According to the report "Surfactants Market by Type (Anionic, Non-Ionic, Cationic, and Amphoteric), Application (Home Care, Personal Care, Industrial & Institutional Cleaning, Textile, Elastomers & Plastics, Agrochemicals, and Food & Beverage), Region - Global Forecast to 2025," the surfactants market is projected to reach $52.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.5% from $42.1 billion in 2020.
Surfactants are surface-active agents that reduce surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants help in increasing the wetting properties of the liquid.
They are made from two types of raw materials, namely, petroleum and oleochemicals. Surfactants are mainly used to separate dirt, oil, and stains from various surfaces.
They act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, anti-static agents, stabilizers, and dispersants. Surfactants are manufactured using oleochemicals or synthetic/petrochemical-based raw materials. The major factor that is driving the surfactants market is its growing demand from various applications.
Non-ionic surfactants are expected to witness the highest growth between 2020 and 2025.
This is due to its low foaming and better emulsifying properties, which makes it suitable for industrial applications. In addition, their compatibility with charged molecules allows them to be used in combination with different types of surfactants.
The agrochemical segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment from 2020 to 2025. This is because pesticide efficacy is improved by surfactants. In addition, a growing population is another factor driving the demand for surfactants in agrochemicals, owing to the increase in demand for agricultural produce.
APAC is estimated to witness the highest CAGR in the surfactants market during the forecast period. This is owing to the growing population and their increasing spending power in-home care and personal care products.
In addition, increasing industrialization and urbanization are other factors driving its growth in the region. Improved lifestyles, an increase in employment rate, a rise in disposable income of the people, and an increase in foreign investments in various sectors of the economy are some of the factors that make APAC an attractive market for surfactant manufacturers.