Top Trusted Hydrogel Manufacturers for High Quality Products

While it’d be nice if you could source massive logs of hydrogel from your local drugstore, it’s (understandably) not the most profitable business model. 

Hydrogel is a highly specialized material often used for wound healing, medical products, and cosmetic applications. Its high water content helps moisturize and cool the skin while enabling it to hold solutions for drug delivery. 

Although we don’t make hydrogel ourselves, Strouse has been converting it into sheets and complex shapes for decades. Because we’ve worked with a variety of suppliers, we wanted to take the time to recognize the ones that stand out. 

If you’re searching for hydrogel, keep reading to learn more about our trusted suppliers. 

Where Can You Find Hydrogel?

Finding the right hydrogel will ultimately depend on the type and quantity of hydrogel you’re looking for. 

For instance, some hydrogel manufacturing companies specialize in liquid wound fillers, while others sell standard hydrogel sheets. Furthermore, converters like Strouse purchase rolls of hydrogel to cut into custom-sized shapes.  

The following manufacturers (and distributors) offer a range of hydrogels in different formats. 

List of Hydrogel Manufacturers & Distributors

There are many different hydrogel manufacturers, but the following list focuses on the ones whom we’ve worked with closely over the years and suppliers with impressive, high-quality products. 

1. KATECHO

Founded in: 1984

Location(s): Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Hydrogel options: 

• Standard hydrogels

• Fully developed, tested, and validated formulas ready to be used

• Modified hydrogels

• Varied thickness, altered scrim placement, coatings, physical properties

• Custom hydrogels

• Entirely new formulas with additives like antibacterial agents, cosmetic agents, coagulants, vitamins, color pigments, pharmaceuticals, and moisturizers

Certifications: ISO 13485, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

2. AXELGAARD

Founded in: 1985

Location(s): Fallbrook, California, USA & Lystrup, Aarhus, DK

Hydrogel options: 

• AmGel® Hydrogels

• Manufactured for sensing, stimulation, skin & wound care, defibrillation and surgical grounding pads, fixation, and custom formulations

• Customized Gels & Specialty Products

• Specialty products and private-label packaging

Certifications: ISO 13485, CE, and MDSAP certified, REACH, RoHS, WEEE, Conflict Minerals, CA Prop 65 compliant

3. SEKISUI KASEI 

Founded in: 1959

Location(s): North America, Europe, and Asia

Hydrogel options: 

• ST-gel

• Bioelectrode materials, bioadhesives, wound dressing, industrial adhesives, cooling sheets, and more
• Can be customized based on customers’ requests

Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and 14001 certifications

4. POLYMER SCIENCE

Founded in: 1998

Location(s): Monticello, IN, USA & Shengpu Town, SIP Suzhou CN & Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, KR

Hydrogel options: 

• P-DERM® Hydrogel Adhesives

• General fixation, household hygiene products & blister care, moist wound dressings, minor burn care, transdermal drug delivery, active and passive wearable devices 
• Hydrogel bilaminates and trilaminates 

Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 13485

Processing Hydrogel into Finished Parts

Any converter will gladly tell you that the most challenging part of building hydrogel parts isn’t sourcing—it’s handling.

Hydrogel has a notoriously squishy, sticky, messy texture, which makes it difficult to work with and a complex manufacturing material. Because of the significant learning curve, many companies outsource their hydrogel processing to converters with experienced engineers and machine operators. 

Strouse’s operators are fully trained to handle hydrogel, so we can help you create accurate, safe products. Additionally, we can leverage existing relationships with suppliers for better pricing.  

If you’re interested in creating custom hydrogel parts, contact us for a quote today and learn how we can help you move your design from prototype to production. 

See our Learning Center to learn more about hydrogel and other related products.