Ciba was a chemical company based in and near Basel, Switzerland. "Ciba" stood for "Chemische Industrie Basel". It was formed as the non-pharmaceuticals elements of Novartis were spun out in 1997, following the merger in the previous year of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz that created Novartis.
In 2008, Ciba was acquired by the German chemical company BASF and, in April 2009, integrated into the BASF group. Ciba AG initially continued to trade under the old name, but was renamed to BASF Schweiz AG in March 2010.
The BASF subsidiary makes products in the following areas: Agriculture, Automotive, Construction & Pipes, Electronic materials, Extractive & Process Technologies, Home & Fabric Care, Inks & Graphics, Lubricants, Monomers & Water Soluble Polymers, Packaging, Paints and Coatings, Paper, Personal Care, Photo & Digital Imaging, Plastics & Rubber, Textiles & Fibers, Water treatment