Northeast Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (NEPG)
HQ CN20% share
One of China's largest bulk vitamin C (ascorbic acid) fermentation producers; named defendant in the US vitamin C antitrust litigation.
pharmaceutical · input
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid, Bulk)
Bulk ascorbic acid produced by two-step fermentation, overwhelmingly in China (80–90% of world capacity). The reference example of Chinese bulk-vitamin concentration; subject of a landmark US price-fixing antitrust case.
7
Source countries
3
Companies
3
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
Goods that need this input
3 essential American goods rely on vitamin c (ascorbic acid, bulk) somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Health
Vitamins & dietary supplements
Vitamins, minerals, and supplements; China dominates bulk vitamin and amino-acid production.
Home
Cosmetics & makeup
Color cosmetics and skincare; premium from France/Korea, mass from China, fill-finish in the U.S./Canada.
Food
Canned and shelf-stable foods
Tinned vegetables, soups, beans, and packaged staples dependent on metal cans and retort processing.
Where it comes from
Source countries
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| CNChina | 64% |
| GBUnited Kingdom | 22% |
| INIndia | 6% |
| VNVietnam | 2% |
| DEGermany (Federal Republic of Germany) | 2% |
| CACanada | 1% |
| CHSwitzerland | 1% |
Who makes it
Supplier companies
3 companies produce vitamin c (ascorbic acid, bulk).
CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Limited
HQ CN
Chinese pharmaceutical company (HKEX: 1093, HQ Shijiazhuang Hebei; ~HKD 30B revenue); one of China's largest cephalosporin API and finished dose pharmaceutical manufacturers. CSPC produces 7-ACA, cephalosporin APIs (cephalexin, ceftriaxone, cefazolin), and downstream finished dose cephalosporin antibiotics for domestic and export markets. CSPC's Zhongrun Division is one of China's largest cephalosporin API producers. CSPC is headquartered in Shijiazhuang, Hebei — the same city as NCPC (North China Pharmaceutical), making Shijiazhuang the world's most concentrated antibiotic API manufacturing city. Hebei Province collectively produces a dominant fraction of global penicillin, cephalosporin, and other antibiotic APIs.
dsm-firmenich AG(DSFIR.AS)
HQ CH
dsm-firmenich AG (Kaiseraugst, Basel-Land, Switzerland; formed by merger of DSM NV Netherlands and Firmenich SA Geneva, completed May 2023; combined revenue ~€12B of which fragrance ~€3-4B) is the world's third-largest fragrance company. Firmenich (private, Geneva; founded 1895 by Philippe Chuit and Martin Naef) was the world's largest private fragrance house and the only major fragrance company to remain independent until the DSM merger. Firmenich's fragrance heritage includes Chanel No. 5 (Firmenich supplies the fragrance compound to Chanel — one of the most carefully guarded commercial relationships in the fragrance industry; the Chanel No. 5 formula is a Firmenich-originated formula from 1921). DSM contributed nutrition, health, and biosciences (vitamins, carotenoids, animal feed enzymes) to the merger. The combined dsm-firmenich operates manufacturing at Geneva (Switzerland), Haverhill (UK), Neuvy-sur-Barangeon (France), and Florham Park (USA). The Firmenich name is retained in the merged entity's fragrance operations branding.