Lake
Lake Chemicals and Minerals Ltd. is a UK-based specialty chemical and ingredient distributor serving pharmaceutical, personal care, food and nutrition, and industrial markets through four divisions: Ubichem, Salutivia, Lake Personal Care, and Lake Technical Specialities. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the LEL Group, operating across the UK and Ireland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersRedditch, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lake does
Lake Chemicals and Minerals Ltd. is a UK-headquartered specialty chemical and ingredient distributor founded in 2001 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the LEL Group, a strategic alliance of privately owned European technical distribution companies established in 1999. The company serves B2B customers across four specialist divisions: Ubichem (pharmaceutical and life science chemicals, with operations dating to 1978), Salutivia (food, beverage, and nutrition ingredients), Lake Personal Care (cosmetics, toiletries, home care, and industrial cleaning), and Lake Technical Specialities (CASE, polymers, industrial fluids, and construction materials). Geographic focus is the UK and Ireland, with international supplier relationships enabling global sourcing and a regional subsidiary (Lake Ireland) in Athlone serving the Irish market from local stock.
The business model is distribution-plus-services: revenue is generated from specialty chemical and ingredient sales augmented by value-add services including bespoke formulation development, agile contract manufacturing (pilot to commercial scale), regulatory compliance support, and strategic market insights. Two proprietary technical platforms anchor the offering: ubispoke® for custom pharmaceutical and biotech synthesis (covering custom synthesis of APIs and intermediates, contract R&D, analytical method development, process optimisation, and regulatory documentation) and Valysis® for validated bespoke epoxy and flame retardant formulations targeting CASE industry applications. The go-to-market is technical sales-led, with dedicated specialist sales teams per division serving enterprise customers with quote-based, project-specific pricing.
Lake's competitive positioning is built on an extensive regulatory and quality certification stack (ISO 9001:2015, FSSC 22000, BRCGS Storage and Distribution, GMP, GDP for Active Substances, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, Ecovadis, RSPO, Soil Association, Informed-Sport) and exclusive supplier partnerships with global manufacturers including Hallstar Industrial, ICL, DSM Firmenich, Kemin, Darling Ingredients (Rousselot), Champion Advanced Materials, and others. Manufacturing facilities operate to ISO, BRCGS, GMP, and FDA standards. The company employs 51-100 staff and is part of the LEL Group network of 100+ technical sales experts serving 5,000+ customers and handling 50,000+ tonnes of specialty products annually across Europe. The company is privately held, with no disclosed funding rounds or external institutional investors.
Lake firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lake
- Legal name
- Lake Chemicals and Minerals Ltd.
- Website
- https://lakecm.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Lake Chemicals and Minerals Ltd. is a UK-based specialty chemical and ingredient distributor serving pharmaceutical, personal care, food and nutrition, and industrial markets through four divisions: Ubichem, Salutivia, Lake Personal Care, and Lake Technical Specialities. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the LEL Group, operating across the UK and Ireland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lake industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Chemical Distribution
- NAICS
- Chemical Manufacturing (325), Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Custom Synthesis & Technical Active Ingredient (AI) Manufacturing (intermediates, actives) (AFABAIAI)
Keywords
Where Lake is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redditch
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Lake business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Chemical & Ingredient Distribution: Distribution of high-quality speciality chemicals and ingredients to multiple industries through exclusive supplier partnerships. Revenue generated from product sales with value-add technical services including formulation support and regulatory compliance.
- Agile Manufacturing Services: Contract manufacturing services from pilot scale to full commercialisation. Blending of powders, liquids, gels, creams, lotions, and capsules with packing into various bulk and consumer packaging options. Generates revenue through manufacturing fees and product processing charges.
- Innovation Services & Custom Formulation Development: New product development for formulations and processes, creating bespoke solutions for customers. Technical expertise spanning industrial, personal care, cleaning, food and nutrition markets.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lake product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lake Chemicals and Minerals is a technical distributor of specialty chemicals and ingredients serving UK and Ireland markets through four specialist divisions. The company distributes high-quality raw materials sourced from exclusive global supplier partnerships across pharmaceutical, personal care, food/nutrition, and industrial sectors, while providing value-added services including bespoke formulation development, agile contract manufacturing, regulatory compliance support, warehousing, and strategic market insights. The platform is anchored by proprietary brands ubispoke® (custom pharmaceutical synthesis) and Valysis® (bespoke epoxy and flame retardant systems).
Product overview
Lake Chemicals & Minerals is a UK-based specialty chemical and ingredient distributor operating as a multi-division platform. The company is organized into four main divisions: Ubichem (pharmaceutical and life science chemicals since 1978), Salutivia (food and nutrition ingredients), Lake Personal Care (personal care and cosmetic ingredients), and Lake Technical Specialities (industrial specialty materials). Key sub-brands include ubispoke® for custom pharmaceutical synthesis and Valysis® for bespoke epoxy and flame retardant formulations. The platform delivers Ultimate Customer Value through integrated services including raw materials distribution, innovation/R&D, agile manufacturing, warehousing, and strategic market insights. Lake Ireland serves as a subsidiary in the Irish market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ubispoke: A bespoke journey of synthesis, analytical, regulatory, and global manufacturing expertise delivering molecules with peace of mind. Custom synthesis services for pharmaceutical and biotech organisations.
- Valysis
Products and services
- ubispoke® Custom Synthesis Platform Custom-built pharmaceutical synthesis services for pharma and biotech organisations. Supports custom synthesis of APIs and intermediates, contract R&D, analytical method development and validation, process optimisation and scale-up, and regulatory support and documentation.
- Valysis® Bespoke Epoxy and Flame Retardant Formulation Systems Validated bespoke formulation systems for epoxy and flame retardant solutions specifically designed for the CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Elastomers) industry, combining formulation expertise with deep supply chain insight to deliver high-performance materials.
- Innovation Services New product development and formulation refinement services where Lake's innovation team collaborates with customers using world-class ingredients, R&D labs, and technical expertise across industrial, personal care, cleaning, food, and nutrition markets.
- Manufacturing Services Agile contract manufacturing from pilot scale to full commercialisation. Audited facilities meet BRCGS SD, FSSC 22000, GMP, FDA, and ISO 9001:2015 standards. Capabilities include blending powders, liquids, gels, creams, lotions, and capsules with various bulk and consumer packaging options.
- Raw Materials & Ingredients Distribution Distribution of high-quality specialty chemicals and ingredients through exclusive supplier partnerships with trusted global manufacturers, ensuring consistent access to specialty materials with regulatory compliance and quality control.
- Warehousing & Distribution Secure, efficient, and scalable storage solutions with flexible options for short-term inventory management or long-term storage, plus streamlined distribution support for order fulfilment.
- Strategic Insights Market intelligence services that turn complex data into actionable insights for commercial outcomes, including in-depth analytics, competitor benchmarking, megatrend analysis, and strategic market insights.
Quantifiable outcome
- Served customers since 2001 with proven history of delivering innovative solutions
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Lake
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lake technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Lake partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and exclusive.
- LEL GroupcoreLEL Group is the parent strategic alliance of privately owned and independent technical distribution companies focused on Europe, specialising in chemicals, minerals, ingredients, natural and green chemistry products. Lake is a member company benefiting from shared resources, supplier networks, and collective market expertise across 100+ experts serving 5,000+ customers.
- C.H. ErbslöhcoreC.H. Erbslöh is a fellow member of LEL Group specialising in chemicals and ingredients distribution in Europe. Lake collaborates with C.H. Erbslöh at industry events such as in-cosmetics Global 2026.
- URAI S.p.A.coreURAI S.p.A. is a fellow member of LEL Group based in Italy. Lake collaborates with URAI at industry events including in-cosmetics Global 2026 in Paris.
- Champion Advanced MaterialsflagshipValysis® partners with Champion Advanced Materials to offer high-performance CASE epoxy resins and amine curing agents for optimised cure times, excellent adhesion, and superior chemical and abrasion resistance.
- Hallstar IndustrialexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing innovative industrial chemical solutions. Lake Technical Specialities distributes Hallstar products for coatings, adhesives, and industrial applications.
- ICLexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Lake Technical Specialities, providing advanced speciality chemicals for industrial formulations.
- KusumotoexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing speciality chemicals for Lake Technical Specialities industrial applications.
- BrunoBock (Thiochem)exclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing speciality chemicals including thiochemistry products for Lake Technical Specialities and Lake Personal Care.
- Cortec CorporationexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing corrosion protection solutions and VCI (Vapour Corrosion Inhibitor) technology for Lake Engineering Solutions.
- Anhui Black CatexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Lake Technical Specialities providing speciality chemical materials.
- Vanderbilt MineralsexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing specialty minerals for Lake Technical Specialities, Lake Personal Care, and Ubichem divisions.
- QemeticaexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing silica products for Lake Technical Specialities industrial applications.
- Van C (Vanderbilt Chemicals)exclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Lake Technical Specialities providing speciality chemical products.
- HathawayexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Lake Technical Specialities providing speciality chemical solutions.
- Darling Ingredients (Rousselot)exclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Salutivia providing collagen peptides and gelatin ingredients for food, beverage, and nutritional applications.
- DSM FirmenichexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Salutivia providing nutritional ingredients and solutions for human nutrition markets.
- KeminexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Salutivia providing science-backed ingredients for human nutrition applications.
- MaolacexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Salutivia providing functional protein ingredients from alternative sources.
- AssessaexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Lake Personal Care providing testing and evaluation services for cosmetic products.
- CLR BerlinexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing active cosmetic ingredients for Lake Personal Care formulations.
- Hallstar BeautyexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing beauty ingredients and solutions for Lake Personal Care.
- Evolved by NatureexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing biotech-derived ingredients for Lake Personal Care formulations.
- TrautecexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing speciality ingredients for Lake Personal Care applications.
- Salien AustriaexclusiveStrategic supplier partner for Ubichem providing pharmaceutical and life science ingredients.
- LipoidexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing pharmaceutical excipients and lipids for Ubichem.
- EnzymasterexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing enzyme solutions for Ubichem life science applications.
- Synthokem LabsexclusiveStrategic supplier partner providing custom synthesis capabilities for Ubichem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lake competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IMCD: Dutch specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor with strong pharma, personal care, food, and CASE exposure; comparable to Lake's division structure and emphasis on technical sales plus formulation support.
- Cornelius Group: UK-based specialty ingredients distributor serving personal care, home care, and industrial markets with technical sales and bespoke formulation — a closely comparable UK-headquartered specialty distributor.
- Barentz: Dutch-headquartered global specialty ingredients distributor serving personal care, food, nutrition, animal nutrition, and industrial markets — directly overlapping Lake's multi-vertical specialty distribution model and value-added formulation services.
- TER Group: German specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor focused on personal care, food, pharma, and industrial markets with technical sales and formulation support — comparable European mid-market specialty distributor.
- Azelis: Belgian specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor with a similar divisional, application-led sales model across life sciences and industrial chemicals — directly comparable to Lake's horizontal segmentation strategy.
- Caldic: Dutch specialty ingredients distributor serving food, personal care, pharma, and industrial markets with formulation and manufacturing capabilities — overlapping Lake's end-to-end service platform from sourcing through agile manufacturing.
- Safic-Alcan: France-based specialty chemical distributor serving personal care, pharma, coatings, and industrial markets; similar mid-size European footprint and value-added distribution model to Lake.
Broad incumbents
- Brenntag: Global market leader in chemical and ingredient distribution with broad pharma, food, personal care, and CASE exposure; much larger scale than Lake and competes across multiple of Lake's verticals but with a far broader portfolio.
- Univar Solutions: North-American-headquartered global chemical and ingredient distributor serving similar industrial, food, and life-science end markets — overlapping Lake's categories at a far larger, multi-continent scale.
Regional players
- Stanson (formerly B&V Chemicals): Smaller UK and Benelux specialty chemical distributor with overlapping personal care and industrial customer bases — a sub-scale regional peer competing with Lake in UK accounts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lake social profiles
Digital presenceLake compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance15 records
Lake financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lake leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Lake subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Lake funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lake M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lake
What does Lake do?
Lake Chemicals and Minerals is a technical distributor of specialty chemicals and ingredients serving UK and Ireland markets through four specialist divisions. The company distributes high-quality raw materials sourced from exclusive global supplier partnerships across pharmaceutical, personal care, food/nutrition, and industrial sectors, while providing value-added services including bespoke formulation development, agile contract manufacturing, regulatory compliance support, warehousing, and strategic market insights. The platform is anchored by proprietary brands ubispoke® (custom pharmaceutical synthesis) and Valysis® (bespoke epoxy and flame retardant systems).
Is Lake a public or private company?
Lake is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Lake founded?
Lake was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Lake based?
Lake is headquartered in Redditch, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Lake make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Chemical & Ingredient Distribution is the primary driver. The others are agile Manufacturing Services and innovation Services & Custom Formulation Development.
Who are Lake's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IMCD, Cornelius Group, Barentz, TER Group, Azelis, Caldic and Safic-Alcan. Broad incumbents are Brenntag and Univar Solutions. Stanson (formerly B&V Chemicals) is listed as a regional player.
Does Lake have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lake.
What industry is Lake in?
Lake's product category is Specialty Chemical Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEABAN, Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals, with a secondary code of AFABAIAI, Custom Synthesis & Technical Active Ingredient (AI) Manufacturing (intermediates, actives). Its NAICS code is 325 and its SIC code is 2890.