Pacific Oleochemicals

What Pacific Oleochemicals does

Pacific Oleochemicals Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian manufacturer of plant-based oleochemicals, principally fatty acids (stearic, oleic, palmitic, lauric, myristic, caprylic, capric, caproic) and refined glycerine, marketed under the KORTACID brand. The company is incorporated in Malaysia (Shah Alam headquarters, Pasir Gudang manufacturing complex) and has been in continuous operation since 1980; it was acquired by Lam Soon Group (via Lam Soon Plantation) from Akzo Nobel in 2006, taking over the assets of Akzo Nobel Oleochemicals and Akzo Nobel Industries. The Pasir Gudang site runs German-engineered hydrolysis, distillation, fractionation, and hydrogenation process trains across four sequential fatty-acid fractionation plants (1981, 1990, 1997, 2003, plus 2016 expansion), a dedicated oleic acid plant (2011), and a beading line (2015). A 3.4MW co-generation plant commissioned in 2022 supplies on-site renewable energy and avoids approximately 6,000 metric tons of CO2 annually.

The company sells directly to multinational enterprise customers across personal care and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, rubber and plastics, candle manufacturing, metalworking and lubricants, textiles, nutrition and health supplements (MCTs), tobacco, and broader industrial manufacturing. The product portfolio is delivered under KORTACID brand SKUs with both standard and customized blends (e.g., KORTACID 8020), and the company holds a comprehensive certification stack spanning ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, FSSC 22000, GMP, HACCP, MeSTI, RSPO (Mass Balance and 2024 Segregation), MSPO, Halal, and Kosher. The business model is B2B direct sales through the Shah Alam sales office with a stated long-term partnership orientation rather than transactional distribution; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled via direct inquiry.

Pacific Oleochemicals positions as a top-tier Southeast Asian oleochemical producer with four-plus decades of operating history, a global customer base, and a defensible certification and feedstock-access position. Revenue, unit volumes, and ownership structure beyond the Lam Soon parent are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Pacific Oleochemicals

Legal name

Pacific Oleochemicals Sdn Bhd

Website

https://pacificoleo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pacific Oleochemicals is a Malaysian manufacturer of plant-based oleochemicals—fatty acids and glycerine marketed under the KORTACID brand—serving multinational customers in personal care, pharmaceuticals, food, and industrial sectors. A subsidiary of Lam Soon Group since 2006.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oleochemicals

NAICS

Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225), Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122)

SIC

Fats & Oils (2070), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Surfactants, Detergent Ingredients & Oleochemicals (EUAAAIAE)

Keywords

• Oleochemical manufacturing
• Fatty acid production
• Plant-based chemicals
• Glycerine production
• Palm oil derivatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Shah Alam

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Oleochemical Products Sales: Manufacturing and sale of plant-based oleochemical products including fatty acids (stearic, oleic, lauric, palmitic, caprylic, capric, caproic, myristic) and refined glycerine. Products sold under KORTACID brand to global customers across multiple industries. Revenue generated through direct B2B sales with flexible manufacturing capabilities for customized products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pacific Oleochemicals manufactures and sells plant-based oleochemical products — primarily fatty acids (stearic, oleic, fractionated, distilled, and blended) and refined glycerine — derived from renewable palm and palm kernel oils. Products are marketed globally under the KORTACID brand to industrial customers across personal care, pharmaceutical, food, plastics, rubber, candle, metalworking, textile, nutritional, tobacco, and general industrial sectors.

Product overview

Pacific Oleochemicals is an oleochemicals manufacturer offering a portfolio of plant-based chemical products marketed under the KORTACID brand. The product line includes Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid (1811/1812), and Refined Glycerine (99.5%/99.7%) as primary offerings, complemented by Fractionated Fatty Acids (Caproic, Caprylic, Capric, Lauric, Myristic, Palmitic, Stearic variants), Fat Blend Fatty Acids (KORTACID 8020), and Distilled Fatty Acids (Palm, Palm Kernel, and C12-C18 blends). All products are derived from renewable palm vegetable oils and serve diverse industries including personal care, pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture, manufacturing, textiles, and metalworking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KORTACID: Globally recognized brand of high-quality fatty acids and glycerine marketed by Pacific Oleochemicals, trusted by multinational companies for various applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.4MW co-generation plant generating renewable energy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Oleon (Avril Group): Oleon is a European leader in oleochemicals producing fatty acids, glycerine, and specialty esters for personal care, food, and industrial applications. Comparable product mix and end-market focus, with a stronger specialty/Europe footprint and a useful benchmark for Pacific Oleochemicals' specialty ambitions.
• Emery Oleochemicals: Emery Oleopharmaceuticals is a global natural-based specialty oleochemicals producer with manufacturing in Malaysia and Germany, offering fatty acids, glycerine, and downstream specialty esters. Highly comparable product mix, customer base, and Malaysian footprint make it a key direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Croda International: Croda is a global specialty chemicals company with a large oleochemical-derived personal care and life sciences portfolio. Although more downstream and specialty-focused, it competes for the same multinational personal care and pharma customers that Pacific Oleochemicals serves.
• KLK Oleomas (Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad): KLK Oleomas is the oleochemical arm of Kuala Lumpur Kepong, a major Malaysian plantation-to-specialty-chemicals group producing fatty acids, fatty alcohols, glycerine, and soap noodles. It is a direct regional competitor with deeper vertical integration and a broader product portfolio.
• IOI Oleochemicals (IOI Corporation): IOI Corporation is one of the largest integrated palm-based oleochemical producers in Malaysia with extensive fatty acid, glycerine, and downstream specialty capabilities. Vertically integrated from plantations to oleochemicals, it dwarfs Pacific Oleochemicals in scale and offers the most direct regional comparison.
• Musim Mas Group: Musim Mas is a Singapore/Indonesia-headquartered integrated palm group with significant oleochemical operations producing fatty acids, glycerine, and specialty derivatives. Vertically integrated from plantations, it competes with Pacific Oleochemicals in the same Asian and global B2B channels.
• Wilmar International (Oleochemicals division): Wilmar is one of the world's largest palm oil conglomerates with a significant oleochemicals and specialty fats business serving personal care, food, and industrial markets. Its scale and integration set the upper bound of competitive intensity for mid-sized players like Pacific Oleochemicals.
• BASF (Care Chemicals & Nutrition): BASF is a global chemicals major with a broad oleochemical-derived ingredients portfolio serving personal care, pharma, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Pacific Oleochemicals on fatty acid, glycerine, and derivative chemistries supplied to multinational customers.

Emerging players

• Stepan Company: Stepan is a US-based specialty chemical manufacturer with surfactant and fatty acid chemical businesses serving personal care, cleaning, and industrial markets. Comparable downstream oleochemical-derived product mix, though Stepan focuses more on surfactants and specialty esters than basic fatty acids.

Regional players

• Godrej Industries (Chemicals): Godrej Industries operates an oleochemicals business in India producing fatty acids, glycerine, and derivatives from vegetable oils for personal care, food, and industrial markets. Comparable product portfolio and emerging-market B2B positioning, though primarily serving South Asia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-oleochemicals-sdn-bhd

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Pacific Oleochemicals