| Cover | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | |
| Document Information [Line Items] | |
| Document Type | DEF 14A |
| Amendment Flag | false |
| Entity Information [Line Items] | |
| Entity Registrant Name | BIOLIFE SOLUTIONS, INC. |
| Entity Central Index Key | 0000834365 |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | 12 Months Ended | ||
| Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure, Table | Pay Versus Performance The following Pay Versus Performance information presents the compensation of our NEOs disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table As discussed further below, the CAP amounts do not necessarily represent actual compensation earned or realized by our NEOs in a given year. The Compensation Committee did not consider the Pay Versus Performance information in making its compensation decisions for our NEOs. For additional information about our performance-based pay philosophy on how the Compensation Committee aligns executive compensation with our performance, refer to the “Compensation discussion and analysis” section above. Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On: Year Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO (1) Compensation Actually Paid to PEO (2) Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs (1) Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs (2) TSR (3) Peer Group TSR (3) Net Income (Loss) Company-Selected Measure: Revenue 2022 $ 4,729,171 $ 5,402,825 $ 1,795,669 $ 1,727,067 $ 112.48 $ 80.61 $ (139,805,361) $ 161,759,006 2021 $ 2,249,908 $ 7,321,384 $ 1,005,796 $ 2,886,005 $ 230.35 $ 141.37 $ (8,907,537) $ 119,155,907 2020 $ 1,478,511 $ 6,469,889 $ 1,432,993 $ 4,369,889 $ 246.54 $ 145.13 $ 1,983,524 $ 48,087,234 (1) For each fiscal year presented, Michael Rice served as our PEO. Our NEOs for each fiscal year presented were as follows: Year Non-PEO NEOs During Each Year 2022 Aby J. Mathew, Roderick de Greef, Troy Wichterman, Karen Foster 2021 Aby J. Mathew, Roderick de Greef, Troy Wichterman, Marcus Schulz 2020 Aby J. Mathew, Roderick de Greef, Karen Foster, Todd Berard | ||
| PEO Total Compensation Amount | $ 4,729,171 | $ 2,249,908 | $ 1,478,511 |
| PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount | $ 5,402,825 | 7,321,384 | 6,469,889 |
| Adjustment To PEO Compensation, Footnote | (2) The CAP amounts presented here reflect the following adjustments to compensation reported within the Summary Compensation Table as required by the SEC. FY 2022 FY 2021 FY 2020 Adjustments to Summary Compensation Table amounts to CAP amounts PEO ($) Average Non- PEO NEOs ($) PEO ($) Average Non-PEO NEOs ($) PEO ($) Average Non-PEO NEOs ($) Summary Compensation Table Total $ 4,729,171 $ 1,795,669 $ 2,249,908 $ 1,005,796 $ 1,478,511 $ 1,432,993 Grant date FV of option awards and stock awards granted in fiscal year (3,703,620) (1,260,381) (1,005,813) (419,910) (963,799) (1,072,471) FV at year-end of outstanding and unvested option awards and stock awards granted in fiscal year 3,616,850 1,085,084 710,465 366,617 3,966,382 3,274,261 Vesting date FV of awards granted in fiscal year and vested in fiscal year 86,770 175,298 295,348 57,264 341,014 118,532 Change in FV of awards granted in prior years that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the fiscal year (188,282) (100,465) 1,630,730 679,219 1,580,278 573,733 Change in FV of awards granted in prior years vested in the fiscal year 861,936 31,862 3,440,746 1,197,019 67,503 42,841 Total Compensation Actually Paid $ 5,402,825 $ 1,727,067 $ 7,321,384 $ 2,886,005 $ 6,469,889 $ 4,369,889 (3) TSR is determined based on the value of an initial fixed investment of $100 as of December 31, 2019 through the year ended December 31, 2022. Our TSR-peer group consists of the 20 bioprocessing, life sciences, and biotechnology companies presented within the “Compensation discussion and analysis” section above. (4) In our assessment, the Company-Selected Measure is total revenues for each year presented, representing the most important financial performance measure used by us to link CAP to our NEOs to our performance. | ||
| Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount | $ 1,795,669 | 1,005,796 | 1,432,993 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount | $ 1,727,067 | 2,886,005 | 4,369,889 |
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return | Relationship between CAP and Performance Measures In accordance with Item 402(v) requirements, we are providing the following charts to describe the relationships between CAP to our NEOs and our financial performance, in each case presented in the charts below: 1) TSR of both BioLife Solutions, Inc. and our selected peer group, 2) Net Income (Loss), and 3) Revenue. Chart 1: Compensation Actually Paid versus TSR | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income | Chart 2: Compensation Actually Paid versus GAAP Net Income (Loss) | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure | Chart 3: Compensation Actually Paid versus Revenue | ||
| Tabular List, Table | Financial Performance Measures The following list includes the financial performance measures that, in our assessment, represent the most important financial performance measures used by us to link CAP to our NEOs for 2022 to our performance. The list below is not ranked. 1. Revenue 2. Adjusted Gross Margin (Non-GAAP) 3. Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Amount | $ 112.48 | 230.35 | 246.54 |
| Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount | 80.61 | 141.37 | 145.13 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $ (139,805,361) | $ (8,907,537) | $ 1,983,524 |
| Company Selected Measure Amount | 161,759,006 | 119,155,907 | 48,087,234 |
| Measure:: 1 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Name | Revenue | ||
| Measure:: 2 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Name | Adjusted Gross Margin (Non-GAAP) | ||
| Measure:: 3 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Name | Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) | ||
| Grant date FV of option awards and stock awards granted in fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | $ (3,703,620) | $ (1,005,813) | $ (963,799) |
| NEO Grant date FV of option awards and stock awards granted in fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | (1,260,381) | (419,910) | (1,072,471) |
| FV at year-end of outstanding and unvested option awards and stock awards granted in fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | 3,616,850 | 710,465 | 3,966,382 |
| NEO FV at year-end of outstanding and unvested option awards and stock awards granted in fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | 1,085,084 | 366,617 | 3,274,261 |
| Vesting date FV of awards granted in fiscal year and vested in fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | 86,770 | 295,348 | 341,014 |
| NEO Vesting date FV of awards granted in fiscal year and vested in fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | 175,298 | 57,264 | 118,532 |
| Change in FV of awards granted in prior years that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | (188,282) | 1,630,730 | 1,580,278 |
| NEO Change in FV of awards granted in prior years that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | (100,465) | 679,219 | 573,733 |
| Change in FV of awards granted in prior years vested in the fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | 861,936 | 3,440,746 | 67,503 |
| NEO Change in FV of awards granted in prior years vested in the fiscal year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation, Amount | $ 31,862 | $ 1,197,019 | $ 42,841 |
