# Vitamins: Production route

Why only a handful of firms can make vitamin A

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/routes/

What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.

Each vitamin has its own route, but they fall into three groups. Fat-soluble A and E (and K3) are made by long chemical syntheses from petrochemical building blocks, which only a few groups with citral and isophytol integration can do: dsm-firmenich, BASF, Zhejiang NHU and Zhejiang Medicine. Water-soluble C, B2 and B12 are fermented from sugar, mostly in China and India. D3 is made by UV irradiation of cholesterol from lanolin. Natural vitamin E is extracted from vegetable oil refining by-products.

#### Routes compared

| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Vitamin A (synthetic)** | almost all vitamin A; global capacity not reliably published (28-54 kt/yr implied by Faxian Gongchang figures, indicative (unverified)) | citral and acetone-derived intermediates (quantities not published) | BASF 14.4 kt/yr (stated as 26.7% of world, unverified); NHU claims number one | not published | not published | Chinese price RMB 59-98/kg in 2026, about $8-14/kg |
| **Vitamin E (synthetic and natural)** | synthetic dominates; China over 70% of capacity (2025) | isophytol and TMHQ (not published) | global about 150 kt/yr; Nantekang 30 kt; BASF 20 kt VE oil | not published | not published | RMB 80-100/kg feed grade (2026), about $11-14/kg |
| **Vitamin C and other fermentation vitamins (B2, B12)** | China 85%+ of vitamin C; India 40-50% and China 30-40% of B12 | about 1.5-2 t glucose per t vitamin C (indicative) | vitamin C global about 200 kt/yr | not published | biomass | not published |
| **Vitamin D3** | Garden Bio 30-40% of D3; about 70% of NF-grade cholesterol | lanolin (wool tile) cholesterol | Garden Bio feed-grade D3 to 3,600 t/yr | not published | not published | cost about RMB 50/kg; quotes RMB 200-600/kg (2025-2026) |
| **B-group chemical synthesis (B1, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, K3)** | China above 70% of B1; China dominates B3 and B5; Brother 40-60% of K3; India 30-40% of folic acid | not published | 1-20 kt/yr lines | not published | chromium waste from K3 (indicative) | B5 RMB 300-400/kg, K3 RMB 50-80/kg (2026 expected) |

#### How each route works
**Vitamin A (synthetic)**

Citral from isobutylene and formaldehyde is built up via beta-ionone into vitamin A acetate in over ten steps; formulated as beadlets.

Few producers; outage-prone.
 Faxian Gongchang 2026; RMB 7.2 per $ (indicative) **Vitamin E (synthetic and natural)**

Synthetic: trimethylhydroquinone condensed with isophytol to dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Natural: tocopherols extracted from soybean or rapeseed oil deodoriser distillate.

China share heading to 80%+ by 2027-28 (Faxian Gongchang).
 Faxian Gongchang 2026 **Vitamin C and other fermentation vitamins (B2, B12)**

Vitamin C by two-step fermentation of sorbitol to 2-keto-L-gulonic acid then conversion to ascorbic acid; B2 and B12 by single-strain fermentation.

Sugar-based; China dominates on scale.
 Faxian Gongchang 2026; inputs indicative **Vitamin D3**

Cholesterol from lanolin (wool grease) is converted to 7-dehydrocholesterol and irradiated with UV.

Very high margin in tight markets.
 Faxian Gongchang 2026 **B-group chemical synthesis (B1, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, K3)**

Niacin from pyridine chemistry, B5 from isobutyraldehyde and HCN, B1 from malononitrile routes, K3 from chromium oxidation of methylnaphthalene.

Fragmented; Chinese consolidation.
 Faxian Gongchang 2026 Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/links/index.md)