Scharlab

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.

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

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

• Laboratory chemicals
• Microbiology culture media
• Analytical reagents
• Laboratory glassware
• Reference materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Microbiology Products: Ready-to-use solid culture media, dehydrated culture media, reference strains (MiStraCon line), and microbiology services.
3. Laboratory Equipment and Glassware: Glassware, quartz, porcelain products, reactors, Dean Stark multicolon collector equipment, glass condensers, Schlenk components, and laboratory instruments.
4. Chromatography Products and Services: Chromatography consumables, columns, and chromatography services including method development and analysis.
5. Custom-Made/OEM Products: Custom-tailored chemical products following customer specifications, OEM products, and tailor-made solutions for specific laboratory needs.
6. Laboratory Consumables: LDPE Pasteur pipettes, safety products, general consumables, and calibration services for glassware, weights, thermometers, and thermohygrometers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad 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

• Xx.com/scharlabsl
• Facebookfacebook.com/scharlabsl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scharlab-s-l-

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Scharlab