Hydrox Laboratories

What Hydrox Laboratories does

Hydrox Laboratories is a privately held U.S. chemical manufacturer founded in 1913 and headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, operating a 100,000+ square foot facility with 11 production lines, 30 mixing tanks (1,000–8,000 gallon capacity), and 400 million unit annual production capacity. The company manufactures hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, hand sanitizers, hand soaps, surgical instrument care solutions, disinfectants, hair color developers, and baby and adult personal care products under four brands — Hydrox, Kuretek, Fresh Moment, and SAFhandle — across roughly 100 active SKUs and a 284-product catalog. Core technical capabilities include ATF-authorized alcohol manufacturing, USP-grade water purification with reverse osmosis and double UV treatment, FDA-registered antiseptic and hand sanitizer formulations, neutral pH surgical instrument care chemistry, and custom chemical blending with reverse formula engineering.

The company operates a B2B go-to-market across three primary verticals: institutional healthcare (5,000+ U.S. hospitals, long-term care facilities, physician offices, and 3,000+ maternity wards), beauty and salon (4,500+ retail and salon stores for hair color developers), and contract manufacturing for Fortune 500 companies under private label arrangements. Revenue is generated through direct sales, branded distribution to retail and salon channels, and private label contract manufacturing fees. Pricing is volume-based and contract-driven with no public price list; international distribution uses volume discounts and multi-year contract incentives. The company is actively recruiting authorized distributors in Europe, MENA, Australia, Singapore, and South Korea as its first formal geographic expansion beyond the U.S.

Hydrox Laboratories is 100% owned by K. Ramanandan (Ram), a research chemist who acquired the company in 1981 and has since expanded the product portfolio from hydrogen peroxide into adjacent healthcare, baby care, salon, and personal care categories. The business carries EPA, FDA, and cGMP registrations, ATF authorization for alcohol, and has received NGLCC Minority Business Enterprise certification and World-Class Supplier Awards from healthcare, beauty, and retail customers. No institutional investment, private equity, or venture capital backing is indicated, and no public revenue or financial figures are disclosed.

Name

Hydrox Laboratories

Legal name

Hydrox Laboratories

Website

https://hydroxlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hydrox Laboratories is a U.S. chemical manufacturer founded in 1913 that produces hydrogen peroxide, alcohol-based antiseptics, surgical instrument care, baby care, and salon products across four brands, serving hospitals, salons, retailers, and Fortune 500 private label partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Branded Product Sales: Sale of proprietary brands (Hydrox, Kuretek, Fresh Moment, SAFhandle) across healthcare, beauty, baby care, and personal care categories. Products sold directly to healthcare facilities, salons, retail stores, and through distributors.
2. Private Label Manufacturing: Contract packaging and custom chemical blending services for Fortune 500 companies. Includes proprietary formulation matching, reverse formula engineering, and brand strategy services. Revenue from manufacturing fees and product sales under customer brands.
3. International Distribution: Volume-based discount pricing with encouragement of long-term contracts for international authorized distributors in selected countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hydrox Laboratories manufactures hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizers, hand soaps, surgical instrument care products, baby care items, and hair color developers. The company also provides private label and contract manufacturing services for Fortune 500 brands across personal care and antiseptic categories. Its products are distributed to healthcare facilities, salons, retailers, and consumer markets.

Product overview

Hydrox Laboratories is a manufacturer of personal care, healthcare, and beauty products operating four distinct brands. The Hydrox Brand (established 1913, 100+ years) is the primary healthcare-focused line trusted by medical professionals, offering First Aid Antiseptics & Cleansers (Hydrogen Peroxide, Isopropyl Alcohol in various strengths), Hand Hygiene products (Instant Hand Sanitizers with 70% ethyl alcohol, Medicated Hand Washes, Premium Lotions), Hand Soaps, Surgical Instrument Care solutions (enzyme detergents, rust removers, lubricants, pre-cleaners), Hydrocide Disinfectants, and Hair Crème Developers for salons. The Kuretek Brand serves adult and baby care markets with bath products, baby shampoo, baby bath, 2-in-1 products, lotions, oils, and travel kits—all hypoallergenic and pediatrician/dermatologist approved. The Fresh Moment Brand targets healthcare facilities and retail with pH-balanced personal care products including no-rinse cleansers, moisturizers, mouthwash, deodorants, and baby care. SAFhandle (distributed brand) offers reusable safety surgical scalpels and blades compliant with OSHA and CDC requirements. The company also provides private label manufacturing services for Fortune 500 companies with custom formulation and packaging capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hydrox: First Aid Antiseptics & Cleansers, Hand Hygiene, Hand Soaps, Disinfectants, Surgical Instrument Care, Salon Products (Hair Crème Developers). The brand healthcare professionals have depended on for 100+ years.
• Kuretek
• Fresh Moment
• SAFhandle

Products and services

• Hydrogen Peroxide

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.9% of pathogenic microorganisms eliminated in seconds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SAFhandlecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSAFhandle reusable safety surgical scalpels and blades distributed by Hydrox in the U.S. The SAFhandle reusable scalpel combines safety round-tip blades and reusable handles offering protection during use with enhanced performance, compliant with OSHA and CDC requirements.
• RazormedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRazormed surgical scalpels and blades distributed through Hydrox. Products have been in the marketplace as Surgeon-brand and private label brands for 35 years, widely used in U.S. operating rooms during the past decade.
• Fortune 500 Companies (Private Label)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPrivate label manufacturing partnerships with Fortune 500 companies including brand strategies and line extensions. Wide range of healthcare, retail and beauty products available for private label with liquid packaging of all sizes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GOJO Industries: GOJO (Purell) is a privately held US manufacturer of hand sanitizers, hand soaps, and skin hygiene products sold heavily into healthcare, foodservice, and industrial channels. Directly comparable to Hydrox on product mix (ethyl alcohol sanitizers, soaps), B2B healthcare go-to-market, and FDA-registered manufacturing.
• Safetec of America: Safetec manufactures first aid antiseptics (hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol), hand sanitizers, and infection-control products for healthcare and industrial buyers. Highly comparable mid-sized US private manufacturer with overlapping SKU families and private-label/OEM services to Hydrox.
• Vi-Jon: Vi-Jon is one of the largest US private-label manufacturers of hand sanitizers, soaps, and personal care products, supplying major retailers and Fortune 500 brands. Directly comparable to Hydrox on private-label contract manufacturing, liquid packaging capabilities, and healthcare/personal care category overlap.
• Kutol Products Company: Kutol is a US manufacturer of commercial hand soaps, hand sanitizers, and skin care products sold through distribution into healthcare, office, and industrial channels. Highly comparable to Hydrox on B2B hand hygiene manufacturing, private-label capability, and healthcare/customer overlap.
• STERIS: STERIS is a global leader in surgical instrument reprocessing, sterile processing, and infection prevention products for hospitals and ORs. Directly comparable to Hydrox's surgical instrument care line (enzyme detergents, stain removers, lubricants) and shared hospital channel access.

Broad incumbents

• Medline Industries: Medline is a large US privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, including hand hygiene, antiseptics, and surgical instrument care products. Overlaps with Hydrox across most product families and shares the same hospital and long-term care buyer base, but operates at significantly larger scale.
• Reckitt Benckiser: Reckitt owns Lysol and Dettol, dominant global antiseptic, disinfectant, and personal hygiene brands competing across retail and healthcare channels. Overlaps broadly with Hydrox's hand sanitizer, antiseptic, and disinfectant product families as a much larger incumbent.
• Ecolab: Ecolab is a global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, and infection-prevention solutions for healthcare, foodservice, and industrial customers. Comparable to Hydrox on healthcare-focused cleaning chemistry and institutional sales motion, but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• Clorox: Clorox manufactures consumer and professional cleaning, disinfecting, and personal care products (including bleach-based disinfectants and hand sanitizers) sold across retail and institutional channels. Comparable to Hydrox on household and healthcare cleaning chemistry, though Clorox is far larger and brand-led.
• 3M: 3M's Health Care segment manufactures surgical instruments, skin and wound care products, and infection prevention solutions sold into hospitals and healthcare distributors. Overlaps with Hydrox on surgical scalpels/blades distribution and broader healthcare channel presence, though 3M operates across many unrelated categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Hydrox Laboratories