A process for hydrogenating a benzenepolycarboxylic acid or a derivative thereof or a mixture of two or more thereof by bringing the benzenepolycarboxylic acid or the derivative thereof or the mixture of two or more thereof into contact with a hydrogen-containing gas is carried out in the presence of a catalyst which comprises as active metal at least one metal of transition group VIII of the Periodic Table alone or together with at least one metal of transition group I or VII of the periodic table applied to a support which contains macropores with the proviso that if dimethyl terephthalate is hydrogenated, the hydrogenation using a catalyst which comprises as active metal ruthenium either alone or together with at least one metal of transition group I, VII or VIII of the Periodic Table applied to a support, where the support has a mean pore diameter of at least 50 nm and a BET surface area of at most 30 m2/g and the amount of the active metal is from 0.01 to 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the catalyst, and the ratio of the surface areas of the active metal and the catalyst support is less than 0.05, and/or a catalyst which comprises as active metal ruthenium either alone or together with at least one metal of transition group I, VII or VIII of the Periodic Table in an amount of from 0.01 to 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the catalyst, applied to a support, where from 10 to 50% of the pore volume of the support is formed by macropores having a pore diameter in the range from 50 nm to 10,000 nm and from 50 to 90% of the pore volume of the support is formed by mesopores having a pore diameter in the range from 2 to 50 nm, where the sum of the pore volumes adds up to 100%, is excluded, and novel hydrogenation products, obtainable by hydrogenating benzenepolycarboxylic acid (derivatives) as well as their use as plasticizers in plastics.