Driven by market segments, the anionic surfactant industry has promising development prospects

Anionic surfactants are surfactant subdivision products and appear as translucent viscous liquid or white powder. According to different chemical structures, anionic surfactants can be divided into phosphate ester salts, sulfate ester salts, fatty acid salts, sulfonates, and anionic polyacrylamide.

According to the “2022-2027 Anionic Surfactant Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report released by the Industrial Research Center, The raw materials of anionic surfactants are natural oils, including coconut oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, etc. Limited by natural conditions, most of my country’s natural oil raw materials are imported from overseas. In recent years, due to the rise in palm oil prices, the production cost of anionic surfactants has continued to increase, and its output has shown a slow growth trend. According to statistics from the China Laundry Association Table Committee, my country’s anionic surfactant output reached 1.525 million tons in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 0.5%.

Synthetic detergents are the downstream terminal market for anionic surfactants. However, in recent years, my country’s synthetic detergent production has declined slightly due to factors such as national environmental protection policies and the COVID-19 epidemic. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first quarter of 2022, my country’s synthetic detergent output reached 2.381 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 3.6%. As the severe epidemic situation is gradually brought under control, the production of synthetic detergents will gradually pick up, and the application demand for anionic surfactants will increase significantly.

Alkyl benzene sulfonates (LAS) and fatty alcohol ether sulfates (AES) have the advantages of good chemical stability, strong detergency, and good foaming properties, and are mainstream products in the anionic surfactant market. According to statistics from the China Laundry Association Table Committee, my country’s alkyl benzene sulfonate production will reach 563,000 tons in 2021; my country’s fatty alcohol ether sulfate production will reach 775,000 tons in 2021. The growing output of subdivided products will provide driving force for the development of the anionic surfactant industry.

In terms of import and export, my country’s anionic surfactant production is sufficient, which can not only meet the needs of the local market, but also gain favor from overseas markets. The industry has always maintained a net export status. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, my country’s anionic surfactant export volume reached 283,000 tons in 2021, and its import volume reached 121,000 tons. Since most anionic surfactant companies in my country mainly produce mid- to low-end products, high-end products mostly rely on the import market. South Korea, the United States, and Germany are the main importing countries of anionic surfactants in my country.

Industry analysts said that there are many types of anionic surfactants, which have properties such as dispersion, wetting, foaming, and emulsification. Used as the main raw material for synthetic detergents. As technology continues to advance and application scenarios continue to expand, my country’s anionic surfactants will develop in a high-end and green direction. Driven by market segments, my country’s anionic surfactant market will continue to expand, and the industry’s development prospects will continue to improve.