"Ciba" stood for "Chemische Industrie Basel" (Chemical Industries Basel) and was formed when the non-pharmaceuticals elements of Novartis were spun out in 1997,[1] following the merger in the previous year of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz that created Novartis.

[5] 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.

[7] Part of the merger agreement of 1997, between Ciba Geigy and Sandoz, was that the former's industrial chemicals business would be spun off as a separate business, leading to the formation of Ciba Specialty Chemicals plc.

[8] In 2006, Ciba divested its textile dyes and chemical auxiliaries business in a sale to Huntsman Corporation.

[9] In 2007, the company announced the intention to adopt the name Ciba Inc. Ciba's board of directors agreed to a €3.4 billion takeover offer from BASF, the world's largest chemicals company, on 15 September 2008.