RIWAX-Chemie AG

What RIWAX-Chemie AG does

RIWAX-Chemie AG is a privately held Swiss specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1967 and headquartered in Zollikofen near Bern. The company develops, produces, and distributes cleaning, polishing, and protection chemical products for vehicles, with an in-house laboratory supporting proprietary formulation work and ISO 9001/14001-certified production at a single integrated facility.

The product portfolio is organized across multiple verticals — Car (split into Professional and Do-It-Yourself lines), Two-Wheelers, Car-Wash (commercial tunnel/portal chemistry), Caravan, Boat (RS series for gelcoat restoration), Aircraft (on-request), and Polish (PX/RX systems) — alongside adjacent lines such as DESINEX disinfectants and Cerano ceramic glass coatings. Distribution combines an own e-commerce storefront and dealer locator, a Swiss retail presence via Migros, wholly-owned subsidiaries in the Netherlands and Czech Republic, and third-party distributors in more than 35 countries.

RIWAX operates a B2B/B2C hybrid model: professional sales to garages, dealerships (Mercedes, Emil Frey, Amag, Fiat, MG), public transport operators (Bernmobil, VBZ), fleet operators (Swiss Post), and fuel retailers (BP, Tamoil) sit alongside consumer DIY sales through retail and online channels. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales in CHF across a wide range of pack sizes (500ml to 200L), supplemented by paid professional training courses. Approximately 80 employees support the operation, with five dedicated trucks handling weekly domestic deliveries.

Name

RIWAX-Chemie AG

Legal name

Riwax-Chemie AG

Website

https://riwax.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RIWAX-Chemie AG is a Swiss specialty chemical manufacturer, founded in 1967 and headquartered in Zollikofen, that develops and distributes cleaning, polishing, and protection products for cars, motorcycles, boats, caravans, aircraft, and commercial car washes, serving both professional users and DIY consumers across 35+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Care Products

NAICS

Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing (325612), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Aftermarket Fluids, Lubricants & Chemical Products Manufacturing (Oils/Coolants/Additives/Cleaners) (IMACANAK)

Keywords

• Vehicle care products
• Car cleaning chemicals
• Automotive polishing compounds
• Paint protection products
• Professional car care

Headquarters

HQ city

Zollikofen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Care Chemical Products: One-time sale of chemical cleaning, polishing, and protection products for vehicles. Products sold in various sizes (500ml, 1L, 5L, 20L, 200L) to both professional and consumer segments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RIWAX-Chemie AG develops, manufactures, and distributes chemical cleaning, polishing, and protection products for vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, boats, caravans, and aircraft. The company operates two distinct product lines: a Professional line for commercial automotive operators (workshops, car washes, public transport, aviation, shipyards) and a Do-It-Yourself line for private consumers. All products are manufactured at the company's Zollikofen headquarters, with formulations developed and quality-assured in an in-house laboratory.

Product overview

RIWAX-Chemie AG is a Swiss manufacturer of vehicle care and cleaning chemical products founded in 1967, headquartered in Zollikofen near Bern. The company operates as a single unified product portfolio organized across multiple vehicle categories: Car (Professional and Do-it-yourself lines), Two-Wheelers, Car-Wash, Caravan, Boat, Aircraft, and Polish products. The core product lines include Car Shampoo, Wheel Cleaners, Insect Removers, and VITRO CLEAN windshield washer fluids for consumer and professional use. The Professional line serves automotive workshops, car washes, transport companies, and aviation maintenance with specialized formulations. The Boat line features the RS series (RS 02-20) compounds and polishes for marine gelcoat restoration. The Caravan line offers Clean & Polish, Inside Clean, Outside Clean, Protect & Shine, Protect Shield, Wax & Protect, and Window Clean products. The Polish portfolio includes PX (100, 200, 300) and RX (RX 20 SPRAY FINISH) product lines for paint correction and protection. RIWAX also produces DESINEX disinfectants, leather care products, and merchandise items. All products are manufactured in Switzerland and distributed to over 35 countries through subsidiaries in the Netherlands and Czech Republic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PROFESSIONAL: Professional-grade vehicle care products for commercial use by automotive service providers, public transport companies, aviation industry, shipyards, and construction sector.
• DO-IT-YOURSELF
• PX Products
• RX Products
• RS Boat Products
• DESINEX
• Cerano

Products and services

• Car Shampoo Vehicle shampoo with gentle, paint-safe formula providing excellent cleaning power for exterior washing of cars. Sold to both professional users and DIY consumers.
• Wheel Cleaner Highly effective acid-free wheel cleaner for all steel, light alloy, chrome, and polished rims that quickly removes stubborn brake dust, oil, and road grime.
• Insect Clean Enzyme-based insect remover that gently dissolves insects from all vehicle surfaces without damaging paint, chrome, plexiglass, or plastic parts.
• VITRO CLEAN MOSQUITO POWER Ready-to-use windshield washer fluid for summer use that cleans and removes silicone, oil, and grease deposits from vehicle glass.
• PX 100 High-performance abrasive paste for heavy cutting and defect removal on vehicle paint surfaces, part of the PX polish line.
• PX 200 High-gloss polish for refining paint surfaces after cutting, producing a brilliant finish as the second step in the PX polish line.
• PX 300 Paint protection product that seals and protects paint surfaces after polishing, completing the three-stage PX system.
• RX 20 SPRAY FINISH Quick spray finish product for final polishing and paint protection with cherry scent variant available.
• RS 02 COMPOUND MEDIUM Medium abrasive compound for boat hull restoration and gelcoat renovation, part of the RS Boat product line.
• RS 04 COMPOUND FINE Fine abrasive compound for boat surface refinement and secondary cutting stages.
• RS 06 POLISH Polishing product for achieving smooth, glossy finish on boat surfaces.
• RS 08 STAR FINISH Final finishing product for premium shine and paint protection on boat surfaces.
• RS 10 HARD WAX Hard wax product providing long-lasting protection and high-gloss finish for boat gelcoat.
• RS 20 SPRAY FINISH Quick spray finish for rapid polishing and maintenance of boat surfaces.
• MOTO CLEANER Specialized cleaning product for motorcycles and bicycles.
• MOTO SHINE Polishing and shine product designed for motorcycles and bicycles.
• CARAVAN Clean & Polish Combined cleaning and polishing product for caravan and camper exterior surfaces.
• CARAVAN Inside Clean Interior cleaning product for caravan and camper interiors.
• CARAVAN Outside Clean Exterior cleaning product for caravan and camper surfaces.
• CARAVAN Protect & Shine Protection and shine product for caravan surfaces providing UV protection.
• CARAVAN Wax & Protect Wax-based protection product for caravan surfaces with water-beading properties.
• CARAVAN Window Clean Window cleaning product for caravan glass surfaces, providing streak-free finish.
• DESINEX Disinfectants Hand and surface disinfectant products for hygiene purposes, sold under the DESINEX sub-brand.
• LEATHER CLEANER Leather cleaning product for vehicle upholstery and leather surfaces.
• LEATHER LOTION Leather conditioning and moisturizing product to maintain leather suppleness.
• LEATHER SPRAY Spray-on leather protection product for ongoing leather care.
• GLASS CLEAN Glass cleaning product for streak-free cleaning of all types of glass surfaces.
• COCKPIT CLEAN CLASSIC Dashboard and interior surface cleaner with UV protection and conditioning properties.
• COCKPIT CLEAN MAT Matte-finish dashboard cleaner with anti-static properties and UV protection without reflection.
• MAT CLEAN Matte paint and vinyl wrap cleaner for delicate matte-finished vehicle surfaces.
• MAT PROTECT Matte surface protection product maintaining matte finish while providing UV protection.
• ICE EX De-icing product for vehicle windows and locks.
• VITRO CLEAN WINTER Winter windshield washer fluid with anti-freeze protection down to -20°C.
• RIM WASH Powerful wheel cleaning product specifically developed for machine-based wheel cleaning systems in car washes.
• ALU CLEAN Strong acidic wheel cleaner for heavy-duty removal of stubborn contamination such as brake dust on aluminum surfaces in car wash facilities.
• CARLINE CAR FOAM Foaming car wash product for automated and manual car wash systems, part of the CARLINE professional car-wash line.
• CARLINE CAR SHAMPOO Professional-grade car shampoo for wash tunnel and manual washing applications.
• Professional Polishing Course One-day professional polishing and ceramic sealing training course held at the Zollikofen training center, priced at CHF 145.00 including lunch.
• Automatic Soap/Disinfectant Dispenser Automatic soap and disinfectant dispenser for hands-free hygiene applications, sold alongside DESINEX products.

Named customers11 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• MercedescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMercedes automotive dealership using RIWAX products for vehicle care and preparation.
• Emil Frey GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor automotive dealership group using RIWAX products across their locations.
• AmagcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss automotive dealership representing multiple brands using RIWAX products.
• MigrosmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Swiss retail chain distributing RIWAX consumer products.
• Swiss PostmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss postal service using RIWAX products for their vehicle fleet.
• BernmobilmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic transport company using RIWAX products for tram and bus fleet maintenance.
• VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZurich public transport operator using RIWAX products for trolleybus and tram fleet care.
• RIWAX Netherlands BV (Subsidiary)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholly-owned subsidiary handling distribution in Netherlands market.
• RIWAX Czech Republic (Subsidiary)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholly-owned subsidiary handling distribution in Czech Republic market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mafra: Italian manufacturer of vehicle cleaning and polishing chemicals. Direct competitor in the European automotive care market with similar professional and consumer product segmentation.
• Koch-Chemie: German professional vehicle care chemical manufacturer focused on detailing, polishing, and dealership-grade products. Directly comparable to RIWAX's Professional line and competes in the same automotive detailing and dealer channels.
• Sonax: German manufacturer of vehicle care chemicals, polishes, and cleaning products. Closest direct competitor to RIWAX in Europe, serving both professional automotive and consumer segments with overlapping product lines (shampoos, polishes, wheel cleaners).
• Autoglym: UK vehicle care manufacturer with a comparable product portfolio spanning exterior cleaning, polishing, and interior protection. Comparable business model combining professional and consumer offerings across European markets.
• Turtle Wax: US-based mass-market vehicle care brand with car shampoos, polishes, and ceramic coatings. Comparable end-product mix, competing primarily in the consumer/DIY segment where RIWAX also has a DO-IT-YOURSELF line.
• Meguiar's: Global vehicle care brand owned by 3M, offering car wash, polish, and protection products across consumer and professional segments. Highly comparable product portfolio and serves overlapping automotive dealership and pro-detailer customers.

Emerging players

• Bilt Hamber: UK-based vehicle care brand specializing in premium cleaning and protection chemicals. Smaller but comparable specialty manufacturer leveraging direct-to-consumer and professional channels in European markets.
• Dr. Wack (Dr. Wack Chemie): German specialty chemical manufacturer producing motorcycle, automotive, and industrial cleaning products. Comparable in size and product focus, with strong overlap in motorcycle and two-wheeler care lines.

Broad incumbents

• 3M Automotive Aftermarket: Multinational conglomerate with a large automotive aftermarket division covering cleaning, polishing, and surface treatment products. Competes with RIWAX in the professional detailing and dealership segments.
• Würth: Global automotive aftermarket and industrial supply giant whose product range includes vehicle care chemicals. Larger player with broader portfolio, overlapping with RIWAX in professional automotive channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riwax-chemie-ag

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

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 RIWAX-Chemie AG