hubergroup Chemicals is expanding its portfolio with a new brand of high-performance additives: ELARA. The launch marks a significant step in the company’s evolution from a supplier of printing ink raw materials to a comprehensive partner for the coatings, inks, and adhesives industries.

ELARA will make its official debut at PAINT INDIA 2026 in Mumbai, as a clearly structured additive portfolio supporting formulators in facing today’s complex technical and regulatory challenges.

As markets demand higher performance, compliance with increasingly complex regulations, and greater sustainability, additives have become the silent enablers behind modern formulations. hubergroup Chemicals responds to this shift with ELARA – a product range that combines scientific precision with practical usability across diverse application areas.

“With ELARA, we are taking another decisive step in our strategic transformation,” says Premal A. Desai, CEO of hubergroup. “We are expanding our horizons beyond traditional applications and positioning hubergroup Chemicals as a strong, future-oriented partner for formulators worldwide. ELARA stands for our ambition to shape chemistry responsibly while enabling our customers to innovate with confidence.”

Additives as Silent Enablers of Modern Formulations

Whether dispersion, wetting, process stability or surface quality, additives play a decisive role in the performance and reliability of modern coating and ink systems. With ELARA, hubergroup Chemicals consolidates its expertise in polymer and surface chemistry into a clearly structured, application-driven additive platform.

The name ELARA, inspired by one of Jupiter’s moons, symbolizes stability, precision, and orientation within complex systems. Each product has been developed for a clearly defined function – delivering maximum impact both individually and as part of a perfectly balanced formulation.

Under the claim “Shaping chemistry. Expanding horizons.”, ELARA brings together high-performance dispersing and wetting additives tailored to the requirements of modern formulations:

• ELARA Disperion 400: Non-aqueous dispersing agents for organic and inorganic pigments, carbon blacks, extenders, and matting agents. Designed for high pigment loading, excellent colour development, and robust process stability in solvent-based, solvent-free and UV/EB systems.

• ELARA Disperion 500: Aqueous dispersing agents delivering high colour consistency, reproducible quality and broad binder compatibility. Suitable for VOC-free and biocide-free formulation architectures in coatings and printing inks.

• ELARA Wetora 300: Versatile wetting agents for water-based, solvent-based, solvent-free and UV-curable systems. They improve substrate wetting, support uniform pigment incorporation and help reduce surface defects – even on challenging substrates.

“ELARA represents a new level of system understanding,” says Franziska Trapp, technical marketing manager coatings at hubergroup Chemicals. “Each additive line is developed with the formulator’s reality in mind – balancing technical performance, regulatory compliance, and processing efficiency.”

The ELARA range reflects hubergroup Chemicals’ deep expertise in polymer and surface chemistry. Many grades are solvent-free or VOC-reduced, aligning with global sustainability goals. At the same time, the portfolio is designed for broad compatibility across solvent-based, water-based, and UV-curable systems, giving formulators maximum design freedom and security of supply.

From the outset, ELARA is designed as a scalable additive system. A defined development roadmap includes the future introduction of defoamers, humectants and rheology modifiers. This creates a forward-looking additive platform that addresses both current and emerging industry needs. The ELARA portfolio will be available globally from March 2026.