Company Description
NEXGEL, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXGL) is a healthcare and consumer products company focused on ultra-gentle, high-water-content hydrogel technology. According to company disclosures, NEXGEL develops and manufactures electron-beam, cross-linked hydrogels that are used in healthcare, beauty, and over-the-counter (OTC) consumer applications. The company has been producing these hydrogels for over two decades and is based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
NEXGEL’s business centers on using its proprietary hydrogel technology in both contract manufacturing and consumer-branded products. The company states that it maintains strategic contract manufacturing relationships with leading consumer healthcare companies, producing hydrogel-based products for partners. In parallel, NEXGEL markets its own brands in categories such as wound care, skincare, and other health and beauty uses where gentle, high-water-content materials are important.
NEXGEL’s Hydrogel Technology
The company describes its core technology as electron-beam, cross-linked hydrogels. Earlier descriptions note that NEXGEL manufactures high water content, electron beam cross-linked, aqueous polymer hydrogels used for wound care, medical diagnostics, transdermal drug delivery, and cosmetics. NEXGEL also highlights its ability to create custom gels by capitalizing on proprietary mixing, coating, and cross-linking technologies, and it uses both proprietary and non-proprietary processes in its manufacturing.
In its more recent communications, NEXGEL emphasizes that these hydrogels are ultra-gentle and suitable for healthcare and consumer applications. The technology has been developed and manufactured by the company for more than twenty years, indicating a long operational history with this material platform.
Brands and Product Categories
NEXGEL reports that it sells products under several company-owned brands. According to its public statements, NEXGEL brands include:
- SilverSeal®
- Hexagels®
- Turfguard®
- Kenkoderm®
- Silly George®
The company associates these brands with healthcare, beauty, and OTC consumer products that incorporate its hydrogel technology. While detailed product-level descriptions are not provided in the available materials, NEXGEL notes that its consumer brands are gaining traction with new product launches across beauty and skincare and that demand for its branded products has contributed to revenue growth in recent periods.
Contract Manufacturing and Partnerships
NEXGEL identifies contract manufacturing as a key part of its business. The company cites “strategic contract manufacturing relationships with leading consumer healthcare companies” and has referenced growth in its contract manufacturing segment, including partnerships such as its relationship with Cintas. These arrangements use NEXGEL’s hydrogel technology to produce products for third-party brands, contributing to the company’s revenue alongside its own branded offerings.
The company also highlights an expanded partnership with STADA Arzneimittel AG, a European consumer health company. Under this relationship, STADA agreed to advance non-dilutive capital to NEXGEL to support product launches and marketing efforts, and the partnership includes planned launches of digestive enzyme formulas and solutions targeting scars and stretch marks. This illustrates how NEXGEL’s hydrogel platform and consumer health focus can be combined with larger partners’ distribution and brand reach.
Drug Delivery Spin-Off: NexGelRx
NEXGEL has announced a corporate development involving its drug delivery program. The company disclosed that it is spinning off select drug delivery application assets into a separate entity called NexGelRx. NexGelRx is intended to focus exclusively on developing and commercializing prescription (Rx) drug delivery solutions that utilize NEXGEL’s proprietary hydrogel technology.
Under a license agreement described by NEXGEL, the company will receive a 5% global royalty in perpetuity on products sold using its drug delivery technology by NexGelRx. NEXGEL will also retain a 19.99% equity stake in NexGelRx, which is described as non-dilutive up to a specified level of capital investment. NEXGEL further notes that it will be the exclusive manufacturer of hydrogel for NexGelRx, aligning the spin-off with its existing manufacturing capabilities.
NEXGEL has also reported that NexGelRx has received strategic investments from outside investors and has appointed a healthcare executive from Diesis Holdings, LLC as a board observer and strategic advisor. The company characterizes its hydrogel as a potential transdermal delivery mechanism for a wide array of pharmaceuticals, and a NEXGEL director has commented that the electron beam generated hydrogel may support new topical and systemic therapies.
Public Company and Governance
NEXGEL is incorporated in Delaware and its common stock trades on NASDAQ under the symbol NXGL. As a U.S. public company, it files reports, proxy statements, and current reports on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings cover topics such as financial results, governance matters, and significant corporate events.
For example, the company has filed a definitive proxy statement for a special meeting of stockholders to consider an amendment to its certificate of incorporation relating to authorized share capital. It has also filed current reports on Form 8-K to furnish press releases about quarterly financial results and to describe the spin-off of a portion of its drug delivery program to NexGelRx.
In another Form 8-K, NEXGEL disclosed changes in its finance leadership, including the appointment of an interim Chief Financial Officer and principal financial and accounting officer, and the termination of employment of a prior officer. These governance disclosures are part of the company’s ongoing regulatory reporting obligations.
Financial Reporting and Non-GAAP Measures
NEXGEL regularly reports its financial results through press releases and SEC filings. In these communications, the company discusses revenue from contract manufacturing and branded products, gross profit and gross margin, operating expenses, and net loss attributable to NEXGEL stockholders. The company also presents non-GAAP financial measures such as EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, which it describes in detail, including reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.
NEXGEL states that it uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate financial results and manage operations, and it explains that certain items are excluded in these calculations, such as amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation, and other items it considers unusual or discrete. The company emphasizes that these non-GAAP measures are not intended as a substitute for GAAP financial statements.
Business Focus and Strategic Direction
In management commentary accompanying its financial results, NEXGEL has emphasized two main areas of focus: contract manufacturing and consumer-branded products. The company notes that growth in contract manufacturing has been driven by partnerships and onboarding of new global customers, while its consumer brands have seen increased demand and new product launches in beauty and skincare categories.
By spinning off its prescription drug delivery program into NexGelRx while retaining a royalty interest, an equity stake, and exclusive manufacturing rights, NEXGEL describes a structure that allows it to pursue potential Rx opportunities through a dedicated platform, while continuing to concentrate its own operations on contract manufacturing and consumer health and beauty products that use its hydrogel technology.
Regulatory and Investor Information
As a NASDAQ-listed issuer, NEXGEL’s common stock is accessible to public market investors under the ticker NXGL. The company’s SEC filings, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and proxy statements, provide additional detail on its operations, risk factors, financial condition, and corporate governance. NEXGEL’s press releases also provide context on partnerships, financings, board appointments, and other corporate developments related to its hydrogel-based healthcare and consumer product activities.