Celeste Industries Corporation

What Celeste Industries Corporation does

Celeste Industries Corporation is a specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1946 and headquartered in Easton, Maryland. The company formulates and sells a portfolio of cleaning chemicals, sanitizers, and odor control products purpose-built for commercial aviation, rail, and bus operators. Its product platform spans six categories — hand care, interior surface cleaning, odor control, toilets and drains, potable water treatment, and exterior/MRO chemistry — with proprietary formulations such as Biozyme EX3 (enzymatic odor control), Sani-Cide EX3 (EPA-registered disinfectant), and specialized potable water tank descaling chemistry. Celeste's revenue model is direct enterprise sales of proprietary consumable chemistry via a field account-manager network operating on a quote-based pricing model; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Named customers include SEKISUI SPI (aircraft interior thermoplastics), Qatar Airways (Liquid Scrub deployed on B787 with planned extension to B777), and Malaysia Airlines (validated Gly-Vak and Sani-Tank N for complete scale removal in waste lines). The company also supplies aviation-grade wiping products, absorbent materials, and dispensing/proportioning tools as part of a bundled account-level solution. Celeste operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITW (Illinois Tool Works), a Fortune 200 diversified industrial manufacturer listed on the NYSE under ticker ITW. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range. Distribution and account management are organized geographically, and the company claims to serve most of the world's commercial air, rail, and bus industries globally. ITW ownership provides operational, procurement, and balance-sheet backing but Celeste's individual P&L is not separately disclosed.

Name

Celeste Industries Corporation

Legal name

Celeste Industries Corporation

Website

https://celestecorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Celeste Industries Corporation manufactures specialty cleaning chemicals, sanitizers, and odor control products for global commercial aviation, rail, and bus operators, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITW (Illinois Tool Works) via direct enterprise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cleaning Chemicals for Transportation

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (325611), Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842)

akta.pro primary industry

General All-Purpose Cleaners (CRAJAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Odor Eliminators & Neutralizers (Non-fragrance) (CRAJAEAF), Eco-Friendly Specialty Cleaners (Oven, Degreasers, Limescale, Metal) (CRAJAOAK), Appliance & Specialty Hard Surface Cleaners (Oven/BBQ/Cooktop) (CRAJACAH)

Keywords

• Aviation cleaning chemicals
• Aircraft maintenance chemicals
• Rail transit cleaners
• Odor control products
• Specialty chemical manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Easton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemical Products: Celeste Industries generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of specialty cleaning chemicals, including hand soaps, sanitizers, surface cleaners, odor control products, toilet and drain cleaners, potable water treatment products, and exterior/MRO chemicals. Products are sold directly to commercial aviation and rail operators worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Celeste Industries Corporation manufactures and sells specialty cleaning chemicals and odor control products for the commercial aviation, rail, and bus industries. Its offerings span hand care soaps and sanitizers, interior surface cleaners, enzymatic odor control products, drain and waste line cleaners, potable water tank descalers, EPA-registered disinfectants, and exterior/MRO cleaners/degreases, distributed globally through direct enterprise sales.

Product overview

Celeste Industries Corporation offers a comprehensive portfolio of specialty cleaning chemical products for the aviation and rail industries. The product line includes six main categories: Hand Care (soaps, sanitizers, and bases such as Flight Luxe Hand Soap, Sani-Luxe Hand Sanitizer, and Soap Base Assembly Units), Interior Surface Cleaners (Next Generation Interior Cleaner Complete, HiFo Carpet Cleaner, MicroGreen Elite), Odor Control (Biozyme EX3, JetScent Spray, Flight Fresh Deodorant Disc, Super Deodorant), Toilets and Drains (Sani-Tank N, Sani-Vak G3, Gly-Vak), Potable Water Systems cleaners, and Exterior/MRO products (HD Cleaner/Degreaser, Value Wash, EcoClean). Additional products include disinfectants (Sani-Cide EX3 EPA Registered, Glyco-San NG), specialized wipes (Flight Deck Wipes, Aerospace Lens Wipe), emergency cleaning kits, and supporting equipment and accessories. The products serve commercial airlines and railway operators globally, with formulations designed for aircraft-specific applications including lavatories, galleys, cabins, cockpits, and maintenance operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Next Generation Interior Cleaner Complete Comprehensive interior surface cleaning solution formulated for aircraft (and rail) interiors to keep surfaces clean and flight-ready.
• Biozyme EX3 Bio-enzymatic odor control product that cleans, deodorizes, and attacks the source of malodors for aircraft and rail applications.
• HiFo Carpet Cleaner Carpet cleaning solution specifically formulated for aircraft and rail interiors.
• MicroGreen Elite Surface cleaning product for aircraft and rail interior applications.
• Sani-Cide EX3 (EPA Registered) EPA-registered sanitizer/disinfectant product designed for aircraft interior cleaning.
• Flight Luxe Hand Soap Rich, dense-lathering hand soap with built-in fragrance collar for aircraft (and rail) lavatory and galley use.
• Sani-Luxe Hand Sanitizer Hand sanitizer product formulated for aviation and rail hand care applications.
• Soap Base Assembly Units Soap base units designed for Celeste's soap delivery systems used in aircraft and rail lavatories and galleys.
• Sani-Tank / Sani-Tank N Drain and waste line cleaner proven effective for scale removal in aircraft (and rail) waste systems; completely removes scale buildup.
• Sani-Com Lavatory cleaner formulated for aircraft and rail cockpit/lavatory sanitation applications.
• Sani-Vak G3 Vacuum flask cleaner formulated for aircraft (and rail) lavatory vacuum systems.
• JetScent Spray Lavatory spray product for odor control in aircraft (and rail) lavatory applications.
• Flight Fresh Deodorant Disc Deodorant disc product for continuous odor control in aircraft and rail lavatories.
• Aerospace Lens Wipe Specialized cleaning wipe for aerospace lens and cockpit surface applications.
• Flight Deck Wipes Cleaning wipe product designed for aircraft flight deck / cockpit use.
• HD Cleaner / Degreaser Heavy-duty cleaner and degreaser formulated for aircraft and rail exterior and MRO applications, including sealant removal.
• Value Wash Exterior/MRO cleaning product for aircraft and rail wash applications.
• Emergency Cleaning Kits Pre-packaged cleaning kit product for aircraft and rail emergency cleaning situations.
• Sani-Pak Liquid Liquid lavatory cleaning product for aircraft and rail lavatory systems.
• Potable Water Tank Cleaners Exclusive formula that penetrates multiple layers of scale, lifting them away from walls and emulsifying them for thorough cleaning of aircraft potable water tanks.
• Liquid Scrub Surface cleaning product used on B787 and B777 aircraft platforms.
• Gly-Vak Glycol-based drain cleaner formulated for aircraft waste line scale removal.
• Glyco-San NG Next-generation glycol-based sanitizer for aviation cleaning applications.
• EcoClean Eco-friendly cleaning product for aviation and rail applications.
• Super Deodorant High-strength deodorant product for aircraft and rail odor control applications.
• Proportioning Tool Dispensing equipment for accurate proportioning of Celeste chemical products during cleaning operations.
• Sani-Sorb Absorbent product for cleaning applications in aircraft and rail environments.
• Microfiber Towels Microfiber towels for use with Celeste cleaning products in aviation and rail cleaning operations.
• Deep Cleaning Sponge Sponge accessory for deep cleaning applications in aircraft and rail environments.
• Refresher Towelette Refreshing towelette product for surfaces in aircraft and rail cabins.
• Recirculation Tool Maintenance tool for recirculating Celeste cleaning solutions during cleaning operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete scale removal from aircraft waste lines after two months of recommended Celeste procedure (Malaysian Airlines case study)

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ITW (Illinois Tool Works)coreOthersCeleste Industries Corporation is an ITW (Illinois Tool Works) Company. ITW is a Fortune 200 company and global industrial manufacturer. Celeste operates as a subsidiary within the ITW portfolio.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Diversey (Solenis): Diversey, now part of Solenis, is a global manufacturer of cleaning, hygiene, and infection-prevention chemicals serving hospitality, food service, healthcare, and transportation. It overlaps with Celeste on institutional cleaning chemistries but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Henkel: Henkel's Adhesive Technologies and Consumer Brands divisions include industrial cleaning and surface treatment products that touch MRO and transit applications. It is comparable as a global specialty chemical conglomerate with adjacent cleaning product lines.
• Ecolab: Ecolab is a Fortune 500 leader in water, hygiene, and infection-prevention solutions supplying cleaning chemicals and service programs across food service, hospitality, healthcare, and industrial markets. It competes broadly with Celeste's institutional cleaning portfolio and has the scale to enter aviation specialty segments.
• Zep Inc. Zep manufactures and distributes a broad portfolio of cleaning and maintenance chemicals for industrial, institutional, and consumer markets. It overlaps with Celeste on formulated cleaning products, though Zep's distribution is broader and less aviation-specialized.
• Chemetall (BASF): Chemetall, part of BASF's Surface Treatment division, supplies aerospace cleaning, pretreatment, and surface treatment chemicals. It competes with Celeste's MRO and exterior product lines while serving a much broader aerospace and industrial coatings portfolio.

Others

• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): ITW is Celeste's parent company and a Fortune 200 diversified industrial manufacturer with dozens of operating units in specialty chemicals, equipment, and consumables. It is the corporate owner rather than a peer, but its operating model and capital allocation framework directly shape Celeste's strategic direction.

Direct peers

• Callington Group: Callington Group is a specialty chemical manufacturer with a dedicated aviation division (Callington Haven) supplying cleaning, disinfection, and water treatment chemicals to commercial airlines. It directly competes with Celeste in the same product categories and customer base across global aviation markets.
• Arrow Solutions: Arrow Solutions is a UK-based specialty chemical manufacturer producing industrial and aviation cleaning, degreasing, and maintenance chemicals. It competes with Celeste in specialty cleaning formulations for transportation and industrial maintenance markets.
• Velocity Chemical: Velocity Chemical formulates and supplies specialty cleaning and degreasing chemicals for aviation, MRO, and industrial customers. It is a comparable niche manufacturer of formulated cleaning chemistries targeting similar use cases such as exterior wash, degreasing, and interior cleaning.

Emerging players

• Veltek Associates: Veltek Associates manufactures sterile and disinfectant cleaning products primarily for pharmaceutical, life sciences, and cleanroom environments, with some overlap into aviation and transit cleaning chemistries. It is comparable as a specialty formulator with a regulated-product focus, though its core market is different.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CelesteIndustries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/celeste-industries-corporation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Celeste Industries Corporation