The original company, Chemical Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (CIP), was incorporated in 1958 to operate Dr. Garcia's 30 MT/day sulfuric acid plant. By 1967, it had expanded to two 100 MT/day sulfuric acid plants and became the first Filipino company to manufacture Oleum, aluminum sulfate, ammonium sulfate and battery acid. In 1968, E. S. Garcia Development Corporation (ESGAR) was formed to manage Dr. Garcia's various agricultural projects. During the next decade, an aggressive development program was initiated to increase Chemphil's interests particularly in detergent chemicals. The first new venture was LMG Chemicals Inc. (LMG), which was incorporated in 1970 to become the pioneer company to produce alkyl benzene in Southeast Asia. This project brought in its first major foreign investor when Tomen Corp. then known as Toyo Menka Kaisha, Ltd. Of Japan took a significant equity position in LMG.

In 1971, Polyphosphates Inc. (PPI) was established. Under the government's Investment Incentives Act, it became the pioneer manufacturer of detergent phosphates in the ASEAN region. The Group's real estate interests were organized under Amarem Realty Corporation (ARC) in 1975. The Chemphil Building was constructed in Makati the following year to be the Group's headquarters. In 1980, Albright & Wilson of UK, one of the largest chemical companies in the United Kingdom purchased 40 % of PPI and entered into a Joint Venture agreement to develop the detergent phosphates industry in the country.

During the 1980's, Chemical Industries of the Philippines reorganized and rationalized its manufacturing and investing activities in their respective corporate structures. The sulfuric acid manufacturing and related-activities - were lodged under a new corporate structure under the name of Chemphil Manufacturing Corporation (CMC) incorporated in 1981. (In 1988, CMC and LMG were merged to form Chemphil-LMG, Inc. (CLI) and later changed its name to LMG Chemicals Corp.)

CIP was left as a parent company of what is now known as the Chemphil Group of Companies - (Investment Division) and as the provider of shared services (Management Division) to the Group. However, in 1989, CIP absorbed the agribusiness activities of ESGAR and took over the real estate assets of AMAREM through a series of mergers. In 1989, Chemical Industries of the Philippines ceased to be a 100% family- owned corporation. Corporate stockholders acquired the shareholdings of individual family members. These are, respectively, Chemholdings Corporation, Philippine Indochem Corp. and Chemphil Export and Import Corp.

In March 1993, CIP saw the establishment of Perfumeria Española Corporation (PEC). Today, the joint venture remains solid between Chemical Industries of the Philippines and Perfumeria Gal S.A. of Spain. With the entry of PEC, a whole range of personal care products of Perfumeria Gal, were added to the world famous 'Heno de Pravia,' which was taken over by PEC from the erstwhile Philippine distributor of GAL. In the mid-90's, the Chemphil Group embarked on another first. Along with a number of industrialists and investing companies. Jointly, CIP, LMG and CAWC - the Chemphil Group- is now a significant investor group in Petrochemical Corporation of Asia-Pacific (Petrocorp.) Petrocorp manufactures polypropylene resins for downstream industries - such as the plastic manufacturers. Petrocorp - with its world-class polypropylene plant (built under a license agreement with BASF for its technology) is recognized by the government as a major flagship industrial project. Petrocorp ushered in the Philippine Petrochemical Industry.

In 1998, the latest joint venture company in the Chemphil Group came to being. CIP signed a joint venture with Kemira Oy of Finland. With the rationalization of and development program for the country's waterworks and sewerage systems -Kemwater Philippines Corp. (KPC) hopes one day to play a major role as a leading manufacturer of water treatment chemicals to serve this industry.