aquitex

What aquitex does

Aquitex is a privately held Portuguese specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1963 and headquartered in Pedrouços, Maia, Portugal, operating from a 10,000 m² single-site production facility. The company develops and supplies chemical formulations to industrial B2B customers, organized into three product departments: Textile, Ceramic, and Detergency/Cosmetics. Its textile portfolio covers specialty auxiliaries, dyes, printing inks, and flame retardants serving textile mills and brand-mandated supply chains; the ceramic department supplies chemistry for ceramic tile and related applications; the detergency/cosmetics line is built around a represented-brand partnership with ZSCHIMMER-SCHWARZ, extending Aquitex into household, personal-care, and industrial-cleaning end-markets. The company runs in-house textile and ceramic laboratories that support formulation development and customer-specific application work.

Aquitex's business model is industrial B2B chemical supply with revenue generated from direct sales of proprietary and represented chemical formulations. Go-to-market is primarily inbound via the company website, supplemented by a represented-brand distribution arrangement for the detergency/cosmetics line through ZSCHIMMER-SCHWARZ. The company maintains a layered stack of industry and sustainability certifications — ISO 9001, Bluesign, ZDHC, GOTS, CDP, and CSA STAR — that serve as gatekeepers to brand-mandated textile supply chains and EU sustainability procurement. Recognition includes PME Excelência (2022) and INOVADORA COTEC (2025), both Portuguese SME quality/innovation designations. No financial performance, headcount, customer count, or pricing-model details are disclosed.

Name

aquitex

Legal name

Aquitex

Website

https://aquitex.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Aquitex is a Portuguese specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1963, serving textile, ceramic, and detergency/cosmetics B2B customers from a 10,000 m² facility in Maia, Portugal, with in-house labs and brand-driven certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Industrial Chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Testing, Color Management & Quality Control Services (Lab Dips/Fastness/Standards) (IMAOACAJ)

Keywords

• Textile chemical manufacturing
• Ceramic chemical products
• Industrial chemical formulations
• Textile finishing chemicals
• Ceramic glazes pigments

Headquarters

HQ city

Maia

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Products Manufacturing and Sales: Aquitex manufactures and commercializes chemical products for the textile and ceramic industries, operating since 1963 with a focus on customer satisfaction.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aquitex manufactures and sells chemical products for the textile and ceramic industries. The company operates three product departments — Textile (preparation agents, dyeing chemicals, finishing products, and printing inks), Ceramic (plasters, pastes, glazes, oxides, raw materials, and decoration colors), and Detergency/Cosmetics (phosphonates, surfactants, and cosmetic ingredients representing Zschimmer-Schwarz). In-house Textile and Ceramic laboratories support product development, color formulation, and physical testing for customers.

Product overview

Aquitex is a manufacturer and seller of chemical products for the textile and ceramic industries, operating since 1963 with over 50 years of experience. The company offers three main product departments: (1) Departamento Textil - providing preparation agents, dyeing chemicals (antifoaming, antistatic, colorants, fixing agents, leveling agents), finishing products (softeners, fluorocarbons, polyurethanes, flame retardants, silicones), and printing inks (water-based, plastissol, silicone) with printing auxiliaries and fashion effects (glitter, caviar, mytex, flock transfer); (2) Departamento de Cerámica - offering ceramic plasters, pastes (fayenza, gres, porcelana, terracota), glazes in various finishes, colorants, raw materials (alumina, zircon, rutile), oxides, and decoration colors; (3) Detergencia y Cosméticos - representing Zschimmer-Schwarz with phosphonates, surfactants, and cosmetic ingredients. The company also operates textile and ceramic laboratories providing product development and testing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Departamento Textil (Textile Department)

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,079 cardboard containers recovered for recycling annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ZSCHIMMER-SCHWARZcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAquitex acquired ZSCHIMMER-SCHWARZ as a new represented brand, leading to the creation of a dedicated Detergency/Cosmetics department within their product portfolio. This partnership expanded Aquitex's offerings into the detergency and cosmetics chemical market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CHT Group: German-headquartered global supplier of specialty chemicals for the textile industry, including pretreatment, dyeing, finishing, and coating auxiliaries. Highly comparable to Aquitex's textile department in product portfolio and technical-service-led sales model.
• Bozzetto Group: Italian specialty chemicals manufacturer producing textile auxiliaries, dyes, and finishing chemicals. Comparable to Aquitex in size, European origin, and focus on integrated textile chemistry solutions for B2B mills.
• Tanatex Chemicals: European specialty chemical supplier of textile auxiliaries, dyes, and finishing chemicals. Directly comparable to Aquitex's textile chemicals business in product scope (preparation, dyeing, finishing auxiliaries) and B2B customer base of textile mills.
• Colorobbia: Italian manufacturer of ceramic glazes, colors, frits, and raw materials for the ceramic tile industry. Directly comparable to Aquitex's ceramic department, particularly in color development and glaze formulation for tile manufacturers.
• Pulcra Chemicals: Specialty chemicals supplier of textile and fiber auxiliaries, including preparation, dyeing, and finishing agents. Comparable to Aquitex in product portfolio and customer base of textile processors.
• DyStar: Global supplier of dyes, auxiliaries, and chemicals for the textile industry with strong sustainability programs aligned with ZDHC. Directly comparable to Aquitex's textile dye and colorant offerings and certification-driven go-to-market.
• Torrecid: Spanish multinational supplier of ceramic glazes, frits, colors, and digital inks for the ceramic industry. Closely comparable to Aquitex's ceramic portfolio and Iberian industry positioning, though at significantly larger global scale.
• Esmalglass-Itaca (Ferro): Specialty producer of ceramic frits, glazes, and colors for the global ceramic tile industry, now part of Ferro Corporation. Comparable to Aquitex's ceramic chemicals offering, including glazes, colorants, and decorative solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Archroma: Global specialty chemicals company serving textile, paper, and coatings markets with a broad portfolio of dyes, auxiliaries, and finishes. Overlaps directly with Aquitex's textile chemicals portfolio but at significantly larger global scale.

Emerging players

• Smit & Zoon: Dutch specialty chemicals company producing wet-end and finishing chemicals for leather, textile, and related industries. Comparable to Aquitex in family-held European specialty chemical positioning and B2B industrial customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

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 aquitex