What Crystal Chem does

Crystal Chem is a privately held life science reagent manufacturer founded in 1989 and headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The company designs, produces, and sells ELISA and chemiluminescence (CLIA) assay kits, with core technical differentiation in ultra-sensitive detection (as low as 0.05 ng/mL) achieved using minimal sample volumes (as low as 5 µL) and proprietary formulations engineered to eliminate cross-reactivity. Its product portfolio spans diabetes and obesity research (flagship mouse/rat/human insulin kits, leptin, C-peptide, glucagon), food allergen detection (gluten, soy, egg, peanut), toxicology and clinical chemistry (bile acids, creatinine, albumin), host cell protein detection for biopharmaceutical manufacturing QC (CHO, E. coli, HEK293), endocrinology, cardiovascular, immunology, and oxidative stress markers.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model through its own e-commerce storefront (crystalchem.com), complemented by an international distributor network that reaches 35+ countries. It sells to a fragmented customer base of academic research universities, pharmaceutical companies, government institutions, biopharmaceutical manufacturers, food safety labs, and contract research organizations. Pricing is per-kit unit-based ($375-$595 for individual kits; $3,200-$3,700 for 10-kit bundles) with volume discounts of 5-10% at 5+ and 10+ quantities; there is no subscription or recurring contract model. Crystal Chem's products are cited in thousands of scientific publications, supporting brand authority in its niche.

The business is run with a lean 11-50 person staff and has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, acquisitions, or management team visibility. Crystal Chem's competitive position rests on three decades of domain specialization in rodent-model and metabolic-disease assays, validated performance in published research, and an efficient direct-distribution model that lets a small organization serve a global research customer base.

Name

Crystal Chem

Legal name

Crystal Chem

Website

https://crystalchem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crystal Chem is a privately held US life science manufacturer founded in 1989 that designs and sells ultra-sensitive ELISA and chemiluminescence assay kits for diabetes, obesity, metabolic, food allergen, toxicology, and biopharmaceutical QC research, serving academic, pharmaceutical, government, and CRO customers across 35+ countries via direct e-commerce and distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research ELISA Kits & Immunoassays

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALAAAA)

Keywords

• Research ELISA kits
• Insulin immunoassays
• Host cell protein detection
• Food allergen testing
• Life science reagents

Headquarters

HQ city

Elk Grove Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. ELISA Kit Sales: Crystal Chem generates revenue through the sale of diagnostic and research ELISA kits. Products are sold as one-time purchases with various formats including individual kits, 10-kit bundles, and bulk pricing options. No subscription model is indicated.
2. Bulk and Bundle Sales: Volume-based pricing for high-volume users through 10-kit bundles offering cost savings while maintaining consistent quality with individually packaged kits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crystal Chem manufactures and sells ELISA and chemiluminescence (CLIA) assay kits for life science research and biopharmaceutical quality control. The portfolio spans diabetes/obesity (insulin, leptin, C-peptide), food allergen detection (gluten, soy, egg, peanut), toxicology/clinical chemistry, host cell protein detection for CHO/E.Coli/HEK293 cell lines, endocrinology, cardiovascular, immunology, and oxidative stress markers. Products are sold as individual kits or 10-kit bundles directly via the company's e-commerce site and through international distributors.

Product overview

Crystal Chem is a life science laboratory products company offering a comprehensive portfolio of ELISA kits and assay kits for research applications. The product line centers on diagnostic and research assay solutions organized into key categories: Diabetes & Obesity (insulin, leptin, C-peptide kits), Food Allergen Detection, Toxicology/Clinical Chemistry, Host Cell Protein Detection for biopharmaceutical quality control, Cardiovascular Disease, Endocrinology (hormones and growth factors), Immunology, and Oxidative Stress markers. The flagship offerings include ultra-sensitive insulin ELISA kits for mouse, rat, and human samples, featuring the 2nd generation formats with chemiluminescence (CLIA) options requiring minimal sample volumes (as low as 5 µL). The company also provides Host Cell Protein ELISA kits for CHO, E.Coli, and HEK293 cell lines using proprietary technology for enhanced recovery. Products are distributed worldwide and have been featured in thousands of scientific publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insulin ELISA Kits (Mouse, Rat, Human) Ultra-sensitive ELISA kits for quantifying insulin levels in mouse, rat, and human samples. Available in standard and chemiluminescence (CLIA) formats with sample volumes as low as 5 µL. Used by academic and pharmaceutical researchers for diabetes and metabolic disorder studies.
• Mouse Insulin Chemiluminescence ELISA (CLIA) Kit Chemiluminescence ELISA assay using only 5 µL sample volume to quantify mouse insulin in serum, plasma, cell culture, and fluid. Dynamic range 0.09-130 ng/mL with no cross-reactivity to mouse proinsulin or human insulin. Single wash step and all liquid reagents.
• Host Cell Protein (HCP) ELISA Kits Generic ELISA kits for detecting CHO, E.Coli, and HEK293 host cell proteins using a proprietary novel approach providing higher recovery rates. Used by biopharmaceutical manufacturers for process-related impurity QC.
• Food Allergen ELISA Kits Detection kits for food allergens including Gluten (Gliadin), Soy, Egg (Ovalbumin), Peanut, Casein, and other allergens. Available in both ELISA and lateral flow formats for QC and contamination screening by food manufacturers and testing labs.
• Toxicology Assay Kits Assay kits for toxicology research including Total Bile Acids, Creatinine, Albumin, and other biomarkers. Available for mouse, rat, and human samples. Used by CROs and pharmaceutical toxicology teams.
• Endocrinology ELISA Kits Hormone and endocrine marker detection kits including IGF-1, IGF-2, IGFBP family, Leptin, Adiponectin, Testosterone, Corticosterone, Progesterone, Prolactin, TSH, and other endocrine markers for mouse, rat, and human samples.
• Cardiovascular Disease Assay Kits Assay kits for cardiovascular disease research including lipid profiles, apolipoproteins, and cardiovascular risk markers in research samples.
• Oxidative Stress Assay Kits Assay kits for measuring oxidative stress markers in research samples.
• Total 25-OH Vitamin D ELISA Kit Highly sensitive assay for quantifying total vitamin D (25-OH) levels in plasma and serum. Features 100% cross-reactivity with 25-OH Vitamin D2/D3 and assay time under 2 hours. 96-well format.
• Ultrasensitive HGH ELISA Kit Ultra-sensitive assay for quantifying human growth hormone in serum and plasma using only 10 µL sample volume. Range 50-1000 pg/mL.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sample volume reduced to 5µL for insulin measurement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• FedExminorOthersCrystal Chem uses FedEx Priority Service for shipping their temperature-sensitive kits, ensuring products arrive under optimal conditions with minimal environmental exposure.
• DHLminorOthersDHL Worldwide Express is used as an alternative shipping carrier for global kit delivery, ensuring worldwide reach for temperature-controlled shipments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cell Signaling Technology (CST): CST manufactures ELISA and antibody-based assay kits for signaling pathways, biomarkers, and disease-area research used by academic and biopharma labs. Overlaps with Crystal Chem in endocrinology, immunology, and disease-research assay kits.
• RayBiotech: RayBiotech is a direct e-commerce ELISA and antibody array manufacturer targeting academic and translational research customers. Its catalog and online GTM are highly comparable to Crystal Chem's direct-sales approach.
• Boster Bio: Boster Bio offers a focused catalog of ELISA kits and antibodies for cytokine, hormone, and disease-related biomarkers, with a similar business model of serving academic and translational researchers via direct e-commerce. Direct catalog and channel overlap with Crystal Chem.
• ALPCO: ALPCO specializes in ELISA kits for diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disease research (insulin, C-peptide, leptin) with a similar niche focus on rodent models and small sample volumes. It is the closest direct niche competitor to Crystal Chem's core diabetes/obesity franchise.
• Mercodia: Mercodia develops high-quality ELISA and antibody-based kits for insulin, GLP-1, and other metabolic biomarkers, with strong presence in academic and clinical research. Its product range and customer base overlap heavily with Crystal Chem's rodent insulin ELISA kits.
• Cygnus Technologies: Cygnus Technologies specializes in HCP ELISA kits used in biopharmaceutical process development and QC — the same category as Crystal Chem's CHO, E.Coli, and HEK293 HCP kits. It is the most direct peer for the biopharma QC portion of the portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Techne (R&D Systems): Bio-Techne owns R&D Systems, the largest direct competitor to Crystal Chem in research-grade ELISA kits (insulin, leptin, endocrine markers, HCP). It operates a broad life sciences tools portfolio with deeper catalog, distribution, and R&D resources, making it the most direct overlap peer.
• Abcam (Danaher): Abcam produces research-grade antibodies and ELISA kits used widely in academic and biopharma research. Owned by Danaher, it competes in many of the same immunology and biomarker assay categories as Crystal Chem.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Invitrogen / Thermo Scientific): Thermo Fisher sells Invitrogen ELISA kits and analytical instruments used in academic, pharma, and biopharma QC applications across all of Crystal Chem's categories. It is one of the largest incumbents and competes on catalog breadth and global distribution.
• Millipore Sigma (Merck KGaA Life Science): Millipore Sigma offers a comprehensive catalog of ELISA kits, antibodies, and reagents across research, biopharma QC, and clinical chemistry. Its size and global reach make it a broad incumbent with significant portfolio overlap with Crystal Chem's assay business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crystalcheminc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crystal-chem-inc.

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 Crystal Chem