What Is SoyLei APEX-1132, and Why Soy?

SoyLei Innovative Products is the trade name of SoyLei Innovations, LLC, based in Ames, Iowa. It's a company of scientists. SoyLei was founded by Iowa State University researchers, and they created APEX-1132. Their work on soy-based asphalt research goes back to 2008, and the technology is covered by an issued U.S. patent licensed to SoyLei. Besides the roof treatment, they make soy-based products for asphalt pavement, the kind used by transportation agencies.

That background is a big part of why we picked them. Our owner is a numbers and data guy who spent years in finance before he ever picked up a tool belt. Before we put a product on someone's house, we want to see the data behind it. A team of scientists with a published data sheet and outside lab testing checked those boxes for us.

Asphalt is a petroleum product. When it's new, it holds lighter oils that keep it soft and flexible. On a roof, heat and UV break those oils down year after year. The asphalt hardens. Then the shingle gets brittle, cracks, curls and lets go of its granules. You see the granules first, piled up at the bottom of your downspouts.

The idea behind a rejuvenator is simple. Restore flexibility to the aged asphalt before the shingle is too far gone. APEX-1132 is made to react with the asphalt in the shingle and to slow, and chemically reverse, that aging. It isn't a paint or a film. It soaks in, which we explain on is roof rejuvenation a coating.

Soybean oil is a plant oil, and SoyLei's research is built on how soy-based materials work with asphalt. That shows on the product sheet. The USDA BioPreferred program certifies it at 96% biobased content. It's also biodegradable and pH neutral, meaning it's neither acidic nor alkaline. It has no flash point, so the liquid won't burn. It gives off little or no odor, and it goes on as a milky white liquid that dries into the shingles.

That's why we're comfortable calling it safe for family, pets and landscaping, though we still keep pets inside while we spray. More on that in is roof rejuvenation safe for pets and plants.

Iowa is one of the biggest soybean states in the country, so it makes sense that a soy science company grew up there. Now the same idea is at work on asphalt shingle roofs here in the Triad.

The numbers above come from SoyLei's product data sheet. Separately, SoyLei names PRI Asphalt Technologies as the independent asphalt lab that tested its technology, with reports from 2020, 2021 and 2024.

A few things worth knowing:

• Tear strength went down a little. Treated shingles kept 86% of it. The competitor's kept 70%.
• Hail impact held steady. Untreated shingles passed and APEX-1132 still passed. The competitor's product failed.
• Lower flame spread is better. The treated shingle measured 15 inches against 42 untreated.

Lab tests show how a product does under set conditions. Your roof's results depend on how far along it is when we treat it. The row-by-row breakdown is on our lab results page.

A good product still has limits, and you should hear them before you buy.

• It's for asphalt shingles only. It won't work on metal, tile, slate, flat or membrane roofs.
• It won't stop an active leak or replace missing shingles.
• It can't fix soft or rotted decking.
• It doesn't kill algae or moss, so black streaks need their own fix.
• It won't bring back a roof that's at the end of its life.

If your roof falls into one of those, you'll hear it at the assessment. There's more on leaks in does roof rejuvenation stop leaks and on algae in black streaks on your roof.