Alkyl Polyglucoside Market

Alkyl Polyglucoside Market Outlook (2024 to 2034)

Rising concerns about the health hazards associated with conventional surfactants is a key factor set to push the alkyl polyglucoside market size up from a value of US$ 1.51 billion in 2024 to US$ 3.27 billion by 2034. This growth will amount to a CAGR of 8% for the years 2024 to 2034.

Alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) are exhibiting increasing use across various verticals such as laundry, surfactants, and others. It is made of sustainable and natural raw material, which makes it user and environment-friendly. APG is an effective alternative to fuel-based surfactants.

Skin contact with surfactants and related products is inevitable, and their use in personal & household care products need to have a low potential for irritation. Alkyl polyglucoside being a sugar-based surfactant is non-toxic for humans and causes lower irritation as compared to others.

• The North American alkyl polyglucoside market size is calculated at US$ 328 million for 2024, being mainly driven by the presence of strong homecare product industry.
• East Asia is forecasted to hold 24.6% of the global alkyl polyglucoside market share by 2034. Market growth is primarily on the back of growing product applications in textiles and oil & gas industries.

Leading companies involved in APG manufacturing are majorly concentrating on expanding their production capacities to cater to the growing demand across the globe. In addition, as alkyl polyglucosides are replacing petroleum-based surfactants in several end-use applications their sales are expected to witness healthy growth. Manufacturers of alkyl polyglucosides are also focusing on setting up production plants at strategic locations to enhance their sales output.

• Short-Term Projections: Cosmetics and personal care industry growth across emerging economies will reshape alkyl polyglucoside sales outlook during 2024 to 2027.
• Medium-Term Projections: With growing advancements and innovations in the field, a plethora of APG applications in several verticals is set to support market growth from 2027 to 2030.
• Long-Term Projections: Favorable policies offered by respective governments across the globe are set to offer immense growth opportunities for key market players.

Report Attributes	Details
Alkyl Polyglucoside Market Size (2024E)	US$ 1.51 Billion
Forecasted Market Value (2034F)	US$ 3.27 Billion
Global Market Growth Rate (2024 to 2034)	8% CAGR
South Korea Market Value (2034F)	US$ 112.1 Million
Lauryl Alkyl Demand Growth Rate (2024 to 2034)	7.7% CAGR
Key Companies Profiled	BASF SE Huntsman Corporation Croda International Plc. Akzo Nobel NV LG Household & Health Care Ltd Galaxy Surfactants Pilot Chemical Company Shanghai Fine Chemical Co Ltd. Dow Chemicals Co. SEPPIC S.A.

What’s Influencing the Market for Alkyl Polyglucoside Across the Globe?

“Sugar-based Surfactants Transforming Prospects of Manufacturers”

Alkyl polyglucoside, a non-ionic surfactant derived from renewable sources such as glucose and fatty alcohols, is exhibiting a rising demand. This, in turn, fuels the active research and expanding commercialization of other sugar-based surfactants.

These products are replacing conventional petroleum-based surfactants and even those made from other natural oils. Particularly in mass-market product categories, including personal care, laundry detergents, and home care cleaning goods, natural surfactants are gaining popularity.

Sugar surfactants beat conventional surfactants such as SLES and SLS in terms of mildness, the capacity to clean at lower concentrations, and the solubility of essential oils, thereby boosting the alkyl polyglucoside market growth.

“Bio-based Alkyl Polyglucosides Exhibiting Increasing Application in Heavy Oil Recovery”

Alkyl polyglucoside, due to its properties, has a high adoption rate in the heavy oil recovery process. With the drop in customary oil reserves, the adequate development of heavy oil becomes increasingly necessary. However, the high viscosity of heavy oil makes it challenging to recover. It is necessary to consider non-thermal methods for the recovery of these oils.

Non-thermal methods include chemical flooding, such as surfactant and polymer flooding. The major issue in heavy oil pools is inadequate cleaning due to the low mobility of the oil. Owing to this, ideal emulsions induced by the suitable interfacial action and emulsification properties of the surfactant play a principal role in increasing cleaning efficiency to improve viscous oil recovery.

Conventional surfactants cannot function satisfactorily in high-salinity and high-temperature circumstances despite having sound interfacial activity and emulsification capabilities in a traditional reserve environment. Therefore, to improve heavy oil recovery, surfactants with a thermal-resistance and salt tolerance are required.

Alkyl polyglucoside is a bio-based surfactant developed by a mechanism called dehydration. Excellent emulsification and interfacial activity are its remarkable characteristics.

What Challenges are Encountered by Producers of Alkyl Polyglucosides?

“Presence of Substitutes Hampering Consumption of Alkyl Polyglucosides”

Alkyl polyglucoside is widely used as a detergent, in industrial, skincare, and other applications. However, the presence of alternative materials that can act as natural surfactants offering higher efficiency across various application areas are expected to hamper alkyl polyglucoside sales growth.

These alternatives, typically come from the glucamide plant family and are widely used in the cosmetics industry as they offer enhanced mildness and sustainability and are easily compatible with the skin. In addition, they also deliver higher foam forming and cleaning efficiency than palm oil-based surfactants and are in alignment with the Nordic and EU Ecolabel standards for environmental health. These alternatives are estimated to exert a negative impact on the utilization of alkyl polyglucoside surfactants, thereby impeding the growth of the market.

“Patent Protection Acting as Major Obstacle”

Alkyl polyglucoside production has been the subject matter of several patent protection applications during past few years. Its initial surge and related patents have thereafter been replaced, not only by a decline in the number of applications but also by the tendency to narrow the scope of their conservation. However, due to innovations that continue to occur with respect to it, new applications are expected.

These factors are potential threats to APG manufacturers’ growth prospects; however, they are coming up with robust solutions to overcome these restraints and make the most of the available opportunities.

How Can Startups Ensure a Strong Market Position?

“Focus on Product Innovations to Expand Market Reach”

New companies should focus on emerging market trends to earn high profits. Sustainability is one of the notable alkyl polyglucoside market trends set to offer profitable outcomes for producers. The growing demand for bio-based surfactants is expected to appeal to an eco-friendly consumer base. New companies should invest in innovations to produce alkyl polyglucosides with rich characteristics. This move can aid start-ups to stand out from the competition.

Country-wise Analysis

Why is the United States a Key Market for Alkyl Polyglucosides?

“High Use of Homecare Products Driving Consumption of Alkyl Polyglucosides”

Attribute	United States
Market Value (2024E)	US$ 235.2 Million
Growth Rate (2024 to 2034)	6% CAGR
Projected Value (2034F)	US$ 421.6 Million

The United States is a big market for homecare products. Further, the cleaning industry in the country is witnessing high growth opportunities, especially post-pandemic. It is also expected to grow in the coming decade due to initiatives taken by various associations such as ARCSI (Association of Residential Cleaning Services International), ACI (American Cleaning Institute), and others to increase awareness about cleaning products.

• As per the article by 2ULaundry, average Americans spends around US$ 1500 yearly on laundry.

As such, with rising spending on cleaning products, the United States is emerging as a large market in North America.

What Makes China the Leading Market in the East Asian Region?

“Presence of Abundant Raw Materials and Domestic Market Players”

Attribute	China
Market Value (2024E)	US$ 192.7 Million
Growth Rate (2024 to 2034)	9.1% CAGR
Projected Value (2034F)	US$ 462.1 Million

Chinese companies are increasingly stepping out of low-profit commodity segments and climbing up the technology ladder into more sophisticated sectors. In addition, China is enjoying many home-player advantages in the more competitive environment.

In common with many markets there, China has a tremendous overcapacity and a large number of local alkyl polyglucoside producers, often sub-scale. They are competing with several multinationals who are setting up a business, primarily to take part in the growing consumer market for surfactant-containing products such as laundry detergent, shampoo, and cosmetics.

Further, China is having reliable suppliers for the raw material required for its production; hence, the presence of abundant supply and demand is projecting high profitability across the Chinese market.

How is the Market for Alkyl Polyglucosides Faring in Germany?

“Rising Sustainability Trend Driving Sales of Bio-Based Alkyl Polyglucosides”

The presence of strict regulation governing the use of inorganic surfactants is driving sales of natural alkyl polyglucosides in Germany. The end users in the country are strongly preferring sustainable personal care and homecare products, which is set to offer ample opportunities for alkyl polyglucoside producers.

Category-wise Analysis

Which Type of Alkyl Polyglucoside is Gaining Traction?

“Biodegradability Fuelling Consumption of Plant-Derived Decyl Alkyl Polyglucosides”

Attribute	Decyl Alkyl
Segment Value (2024E)	US$ 341.6 Million
Growth Rate (2024 to 2034)	8.1% CAGR
Projected Value (2034F)	US$ 747.4 Million

Decyl alkyl is typically manufactured through the combination of fatty alcohol and corn starch. It is also known as major type of alkyl polyglucoside. Due to its biodegradable properties decyl alkyl is widely utilized in several applications as plant-based surfactant.

For What Purposes are Alkyl Polyglucosides Being Increasingly Used?

“Hydrophilic Nature Increasing Use of Alkyl Polyglucosides as Solubilizing Agents”

Attribute	Solubilizing Agents
Segment Value (2024E)	US$ 287 Million
Growth Rate (2024 to 2034)	8.3% CAGR
Projected Value (2034F)	US$ 639.2 Million

Alkyl polyglucoside are biodegradable in nature and are a group of surface active compounds. Its hydrophilic nature is further contributing to its soluble properties. Alkyl polyglucosides are widely used as solubilizing agents in various application including personal care products such as in perfumes.

Competitive Landscape

Key players in the alkyl polyglucoside market are adopting various strategies to gain profits in both developed and high-potential markets. Leading companies are delivering sustainable eco-friendly solutions to reduce their carbon footprints. They are also investing in enhancing supplier and distributor networks to cover a wide catchment area.

With capacity expansion, a product launch is a prominent approach towards sales enhancement. In addition, companies are exploring digital platforms to improve their brand recognition and reaching more potential customers.

To strengthen its market position BASF announced in 2023 that it is expanding its bio-based alkyl polyglucoside production units in North America and Asia Pacific.

Key Segments of Alkyl Polyglucoside Market Research

• By Product Type :

  • Coco Alkyl
  • Lauryl Alkyl
  • Decyl Alkyl
  • Capryl Alkyl
  • Others

• By Primary Function :

  • Cleansing Agents
  • Emulsifying Agents
  • Wetting Agents
  • Degreasing Agents
  • Solubilizing Agents
  • Hydrotope
  • Foaming Agents
  • Others

• By Application :

  • Homecare
  • Personal Care
  • Industrial & Institutional Cleaners
  • Agricultural Chemicals
  • Oil Fields
  • Admixtures for Cement, Concrete & Plaster
  • Others

• By Region :

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • East Asia
  • South Asia & Oceania
  • Middle East & Africa