade, Technical Grade)
- CAIROX
- CARUSOL
- LIQUOX
- RemOx
- CARULITE
- AQUA MAG
- AQUADENE
- CALCIQUEST
- CARUS Phosphates
- Alliance Transport
- Carus Europe
Products and services
- AQUOX® Potassium Permanganate (ACS & Pharma Grade, Free Flowing Grade, Technical Grade)
Quantifiable outcome
- 38% reduction in workforce turnover compared to industry standard (10-year average tenure vs industry average)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Carus
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Carus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature14 records
Carus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Redox TechcoreCarus partners with Redox Tech to advance groundwater remediation and environmental treatment technologies. This collaboration focuses on developing and applying remediation solutions for challenging contaminated sites.
- Research InstitutionsminorCarus collaborates with research institutions to advance environmental treatment technologies and develop innovative solutions for water, air, and soil challenges.
- MunicipalitiescoreCarus partners with municipalities for water treatment solutions, providing technical support, product supply, and collaborative problem-solving for drinking water and wastewater challenges.
- Perfectly Flawed FoundationminorCarus sponsored and participated in the Perfectly Flawed Foundation's 9th Annual Earth Day Cleanup event along the I&M Canal in LaSalle. Community partnership for environmental stewardship.
- Professional OrganizationsminorPartnerships with professional organizations like American Water Works Association (AWWA), Illinois Section AWWA (ISAWWA) for webinars, training, and industry events.
- Alliance TransportcoreWholly-owned subsidiary and sister company providing reliable product delivery with trained drivers, DOT Hazmat certification, and comprehensive safety protocols. Ensures supply chain reliability.
- PicarroPartnership for ethylene oxide abatement solutions. White paper collaboration on breaking boundaries in EtO emissions reduction.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Carus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hawkins, Inc. Hawkins is a US specialty chemical distributor and formulator serving water treatment, industrial, and food customers. It is comparable to Carus as a North American specialty chemicals player focused on water treatment chemistry, though it is broader in scope and acts as both blender and distributor.
- Nalco Water (Ecolab): Ecolab's Nalco Water segment is a global leader in water treatment chemicals and services for industrial and municipal customers. It competes directly with Carus in cooling, boiler, and municipal water treatment chemistries, though at far greater scale and breadth.
- Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund: Chemtrade produces and distributes specialty chemicals including water treatment chemistries, sulfuric acid, and inorganic products across North America. It overlaps with Carus in water treatment specialty chemicals and industrial inorganic chemistry.
- SNF Group: SNF is the world's largest producer of polyacrylamide-based water treatment polymers used in flocculation and sludge dewatering. It competes with Carus in municipal and industrial water treatment chemistry with a complementary (rather than overlapping) product line.
- Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia provides water treatment services, equipment, and chemicals globally. It overlaps with Carus where municipalities outsource chemistry and operations, though Veolia is far broader and acts as both supplier and service provider.
- Innospec: Innospec is a US specialty chemicals company with performance chemicals and oilfield services divisions serving water treatment, fuel additives, and personal care markets. It is comparable as a mid-sized US specialty chemical manufacturer with municipal/industrial customer overlap.
- ICL Group: ICL is a global specialty minerals and chemicals company producing phosphate-based products for water treatment, agriculture, and industrial uses. It is comparable to Carus's phosphate business, particularly in corrosion control and water treatment phosphates, though at far greater scale.
Direct peers
- Solvay: Solvay is one of the world's leading producers of potassium permanganate and other inorganic oxidizers, based in Europe. It is the closest direct competitor to Carus in permanganate chemistry, supplying global industrial and municipal water treatment customers.
- USALCO: USALCO is a US manufacturer of aluminum-based specialty chemicals for water and wastewater treatment, including coagulants and flocculants. It competes with Carus in serving municipal and industrial water treatment customers, though with a different chemistry focus.
Emerging players
- Regenesis Bioremediation Products: Regenesis supplies in-situ chemical and biological remediation products for soil and groundwater cleanup. It is comparable to Carus in the ISCO/RemOx remediation product line, though it focuses on biological and reductive rather than oxidative chemistries.
Market position
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carus social profiles
Digital presenceCarus compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Carus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Carus subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Carus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carus 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 Carus
What does Carus do?
Carus manufactures and sells specialty chemicals that clean water, air, and soil, organized into three core product families: permanganate oxidizers (AQUOX®, CAIROX®, CARUSOL®, LIQUOX®, RemOx®), phosphate-based water treatment chemicals (AQUA MAG®, AQUADENE®, CALCIQUEST®, CARUS™ 1000-8000), and CARULITE® catalysts for ozone, VOC, and ethylene oxide emission control. The company is the only manufacturer of permanganate in the Western Hemisphere and supplies municipalities, industrial processors, mining operations, remediation contractors, and pharmaceutical/electronics manufacturers globally from facilities in LaSalle, IL and Belmont, NC. Supporting services include laboratory testing, treatability studies, custom dosing equipment design, and field technical support.
Is Carus a public or private company?
Carus is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Carus founded?
Carus was founded in 1915. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Carus based?
Carus is headquartered in Peru, United States, in the North America region.
How does Carus make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Permanganate Products are the primary driver. The others are phosphate Products, catalyst Products and technical Services.
Who are Carus's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hawkins, Inc., Nalco Water (Ecolab), Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund, SNF Group, Veolia Water Technologies, Innospec and ICL Group. Direct peers are Solvay and USALCO. Regenesis Bioremediation Products is listed as an emerging player.
Does Carus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carus.
What industry is Carus in?
Carus's product category is Specialty Water Treatment Chemicals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEABAN, Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals, with a secondary code of IMAEAJAL, Biocides & Disinfection Chemicals (Non-Agricultural). Its NAICS code is 325 and its SIC code is 2810.