Lubrizol is a force in specialty chemicals, with innovations in everything from cutting edge transportation lubricants to shampoos. Creating market-driven solutions through on-the-ground local expertise in numerous global markets, the company is holding fast through a stormy petrochemical industry and pioneering the growing field of nutraceuticals and biodegradable molecules with the accelerative help of AI.
What is Lubrizol’s local-for-local approach and how will it help achieve the company’s overarching goals?
We start with end consumers’ needs and demands–whether in toothpaste, shampoo or lotions, many people use Lubrizol’s technology every single day. A very strong local-for-local approach is important, and that includes having the right leadership and teams to make the decisions that need to be made in a region. We also have R&D at beauty research institutes in major regions around the world, including Spain, China and Brazil, and soon, India. Brazil is the number one hair conditioner market in the world–we need to be there to formulate what customers need.
This applies to everything. Cars in Brazil run on high levels of ethanol made from sugar cane, while the U.S. runs more on regular gasoline. In China, almost 50% of new car sales are EVs that need a different technology, which Lubrizol can supply. Formulating locally drives the supply chain and production needed in the region for support. We also have a business continuity plan for how to move our sourcing around to always meet our customers' needs when there are disruptions. Local-for-local includes the U.S.– at our headquarters in Wickliffe, Ohio, we have sophisticated engines that test the oil used in cars or heavy-duty equipment. We are committed to Northeast Ohio as our global headquarters and supporting our people there. At least 20% of our employees in Northeast Ohio are in labs, and we are investing in them to continue giving them the resources and technology they need to innovate.
What materials or technologies are taking off right now and how is Lubrizol using data and AI to stay ahead of consumer trends?
Nutraceuticals are very hot right now, as is the focus on beauty and well-being from within. A lot of the molecules for these applications, such as irons, often have a not-so-great taste. Lubrizol has a microencapsulation technology that can taste-mask molecules for anything from baby formula to your favorite gummy for the heart, belly or intake of probiotics. We just launched Curcushine™ microcapsules innovations, which put curcumin–the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactive ingredient in turmeric–into a more absorbable, digestible form. The technology is really taking off and we are excited about its future.
Lubrizol’s Foresee Lab™ is very important in our innovation for the beauty, personal and home care spaces because we are able to get information on consumers’ needs and use that to develop new molecules. We are leveraging AI to optimize and accelerate data collection, analysis and testing of our products’ impacts. We leverage advanced imaging technologies for precise, data-driven skin analysis to inform beauty solutions for specific regional needs and demand.
Lubrizol’s Q-LIFE™ is central to embedding AI and digital modelling into lubricant and fuels innovation. By connecting formulation and test data globally, it enables teams to narrow formulation choices earlier and shift physical testing toward confirmation rather than iteration. By making data visible, comparable and reusable, Q-LIFE™ helps formulators make smarter first-time decisions, reduce development cycles, and validate performance more efficiently—accelerating time to market while maintaining consistent, reliable results.
Lubrizol recently received a Responsible Care® award–what is the company’s approach to safety and testing?
As much as Lubrizol sells chemistry, we provide the data that our customers use to make claims: “We help to minimize wrinkles by X. We help to control hair frizz by Y.” We support these claims with deep analysis from many research cases. Without this, we could not be the market leader we are today. Safety starts way before we get the product to market. During the development phase, we leverage our regional product steward and compliance teams who understand regulations around the world.
In addition, our technical teams and specialized chemists will use available information about molecules and AI to assess toxicology and predict performance profiles well in advance. We just innovated some of our new peptides with in silico screening–significantly expanding our exploration space from hundreds of thousands to trillions of molecules, enabling us to identify the most promising candidates with a much higher probability of success. As a result, we only advanced dozens into the lab, versus the hundreds that we would have historically. The AI model ultimately helped us bring a new molecule to market at record speed.
How is Lubrizol advancing sustainability?
In 2024, we launched Carbopol® Fusion, a hybrid polymer designed to incorporate biodegradable components within a synthetic structure, improving its overall sustainability profile. Since then, we have launched a fully natural, fully biodegradable Carbopol® based on cellulose from byproducts of making paper, which is a real win-win.
Additionally, local manufacturing helps us reduce the amount of energy use in our supply chains and logistics. Ensuring we are making technologies in the right location for the end customer can dramatically reduce our footprint on the world, and that is what we are working to do.
What issues are most important to Lubrizol as it continues shaping the future of chemicals?
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform is important because the Environmental Protection Agency takes well beyond its stated 90 days to review new chemistries. Some peer companies in the American Chemistry Council (ACC) membership have waited up to five years. I was in Washington, D.C. with the ACC to talk with several elected officials on Capitol Hill about this. We got a strong reception–people want to know we are bringing new, life-enhancing chemistry to market, and that is what we are working to do. The surfaces and materials we are going to need tomorrow will be very different from those we have today. Maybe not in my lifetime but someday, there will be flying cars and trips to Mars, and Lubrizol looks forward to supporting this technology.
