Stort Group, a 40-year veteran in chemical distribution, has launched a new business unit—Life Sciences—marking a strategic expansion into personal care, HI&I (household, industrial and institutional) and valeting markets. The division has been created to deliver high-quality, technically driven ingredient solutions, combining core commodity strength with specialty actives for modern formulation needs.
The new unit will be led by business unit manager Clare Holtham, who brings a chemistry background and a customer-focused approach to building supplier and client relationships. Backed by a small technical team, she will oversee a portfolio spanning skincare, hair care, oral care, cosmetics and cleaning applications.
“I’m delighted to be building something genuinely new at Stort alongside our supply partners and clients,” said Holtham. “U.K. personal care and HI&I are clearly growing sectors, driven by energy, innovation, deep skillsets and genuine enthusiasm.”
Early supplier partners include Alternative Plants, known for its plant stem cell technology and bioactive botanical ingredients, and Kumar Organic Products, which brings a portfolio of specialty actives, bio-ferments, and preservatives widely used by formulators.
According to CEO Richard Gilkes, the move builds on the company’s long-standing commercial model: “We intend to use the same passion for customer-focused and technically-driven sales to generate the same success that we have had in the Industrial and F&F sectors for over 40 years.”
With additional supplier partnerships already in development, Stort Group says the Life Sciences unit is “open for business” and positioned for further growth across the UK formulation landscape.
