What Valvoline Global Products makes

Valvoline Global Products is the branded lubricants and functional-fluids business that Aramco acquired from Valvoline Inc. in 2023. It formulates, blends, and sells finished lubricants and engine-maintenance products in more than 140 countries and territories, with products available at over 80,000 locations. The core line is passenger-car motor oil across full-synthetic, conventional, and high-mileage grades, including the MaxLife family and the Restore & Protect full-synthetic oil the company markets as a category-defining product. Alongside motor oil it makes heavy-duty and commercial engine oils, automatic transmission fluids, gear oils, brake fluids, greases, and the ZEREX line of antifreeze and engine coolants.

Two newer segments push the business beyond traditional crankcase oil. The first is electric-vehicle fluids: battery thermal-management fluids, driveline fluids, and coolants for electric vehicles, a category where the company says it is the world's largest supplier of battery fluids to EV manufacturers. The second is data-center and high-performance-computing cooling, where Valvoline sells immersion cooling fluids, direct-to-chip fluids, and heat-exchange fluids aimed at the heat problem that AI infrastructure creates. It also runs the Valvoline Professional Series (VPS), a commercial-only product set sold through installers rather than retail shelves.

The company reaches buyers through several channels: automotive retailers and do-it-yourself shoppers, installers doing the work for the customer, industrial and data-center accounts, and OEM factory-fill and aftersales programs. That last channel matters most for direct-materials buyers, because it puts Valvoline fluids into vehicles on the production line rather than only in the aftermarket.

Ownership and history

Valvoline traces its origin to 1866, when Dr. John Ellis formulated one of the first petroleum-based lubricants; the brand was trademarked in 1873 and markets itself as America's first branded motor oil. The modern corporate structure is much newer. In August 2022 Valvoline Inc. agreed to sell its Global Products business to Aramco, and the deal closed on March 1, 2023 for $2.65 billion in cash. The split divided one company into two: Aramco now owns the Valvoline brand for the products business, operating it as Valvoline Global Operations, while the separately listed Valvoline Inc. kept the brand for its retail Instant Oil Change services. The two are distinct companies, and figures for the retail business do not describe this one.

Valvoline Global Operations runs three international regional hubs: Lexington, Kentucky, which houses global corporate functions and R&D; London, which opened in the Fitzrovia district in 2025; and Singapore for Asia-Pacific. In August 2026 the company announced a new global headquarters at 312 Elm Street in downtown Cincinnati, a roughly 50,000-square-foot space for up to about 100 roles, with Lexington becoming the Americas hub and keeping more than 400 employees. President and CEO Jamal K. Muashsher has led the business since the March 2023 split; he joined Valvoline in 2014 after 14 years at Procter & Gamble. Company and press descriptions put the enterprise at more than $3 billion in scale, though as an Aramco subsidiary it does not publish audited standalone financials.

Known customers and programs

Valvoline sells largely through retail and installer channels, so most end buyers are not individually named. The clearest documented supply relationships are in OEM factory-fill and motorsport:

The Horse Powertrain agreement is the most relevant for procurement readers: it moves Valvoline from aftermarket shelves into factory-fill on a major automaker's production lines, and ties the company to an Aramco-affiliated powertrain venture spanning Geely and Renault.

Sourcing evidence

Valvoline's US import record reads like a blender's, not a reseller's. Its Cincinnati plant importer entity shows 306 sea-import shipments on record, with the most recent on April 9, 2026. The named foreign suppliers are base-oil and base-stock producers rather than finished-goods sellers:

That pattern, base oil in and finished lubricant out, is the signature of a domestic blending operation. The presence of Neste's renewable base stocks in the supplier list is worth noting for buyers tracking lower-carbon fluid sourcing. For direct-materials teams weighing nearshoring and tariff exposure on base oils, the mix leans on established Asian and Nordic base-stock lanes.

Coverage caveats apply. These are US ocean-freight records for one Valvoline importer entity; air, truck, and rail movements and other legal entities do not appear, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Valvoline Global Products make?

Valvoline Global Products formulates and blends finished lubricants and engine-maintenance fluids: passenger-car motor oils (full synthetic, high mileage, and the Restore & Protect line), heavy-duty engine oils, ZEREX antifreeze and coolants, transmission and gear fluids, brake fluids, and greases. It also makes electric-vehicle battery and driveline fluids and cooling fluids for data centers and high-performance computing.

Who owns Valvoline Global Products?

Valvoline Global Products is owned by Aramco. Aramco completed the $2.65 billion acquisition of Valvoline Inc.'s Global Products business on March 1, 2023, and operates it as Valvoline Global Operations. The separately listed Valvoline Inc. kept the Valvoline brand for its retail Instant Oil Change services; the two are distinct companies.

Where is Valvoline Global Products headquartered?

The business is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, home to its corporate functions and R&D. In August 2026 it announced a new global headquarters in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, with Lexington becoming its Americas hub and keeping more than 400 employees. It also runs regional hubs in London and Singapore.

Is Valvoline Global Operations the same as Valvoline Inc.?

No. In March 2023 the original Valvoline company split in two. Valvoline Global Operations, the products and lubricants business, was acquired by Aramco. Valvoline Inc. (NYSE: VVV) kept the retail Instant Oil Change services business. Financial and employee figures for the retail company do not describe the Aramco-owned products business.

Who are Valvoline Global Products' customers?

Most end buyers reach Valvoline through automotive retailers and installers, so few are individually named. Documented programs include Geely, where Valvoline is the official lubricant technology partner for Horse Powertrain factory-fill and aftersales, and a Formula One partnership with the BWT Alpine team. The company also states it is the leading supplier of battery fluids to EV manufacturers.

How large is Valvoline Global Products?

Company and press descriptions put Valvoline Global Operations at more than $3 billion in scale, with sales in over 140 countries and products at more than 80,000 locations. As a private Aramco subsidiary it does not publish audited standalone financials, so exact revenue and headcount figures are not available; independent estimates place its workforce in the low thousands.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.