Scharlab
Scharlab is a Barcelona-based European manufacturer of laboratory chemicals, microbiology media, glassware, chromatography, and consumables, founded in 1949, distributing to 100+ countries and serving pharmaceutical, environmental, food-safety, academic, and cosmetics laboratories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Scharlab does
Scharlab, S.L. is a Barcelona-headquartered manufacturer and distributor of laboratory chemicals, microbiology media, glassware, chromatography products, equipment, and consumables, founded in 1949 and operating under the Scharlau Science Group umbrella. The company manages a catalogue of 200,000+ product references including its own Scharlau brand, the MiStraCon reference strain line, Aquagent Karl Fischer reagents, and Pharmpur pharmaceutical-grade products, alongside distributed third-party brands. Manufacturing is centred at the Sentmenat factory near Barcelona, with a wholly-owned Italian subsidiary (SCHARLAB ITALIA, S.R.L.) and operations in the Philippines, and a distribution network reaching 100+ countries.
The business model is B2B sales-led with country-assigned Area Managers, customer registration, private-area online ordering, and minimum order thresholds (€3,000 by truck/air and €5,000 by sea for international orders). Approximately 350 employees work across 7 countries, and Scharlab holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, ISO 17025, and ISO 17034 certifications plus an EcoVadis sustainability rating. Custom-made/OEM chemical manufacturing is a distinct revenue line alongside chromatography and microbiology technical services. Customer segments span pharmaceutical laboratories, environmental and food-safety laboratories, university/research institutions, cosmetics testing labs, third-party testing labs, and international distributors.
Strategically, Scharlab is investing in physical capacity expansion (a new Sentmenat building beginning June 2026 with a 2028 target to triple R&D and QC lab capacity) and broadening its product surface with launches such as oligonucleotide synthesis reagents, Nucha cannabis-extraction filters, and Aquagent coulometric Karl Fischer formulations. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company has not raised external funding rounds in the available record.
Scharlab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scharlab
- Legal name
- SCHARLAB, S.L.
- Website
- https://scharlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Scharlab is a Barcelona-based European manufacturer of laboratory chemicals, microbiology media, glassware, chromatography, and consumables, founded in 1949, distributing to 100+ countries and serving pharmaceutical, environmental, food-safety, academic, and cosmetics laboratories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scharlab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory Chemicals and Supplies
- NAICS
- Chemical Manufacturing (325), Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)
Keywords
Where Scharlab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Scharlab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Laboratory Chemical Products: Sale of chemicals, reagents, solvents, and standards under Scharlau brand and distributed brands. Products include high-purity solvents for PFAS analysis, Karl Fischer reagents, and oligonucleotide synthesis reagents.
- Microbiology Products: Ready-to-use solid culture media, dehydrated culture media, reference strains (MiStraCon line), and microbiology services.
- Laboratory Equipment and Glassware: Glassware, quartz, porcelain products, reactors, Dean Stark multicolon collector equipment, glass condensers, Schlenk components, and laboratory instruments.
- Chromatography Products and Services: Chromatography consumables, columns, and chromatography services including method development and analysis.
- Custom-Made/OEM Products: Custom-tailored chemical products following customer specifications, OEM products, and tailor-made solutions for specific laboratory needs.
- Laboratory Consumables: LDPE Pasteur pipettes, safety products, general consumables, and calibration services for glassware, weights, thermometers, and thermohygrometers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B pricing through private area |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | International distributor minimum orders |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Special certificates and documentation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Scharlab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Scharlab manufactures and distributes laboratory chemicals, microbiology culture media, glassware, chromatography products, equipment, and consumables under the Scharlau house brand and distributed manufacturer brands. The company offers over 200,000 SKUs including high-purity solvents, Karl Fischer reagents (Aquagent), reference strains (MiStraCon), ISO 17034 accredited reference materials, and provides custom chemical synthesis and OEM manufacturing services to pharmaceutical, food/environmental, academic, and testing laboratories across 100+ countries.
Product overview
Scharlab operates as a comprehensive laboratory supplies provider offering a unified portfolio organized around product categories including chemicals, microbiology, glassware/quartz/porcelain, chromatography, equipment, consumables, and safety products. The company manufactures under the Scharlau brand while also distributing other manufacturer brands. Key branded product lines include Aquagent Karl Fischer reagents for water determination, MiStraCon reference strains for microbiological control, and Scharlau glassware (manufactured by Afora). The company provides custom manufacturing/OEM services for non-standard chemical products and complementary technical services in chromatography and microbiology. The portfolio spans from commodity chemicals and culture media to specialized analytical equipment, enabling laboratories to source comprehensive laboratory needs from a single supplier.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Scharlau: Primary own brand for chemicals, microbiology media, glassware, chromatography products, consumables, and safety equipment.
- MiStraCon
- Aquagent
- Pharmpur
Products and services
- Chemicals Chemical reagents, solvents, and standards for laboratory applications, including high-purity solvents for PFAS analysis, Karl Fischer titration (Aquagent brand), oligonucleotide synthesis reagents, and custom chemical synthesis. Sold under the Scharlau brand and distributed manufacturer brands for B2B laboratory customers.
- Microbiology Ready-to-use solid culture media, dehydrated culture media, and microbiological reference strains (MiStraCon line) used for microbiological control, food safety testing, and environmental monitoring. Produced under ISO 17025 and ISO 17034 accredited laboratory conditions.
- Glassware, quartz and porcelain Laboratory glassware including reactors, glass condensers (Scharlau by Afora), Dean Stark multicolonlector equipment, Schlenk components for inert atmosphere synthesis, adaptable flasks for gas treatment, and standard glass articles for chemistry laboratories.
- Chromatography
Quantifiable outcome
- Manufacturing capacity to triple by 2028 with new R&D and QC laboratory building
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Scharlab
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Scharlab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Scharlab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Scharlab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Avantor: Avantor is a global laboratory products and services distributor and manufacturer serving biopharma, healthcare, and advanced technology customers through its own brands (including VWR) and proprietary products. Comparable broad incumbent that acquired PanReac AppliChem, directly competing with Scharlab across European laboratory chemicals markets.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global life sciences tools leader offering laboratory chemicals, reagents, chromatography products, and analytical instruments through its Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific brands. Comparable broad incumbent with overlapping catalog across all of Scharlab's product categories.
- Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma): Merck KGaA's life science division, operating as MilliporeSigma in the US, is the global market leader in laboratory chemicals, reagents, and analytical products. Comparable as the dominant broad incumbent whose product range and quality certifications overlap substantially with Scharlab's portfolio but at vastly larger scale.
- Honeywell Research Chemicals: Honeywell Research Chemicals, including the legacy Riedel-de Haën, Fluka, and Sigma-Aldrich competitor brands, produces high-purity laboratory solvents, reagents, and analytical standards. Comparable broad incumbent with overlapping inorganic and organic reagent lines targeting the same pharmaceutical and analytical laboratory customers.
Regional players
- Hach (Veralto): Hach, operating under Veralto, is a specialist in water and environmental analytical chemistry reagents, test kits, and instrumentation. Comparable as a focused reagent manufacturer targeting environmental and quality control laboratories — a key Scharlab customer segment — with strong regional presence in Europe and the Americas.
- Reagex: Reagex is a Latin American manufacturer and distributor of laboratory chemicals and reagents serving analytical, clinical, and industrial laboratories primarily in Chile and broader South America. Comparable regional player in the lab chemicals space serving adjacent geographic markets without directly competing in Scharlab's core European territory.
- Química Industrial Spes: Química Industrial Spes is an Italian manufacturer of laboratory chemicals and analytical reagents with a regional distribution focus in Italy. Comparable as a smaller European specialist competing in overlapping product categories within Scharlab's Italian subsidiary territory and broader Mediterranean markets.
Direct peers
- Carl Roth: Carl Roth is a German family-owned manufacturer and distributor of laboratory chemicals, reagents, consumables, and life science products. Highly comparable European mid-market lab chemicals specialist with similar B2B sales model and broad SKU catalog targeting academic, pharma, and industrial laboratories.
- Labbox: Labbox is a Spanish laboratory supplies distributor offering chemicals, consumables, glassware, and equipment across European and international markets. Comparable as a regional Iberian lab supply competitor with overlapping customer segments and similar B2B catalog distribution approach.
- PanReac AppliChem (ITW Reagents): PanReac AppliChem, now part of ITW Reagents, is one of Scharlab's closest direct competitors — a European manufacturer of laboratory chemicals, reagents, and analytical products headquartered in the Barcelona area. Highly comparable product portfolio, customer base, and distribution model make it the most relevant peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Scharlab social profiles
Digital presenceScharlab compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Scharlab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scharlab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Scharlab subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Scharlab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scharlab 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 Scharlab
What does Scharlab do?
Scharlab manufactures and distributes laboratory chemicals, microbiology culture media, glassware, chromatography products, equipment, and consumables under the Scharlau house brand and distributed manufacturer brands. The company offers over 200,000 SKUs including high-purity solvents, Karl Fischer reagents (Aquagent), reference strains (MiStraCon), ISO 17034 accredited reference materials, and provides custom chemical synthesis and OEM manufacturing services to pharmaceutical, food/environmental, academic, and testing laboratories across 100+ countries.
Is Scharlab a public or private company?
Scharlab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scharlab founded?
Scharlab was founded in 1949. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Scharlab based?
Scharlab is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Scharlab make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Laboratory Chemical Products are the primary driver. The others are microbiology Products, laboratory Equipment and Glassware, chromatography Products and Services, custom-Made/OEM Products and laboratory Consumables.
Who are Scharlab's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Avantor, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma) and Honeywell Research Chemicals. Regional players are Hach (Veralto), Reagex and Química Industrial Spes. Direct peers are Carl Roth, Labbox and PanReac AppliChem (ITW Reagents).
Does Scharlab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scharlab.
What industry is Scharlab in?
Scharlab's product category is Laboratory Chemicals and Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAH, Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters). Its NAICS code is 325 and its SIC code is 2860.