Introduction to Natural Surfactants
Natural surfactants, also commonly known as bio-based surfactants, are compounds that have lower surface tension and are used commonly as detergents, dispersants, emulsifiers, foaming agents and wetting agents. These organic compounds contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic group. Natural surfactants are often produced from bio-based ingredients, especially plants. Natural surfactants are known to cause have less detrimental effects over conventional chemical-based surfactants.
Market Size and Forecast
The global natural surfactants market is thriving on the back of the increasing demand for surfactants from several end user industries along with the increasing advancements in chemical science, that has helped to provide several organic chemical compounds which are known to possess less threat to the environment. According to the statistics by the United Nations Environment Programme, the size of the global chemical industry exceeded USD 5 trillion in the year 2017, and it is further projected to double by the end of 2030. The statistics further states the need to minimize the adverse impacts of chemicals, which has been estimated to be the high tens of USD annually.
The global natural surfactants market is anticipated to record a significant CAGR throughout the forecast period, i.e. 2021-2028. The market is segmented by product type into anionic, cationic, nonionic and amphoteric. The nonionic segment is anticipated to register the highest market share on the back of several benefits of nonionic natural surfactants over the other product types, coupled with the increasing utilization of nonionic natural surfactants in detergents, solubilizers, emulsifiers and wetting agents amongst others. Nonionic natural surfactants do not undergo ionization when dissolved in water and are stable and do not easily get affected by strong electrolytes. Moreover, nonionic natural surfactants are highly compatible with other natural surfactant product types. On the other hand, the increasing trade of non-ionic organic surface-active agents around the globe is also anticipated to drive the growth of the segment in the global natural surfactants market during the forecast period. According to the statistics by the International Trade Centre, the exports of non-ionic organic surface-active agents globally increased from USD 4510957 thousands in the year 2015 to USD 5286988 thousands in the year 2018.
Growth Drivers
Growing Concerns for the Environment
According to the statistics by the World Bank, municipal solid waste of 2.01 billion tonnes is generated annually around the world. Further, the statistics also stated that by the year 2050, the global waste is anticipated to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes.
The concern for the solid wastes generated around the globe is increasing every day. To tackle the issue, several governmental agencies, including researchers and scientists are working on to develop solutions that can help to curb the global issues of solid wastes. Owing to the increasing availability of waste materials around the globe, products such as natural surfactants, which are also manufactured by waste materials, has provided a dynamic solution to waste management, both for industries and the environmental agencies dealing with waste management. As such, several manufacturers in the chemical industry are increasingly switching to such chemical compounds which can help to contribute to lesser environmental pollution. Such a factor is anticipated to drive the growth of the global natural surfactants market.
Numerous Benefits Associated with Natural Surfactants to Promote Market Growth
Natural surfactants possess several benefits over other surfactant types, such as low toxicity and greater functionality under extreme conditions. As a result, it has helped several industries in optimizing the use of the natural surfactants and has further attracted the attention of the research fraternity and several new industries to become key end-users of the product. On the other hand, natural surfactants also are used widely in the field of medicine and healthcare, and has further helped to gain the attention of the several other key players in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry for the use of natural surfactants. Such a factor is anticipated to drive the growth of the global natural surfactants market.
Restraints
High End Product Cost
The production of natural surfactants includes the process of fermentation and other cumbersome procedures. As the yield is often very low, hence the production cost goes up in comparison to conventional surfactants, raising the end product cost. Such a factor is anticipated to restrict the growth of the global natural surfactants market over the forecast period.
Market Segmentation
Our in-depth analysis of the global natural surfactants market includes the following segments:
By Product Type
- Anionic
- Cationic
- Nonionic
- Amphoteric
By Application
- Agriculture
- Detergents
- Industrial & Institutional Cleaning
- Personal Care
- Oilfields
By Region
On the basis of regional analysis, the global natural surfactants market is segmented into five major regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa region.
The natural surfactants market in Europe is anticipated to hold the largest market share on the back of the rapid growth in the end-user industries, such as oilfield chemicals, personal care and detergents amongst others. Further, the market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow with a significant market share on the back of growing demand for natural surfactants in the agriculture industry. Nations such as China and India are known to have a strong agricultural base, and therefore the need for natural surfactants, which in turn is anticipated to drive the growth of the market in the region.
The global natural surfactants market is further classified on the basis of region as follows:
- North America (U.S. & Canada) Market size, Y-O-Y growth & Opportunity Analysis
- Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Market size, Y-O-Y growth & Opportunity Analysis
- Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg, NORDIC, Poland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe) Market size, Y-O-Y growth & Opportunity Analysis
- Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia-Pacific) Market size, Y-O-Y growth & Opportunity Analysis.
- Middle East and Africa (Israel, GCC (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman), North Africa, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa) Market size, Y-O-Y growth & Opportunity Analysis.
Top Featured Companies Dominating the Market
- Kao Corporation
- Company Overview
- Business Strategy
- Key Product Offerings
- Financial Performance
- Key Performance Indicators
- Risk Analysis
- Recent Development
- Regional Presence
- SWOT Analysis
- Croda International Plc
- Akzo Nobel N.V.
- BASF SE
- The Dow Chemical Company
- Huntsman International LLC
- Clariant Ltd.
- Stepan Company
- India Glycols Limited
