Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market - Forecast(2023 - 2028)

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Overview

The linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market size is forecast to reach US$ 625.7 million by 2027, after growing at a CAGR of 4.1% during 2022-2027. The shifting preference and changing lifestyle towards environmental-friendly products have increased the demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate-based detergents powder and personal care products. The government rules and regulations concerning industrial hygiene maintenance have resulted in a rise in demand for anionic surfactants and detergents, in food & beverage, healthcare, chemicals, pharmaceutical, and other industries. This has further raised the demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate-based detergents as industrial cleaners. Moreover, the increasing consumer spending, rising demand for personal care products, and improved lifestyle across the globe are driving the demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market.

COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 impacted various end-use industries. The manufacturing process of various products declined due to the non-functioning of the manufacturing plants, owing to pandemic lockdown norms. The sales of different products have also witnessed a halt during this period. However, the personal care products witnessed a new surge, especially due to the pandemic scenario. For instance, in January 2021, Emmbros Overseas launched their premium all-new haircare range (GO Range) under St Botanica. Additionally, in 2021, WiZ launched its series of antibacterial foam hand wash. Thus, with the growing demand for personal care products, the demand for detergents and surfactants of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate has also increased during the pandemic and is further estimated to incline in the upcoming years.

Report Coverage

The report: “Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Report – Forecast (2022 - 2027)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate industry.

By Type: Hard Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate and Soft Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate

By Physical State: Solid (Powder, Tablet), Liquid, and Others

By Distribution Channel: Online Distribution Channel and Offline Distribution Channel

By Application: Surfactant & Detergent (Dish Washing Liquids, Household Detergents & Cleaners, Industrial Cleaners), Personal Care, and Others

By End-Use Industry: Household, Commercial (Hospitals and Healthcare, Educational Institutes, Hotels and Restaurants, Banks and Financial Institutions, Airports, Hyper and Super Market, Shopping-Malls, Others), Industrial (Manufacturing Plants, Industrial Plants, Warehouses, Others), and Others

By Geography: North America (U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), Rest of the World (Middle East and Africa)

Key Takeaways

• The Asia Pacific region dominates the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market owing to the rising growth and increasing investments in the industrial sector. For instance, air conditioning and commercial refrigeration major Blue Star Ltd. invested US$ 71.7 Million over the next few years, to set up a greenfield manufacturing plant at Sri City, in Andhra Pradesh.
• Rapidly rising demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in various end-use industries such as textile and hospital sectors for cleaning and scouring applications has driven the growth of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate detergent’s market.
• The increasing demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in health and hygiene products, due to its usage in personal care products and washing of apparel, has been a critical factor driving the growth of the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market in the upcoming years.
• However, the environmental and health effects associated with linear alkylbenzene sulfonate can hinder the growth of the market.
  

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Segment Analysis – By Type

The soft linear alkylbenzene sulfonate segment held the largest share in the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market in 2021. Soft linear alkylbenzene sulfonate is utilized in the anionic surfactants and detergent as an additive for personal care products such as dishwashing liquids, laundry detergents, and shampoos. They are also used as heavy-duty cleaners, household cleaning supplies such as floor and furniture polishes, and textile softeners. Soft linear alkylbenzene sulfonate exhibits a balance between performance benefits and cost-effectiveness and they retain good foam stability at low pH levels as compared to hard linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, having a poor foaming characteristic. Therefore, it has application in liquid soap formulations that generate rich lathers with an enduring conditioning effect on the skin. Thus, with the growing demand for soft linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, the market for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate will further rise over the forecast period.

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Segment Analysis – By End-Use Industry

The household segment held the largest share in the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% during 2022-2027. The rising importance of healthier lifestyles with increasing concerns among individuals about health and hygiene has created a spike in per capita spending on household cleaning products such as detergent and surfactants including linear alkylbenzene sulfonate. Consumers are attracted to products that exhibit pleasant odour, thus the fragrance plays an important role in household cleaning products. Rapidly increasing demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate detergents in the household segment is driving the market growth.  Solid and liquid detergents account for the majority of the household and industrial cleaners, whereas detergents powder and liquid detergents are the most common varieties in the machine-wash category.

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Segment Analysis – By Geography

The Asia-Pacific region dominated the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market with a share of 41.5% in the year 2021. The Asia Pacific region is predicted to continue its dominance in the market during the forecast period due to the increasing requirement for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in developing countries such as China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Rapid urbanization, changing consumer preference towards environmental-friendly surfactant & detergents, and industrial growth is driving the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market in APAC. China is estimated to continue its dominance in the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market during the forecast period. This is also due to the growing penetration of washing machines and dishwashers in developing countries. For instance, according to The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), in China, the exports of China's household washing machines have increased by 27.1% and imports increased by 18.4% from 2020 to 2021. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate such as detergents powder, fabric softeners, and others are used in semi-automatic detergents, dishwashing liquids, household detergents & cleaners, industrial cleaners, personal care products, and other utilization. Thus, the rising growth in the household washing machines will drive the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market growth in the forecast period.

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Drivers

Surging Demand for Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate in Various End-Use Industries is Driving the Market Growth

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate is widely used in the textile and apparel industry for scouring, sizing materials, soaping of all textiles, and removal of oil from fabrics. The rising investments and expansion of new facilities in the textile and apparel industry are rising the usage of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate. For instance, according to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), in 2021, Bella Casa Fashion & Retail Ltd. (BCFRL), announced the expansion of the two existing plants and added one new facility. The expansion involved a total investment of US$8.63 million. Additionally, the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate is extensively being used in hospitals for cleaning and washing purposes of the apparel of healthcare workers and patients to maintain hygiene. Therefore, the rising investments in hospitals to increase the workforce and inpatient capacity is driving the market growth. For instance, the Manitoba government announced US$5 million, to increase inpatient capacity and to raise the number of endoscopies and surgeries, by renovating the Dauphin Regional Health Centre. Thus, such investments would raise the demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in these end-use industries and will drive market growth over the forecast period.

Growing Demand for Health and Hygiene Products Would Drive the Market Growth

In recent years, with the rising awareness regarding health & hygiene, the demand for health and hygiene products made from linear alkylbenzene sulfonate is also rising. The need for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate detergent is rising rapidly in emerging economies with growing health concerns among people and also due to the rise in hospitals. The rising growth in hygiene products will drive the demand for linear alkylbenzene sulfonate. For instance, in 2021, ITC and Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) expanded their laundry and cleaning portfolio and P&G launched a new line of laundry care products. Thus, the increment in the demand for health and hygiene products, will increase the usage of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and will drive the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate market growth.

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Market Challenges

Environmental and Health Effects of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Will Hamper the Market Growth

The usefulness of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate comes along with various effects. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is one of the synthetic surfactants that is widely used. It causes pesky stains since undispersed detergents and softeners sometimes leave a waxy-like feeling and even a blue stain on garments. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is biodegradable, its entrance into the environment at a large level harms the water bodies. It is a common organic pollutant in freshwater environments. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate detergents can cause liver and kidney damage, disrupted growth and metabolism, hormonal problems, and cancer. Moreover, it can cause nausea, skin irritation, and diarrhea. It can also lead to freshwater algal blooms that deplete oxygen in waterways, releases toxins and on decomposition, they use up the oxygen available for aquatic life. Thus, the environmental and health effects associated with the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate will hamper the market growth.

Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Industry Outlook

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies players adopt in the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate markets. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate top 10 companies include:

1. K.G. International, Inc.
2. Parchem Fine & Specialty Chemicals
3. Enaspol A.S.
4. Unger Fabrikker A.S.
5. KPL International Limited
6. Thai Oil Public Company Limited
7. Huntsman International LLC
8. Jingtung Petrochemical Corp., Ltd.
9. S.B.K Holding
10. Farabi Petrochemicals Co.

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