Bode Chemie GmbH

What Bode Chemie GmbH does

BODE Chemie GmbH is a German manufacturer of disinfection and hygiene products headquartered in Hamburg and founded in 1924. The company produces GMP-certified pharmaceutical disinfectants and medical devices compliant with EU MDR and ISO 13485 standards, with a product portfolio spanning hand, surface, instrument, and skin disinfection sold under brands including Sterillium, Bacillol, Cutasept, and Sterillium Virugard. Sterillium, launched in 1965 as the first commercially marketed alcohol-based hand disinfectant, remains the flagship brand and holds a market-leading position in German hand disinfection, with products distributed in more than 50 countries.

The business model is B2B-led, serving hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical manufacturers, cosmetics producers, and food-industry buyers through direct sales and pharmacy retail channels, with a deliberate expansion since 2018 into consumer products via the Sterillium Protect & Care and Sterillium 2-in-1 lines. The company operates the HARTMANN Science Center (originally founded as the BODE Science Center in 2012), which functions as a research and hygiene-knowledge platform supporting clinical customers and regulatory positioning. Since 2009, BODE Chemie has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of PAUL HARTMANN AG, leveraging HARTMANN's global healthcare distribution network for international reach.

Name

Bode Chemie GmbH

Legal name

BODE Chemie GmbH

Website

https://bode-chemie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BODE Chemie GmbH is a Hamburg-based German manufacturer of GMP-certified pharmaceutical disinfectants and medical devices, serving hospitals, pharmaceutical and food industry buyers across 50+ countries as a wholly-owned subsidiary of PAUL HARTMANN AG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Disinfectants

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing (325612)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Hand Hygiene & Skin Antisepsis (Soaps, Sanitizers, Surgical Scrubs, CHG Prep) (HLAHANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hand Sanitizers & Cleansing Sprays (CRABAEAJ), Concentrated Surface Disinfectants (Dilutable Liquids) (CRAJANAB), Food-Contact Surface Sanitizers (Kitchen/Commercial-grade) (CRAJANAG), Antibacterial & Medicated Cleansers (e.g., Acne, Antifungal, Antiseptic) (CRABAEAH)

Keywords

• Disinfection products
• Hand hygiene
• Infection prevention
• Surface disinfection
• Medical disinfectants

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

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

Revenue model

1. Disinfection and Hygiene Products: Sale of branded disinfection, cleaning, care, and skin antiseptic products for professional healthcare use. Revenue generated through product sales to healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and industrial customers via HARTMANN GROUP distribution channels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bode Chemie GmbH manufactures and sells branded disinfection, cleaning, skin care, and skin antisepsis products for professional healthcare and industrial hygiene use. The portfolio covers hand disinfectants (Sterillium line), surface disinfectants (Bacillol, Mikrobac, Dismozon), instrument disinfectants (Korsolex, Bomix, Bodedex), skin antiseptics (Cutasept), and hand care products (Baktolan), supplemented by dispenser equipment and hygiene training materials.

Product overview

BODE Chemie GmbH is a leading disinfection specialist and 100% subsidiary of the PAUL HARTMANN AG, offering a comprehensive portfolio of disinfection, cleaning, care, and skin antisepsis products. The portfolio centers on the Sterillium® brand range (the first marketable alcohol-based hand disinfectant launched in 1965), which includes Sterillium®, Sterillium® pure, Sterillium classic pure, Sterillium® med, Sterillium® Gel, and related products for hand disinfection, hand protection (Baktolan®), and hand care. Surface disinfection is handled through the Bacillol® family (including Bacillol® AF, Bacillol® 30 Sensitive, Bacillol® Zero Tissues, Bacillol® Tissues, Bacillol® Wipes), Mikrobac® products, and Dismozon® plus concentrates. Skin antisepsis is covered by Cutasept® F and Cutasept® G. Instrument disinfection includes Korsolex® products, Bomix® plus, and Bodedex® forte. The portfolio is complemented by dispensing equipment (BODE Eurodispensers, Hygiene Tower, wall holders) and training/monitoring materials (GlowCheck, Visirub Training), providing complete infection prevention solutions for healthcare, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sterillium: Hand disinfection products including Sterillium, Sterillium pure, Sterillium classic pure, Sterillium med, Sterillium Gel, Sterillium Gel pure, and Manusept basic.
• Bacillol
• Cutasept
• Baktolan
• Korsolex

Products and services

• Sterillium hand disinfectants Alcohol-based hand disinfectant family (Sterillium, Sterillium pure, Sterillium classic pure, Sterillium med, Sterillium Gel, Sterillium Gel pure, Manusept basic) for hygienic and surgical hand disinfection in healthcare settings. Sterillium was the first marketable alcohol-based hand disinfectant, combining propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol, and mecetroniumetilsulfat for broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity.
• Bacillol surface disinfectants Surface disinfection product family including ready-to-use solutions (Bacillol AF), gentle foam (Bacillol 30 Sensitive Foam), and pre-soaked wipes (Bacillol Tissues, Bacillol AF Tissues, Bacillol Wipes, Bacillol 30 Sensitive Tissues, Bacillol 30 Sensitive Green Tissues, Bacillol Zero Tissues) for professional surface disinfection in healthcare and industrial facilities.
• Cutasept skin antiseptics Skin antiseptic products (Cutasept F, Cutasept G, Cutasept feet) containing propan-2-ol for skin disinfection before punctures, injections, and surgical procedures, and Stellisept med products for antimicrobial body cleansing.
• Korsolex instrument disinfectants Manual instrument high-level disinfection products (Korsolex basic, Korsolex extra) for surgical instruments and medical devices.
• Baktolan hand care products Hand protection and care products (Baktolan protect, Baktolan protect+ pure, Baktolan lotion, Baktolan lotion pure, Baktolan balm, Baktolan balm pure, Baktolan vital) for professional skin protection and care.
• Mikrobac surface disinfectants Surface disinfection products including Mikrobac forte and Mikrobac plus concentrates, as well as Mikrobac Tissues and Mikrobac Virucidal Tissues for professional surface disinfection with virucidal activity.
• Sterillium Protect & Care consumer pharmacy range Comprehensive pharmacy range including Sterillium 2 in 1 wipes and Sterillium surface spray for home and travel disinfection use, available through pharmacy retail channels.
• Dispenser and hygiene equipment Dispenser equipment including BODE Eurodispenser 1 plus, Eurodispenser RX5 Touchless, BODE Eurodispenser 2, BODE Eurodispenser 3, Eurodispenser 3 flex, Eurodispenser Safety plus, CleanSafe hygiene tower, Wallholder Plus, BODE Wall Holder Hands, BODE Wall Holder Surface, Flowpack Holder, and Hygiene Tower for hand and surface disinfectant dispensing.
• Bacillol Zero Tissues Sustainable surface disinfection wipes with organic acid active ingredient complex, 100% plastic-free wipes, and recyclable packaging. Provides virucidal activity in 2 minutes with good material compatibility for healthcare facilities seeking environmentally responsible disinfection solutions.
• Bodedex and Bomix instrument cleaning products Manual instrument cleaning and disinfecting cleaning products (Bodedex forte, Bomix plus) for cleaning surgical instruments and medical devices prior to high-level disinfection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50% market share in German hand disinfectant market
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PAUL HARTMANN AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009BODE Chemie became a 100% subsidiary of PAUL HARTMANN AG in 2009. With this acquisition and bundling of different product portfolios, system solutions for infection prevention are available from a single source. BODE forms HARTMANN's Disinfection business division.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• B. Braun SE: B. Braun is a German-headquartered global medical device and pharmaceutical company with a substantial infection-prevention division (Softa-Man, Promanum hands, Helipur surface disinfectants). It competes head-to-head with BODE Chemie in European hospitals for hand hygiene and instrument disinfection contracts, with overlapping regulatory positioning (MDR, GMP).
• Schülke & Mayr GmbH: Schülke & Mayr is a German-based specialist in infection prevention and hygiene (hand disinfection, surface disinfection, instrument sterilization), with comparable heritage (founded 1889), comparable B2B healthcare/industrial customer base, and a directly overlapping product portfolio (e.g., Desmanol, Octenisept). Headquartered in Norderstedt near Hamburg, it is the closest German-headquartered direct competitor to BODE Chemie.

Broad incumbents

• Getinge AB:
• STERIS plc: STERIS is a global leader in sterilization and infection prevention, spanning instrument reprocessing, surface disinfection, and hospital hygiene. It overlaps with BODE Chemie's instrument and surface disinfection lines (Korsolex®, Bacillol®) and increasingly competes in healthcare hand hygiene programs, with broader geographic reach including North America.
• Ecolab Inc. Ecolab is a global broad-line provider of water, hygiene, and infection-prevention solutions serving healthcare, food service, hospitality, and industrial markets. It competes broadly with BODE Chemie across healthcare hand/surface disinfection and instrument reprocessing, but at significantly larger scale and with a much wider portfolio beyond healthcare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance10 records

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 Bode Chemie GmbH