Azelis Acquires Italian Specialty Chemicals Distributor ACEF
Azelis has acquired Azienda Chimica e Farmaceutica (‘ACEF’), a distributor of speciality raw materials and ingredients for the cosmetic, nutraceutical, galenic, and pharma industries in Italy.

Founded in 1940 in Piacenza, ACEF operates three laboratories for technical support and quality control, as well as GMP-compliant facilities for pharmaceutical ingredients. Its subsidiary, Arda Natura, specialises in plant extracts and other natural products.
ACEF serves over 4,000 customers in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, galenic products, and nutraceutical markets. Its broad portfolio strategically complements Azelis’s lateral value chain for the relevant end markets. With this acquisition, Azelis significantly expands its footprint in Italy and strengthens its position as industry leader in the relevant end markets.
Alberto Piombi, President, and Emilio Zavattoni, CEO and Head of Administration & Finance at ACEF, commented: “We recognise the high-quality solutions that Azelis provides to its principals and customers, so joining forces is an exciting opportunity for ACEF. With our laboratory capabilities and tailor-made services, we look forward to adding our talents to those of the Azelis teams, leveraging our combined skills to reinforce our position as a leading distributor and bring the best solutions to our customers.”
Marco Gerosa, Managing Director at Azelis Italy, added: “We are pleased to welcome ACEF to the Azelis group, bringing together skilled teams and creating opportunities for people to grow. We continuously strive to deliver innovation through formulation, and ACEF’s value proposition fits perfectly with our objective. The addition of their portfolio and technical capabilities reinforces our footprint in the personal care and galenic markets and expands our pharmaceutical and nutraceutical offerings. This acquisition is another demonstration of our commitment to our purpose of enabling our customers to win and our principals to grow.”