Alkoxylates Market

Alkoxylates Market Research, 2031

The global alkoxylates market was valued at $6.9 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $11.0 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2022 to 2031.

Alkoxylates are chemical compounds produced by addition of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, and butylene oxide to fatty hydrocarbon through alkoxylation process. It acts as wetting agent, cleaning agent, surfactants, stabilizing agent, and others due to which it finds application in various end-use industry including cosmetics & personal care, consumer products, paints & coatings, pharmaceuticals, and among others. Furthermore, there are various types of alkoxylates such as fatty acid ethoxylates, alkyl phenol alkoxylates, sorbitan ester alkoxylates, and among others. These types have various applications in personal care, oil & gas, and consumer products sector.

Increase in awareness for eco-friendly products has surged the popularity of biodegradable and natural ethoxylates products, owing to its minimal or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) levels. In addition, manufacturers have put more emphasis on increasing the production capacities of natural and environment-friendly products owing to rise in consumers purchasing power towards expensive alkoxylates products.

The increase in global energy demand has surged the crude oil exploration and drilling activities in the oil-rich countries where ethoxylate and alkoxylate are widely used as corrosion, and scale inhibitors to avoid scale formation in pipelines and other drilling equipment. This may act as one of the key drivers responsible for the growth of the alkoxylates market in the growing oil & gas sector.

However, stringent government policies regarding use of nonylphenol may hamper the growth of market. In addition, some of alkoxylate are hazardous in nature thus, proper care to be needed during the manufacturing process.  In response to this, rise in prices of crude oil has resulted in increased costs of ethoxylation, thereby leading to excessive pressure on product price margins. These factors together are driving the growth of alkoxylates during the forecast period. These factors are responsible for increasing the sales of alkoxylates in several end-use sectors; thus, creating lucrative opportunities for the market.

The major companies profiled in this report include Clariant AG, Croda International Plc, DOW, IMCD Group, Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, Lamberti S.p.A., PCC Group, Schärer & Schläpfer AG, Solvay, and Stepan Company.

The alkoxylates market is segmented on the basis of grade, type, application, end-use industry, and region. On the basis of grade it is segmented into natural ethoxylates and synthetic ethoxylates. On the basis of type, the market is categorized into fatty acid ethoxylates, alkyl phenol ethoxylates, glycerin alkoxylates, sorbitan ester alkoxylates, and others. On the basis of application, it is divided into wetting agent, cleaning gent, detergent, stabilizer, surfactants, and others. On the basis of end-use industry, the market is classified into agrochemicals, paints & coatings, personal care, pharmaceutical, oil & gas, others. Region-wise, the market is studied across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

The Asia-Pacific alkoxylates market size is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, and accounted for a major market share in 2021 with 36% share in the global market. Increase in need for a wide range of consumer products has led to growth of industrial sectors where alkoxylates are used for corrosion protection applications in the oil & gas industry. This is anticipated to increase the sales of alkoxylates in industrial sectors. India has witnessed a significant growth for alkoxylates in the agrochemical sector. For instance, according to an article published by the India Brand Equity Foundation in January 2021, the agrochemicals market in India is expected to register a CAGR of 8% to reach US$ 3.7 billion by FY22 and US$ 4.7 billion by FY25.

Exponential increase in the global population leads to rise in proliferating demand for food and increasing its contribution to the world food trade has led to growth of the overall agriculture sector. The alkoxylates are mainly used as adjuvants which help in protecting the crops, increase soil porosity, and soil structure. This is expected to increase potential sales of alkoxylates in the agriculture sector. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical industry has accounted for one of the fastest-growing sectors in Japan, owing to rise in R&D activities, advancements in technology in medicine, and rise in manufacturing plants. Alcohol ethoxylates are non-toxic and biodegradable, owing to which it is used as a stabilizing agent in the drug delivery system. This is expected to foster the alkoxylates market during the forecast period.

In 2021, the synthetic ethoxylates segment was the largest revenue generator, and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. Synthetic ethoxylates are formulated using ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and various other types of oxirans and catalysts. Synthetic ethoxylates are expected to offer high wetting characteristics, low odor, and biodegradable. Synthetic ethoxylates are mainly based on ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, glycerin, and sorbitan ester.

Sorbitan ester based synthetic ethoxylates are used as emulsifiers and combination of non ethoxylates counterpart improves emulsification property. Thus, sorbitan ester based ethoxylates are widely used emulsifying agents, which is the key market trend. In addition, it can also be used in consumer products and other industrial applications such as textiles, personal care formulation, and others. Glycerin based synthetic ethoxylates are mainly used as antifoam agents in paper, textile, ad ceramic industry. All these factors are driving the demand for synthetic ethoxylates.

In 2021, the fatty acid ethoxylates segment was the largest revenue generator and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period. Fatty acid ethoxylates are produced by the process of ethoxylation on fatty acid such as coconut fatty acid, lauric acid, steric acid, and oleic acid. These are the non-ionic surfactant manufactured by addition of ethylene oxide to fatty acid. It is clear liquid, pasty and waxy solid compound. Furthermore, fatty acid ethoxylate are nonionic surfactants and exhibit excellent foam properties, solvency, and has greater chemical stability providing good detergency properties due to which it is extensively used in various end use industry.

Fatty acid ethoxylates possess various properties such as dispersants, solubilizers, emulsifiers, antistatic additives fabric softeners, lubricants, and viscosity regulators, owing to which it is predominately used in the textile industry for the fabrication process. In addition, growing consumer demand, change in lifestyles, increase in disposable income, and rise in demand for natural and environmentally friendly products have spurred alkoxylates-based fatty acid ethoxylates market. Moreover, owing to its low toxicity and sustainable nature, it is mainly used in cosmetics and pharmaceutical formulations of various skin care products and drugs in the pharmaceutical sector.

In 2021, the surfactant application segment was the largest revenue generator and accounted for 27% market share in 2021. Surfactants are surface active agents and have a wide range of applications in various end use industries. In addition, they help in reducing the surface tension of water and surface. Surfactants are basic cleansing agents in laundry, home care, and personal care products. Furthermore, fatty alcohol ethoxylate is non-ionic surfactant mainly used in washing detergents, both domestic and industrial.

Various alkoxylate-based surfactants find application in industrial sectors. In addition, factors such as growing industrial sectors in both developed and developing economies such as the U.S., China, and India, lead to growth of fatty alcohol ethoxylates where it is extensively used in ethoxylation process of industrial surfactants. These factors are expected to drive the overall market growth. Furthermore, growing awareness among people, change in lifestyles, and growth in the FMCG sector is the key growth driver for surfactants where it finds a wide range of applications in the consumer products sector.

In 2021, the personal care end-use industry is anticipated to grow at highest CAGR of 5.6% in the forecast period. The personal care segment comprises diversified skin care products where alkoxylate plays a significant role in increasing potential sales of the personal care & beauty care industry. Alkoxylate is identified as a good source of preservative and biocide, owing to which it is used in the formulation of cosmetics products, lotions, creams, and others.

Rise in population, urbanization, improvement in the standard of living, changing lifestyles, and increased focus on the personal care & beauty care industry have led to rise in demand for natural and synthetic ethoxylates, where synthetic fatty alcohol ethoxylates are used as moderate foaming agents in personal care products for the formulation of various skin care products such as body soaps, lotions, face creams, and perfumes. This is augmented to increase demand for alkoxylate in the cosmetics industry.

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

• This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the alkoxylates market analysis from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing alkoxylates market opportunities.
• The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.
• Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.
• In-depth analysis of the alkoxylates market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.
• Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market.
• Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players.
• The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global alkoxylates market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

 Alkoxylates Market Report Highlights