Surfactants are employed toreduce surface tension between two liquids or a liquid and a solid in the form ofdetergents, emulsifiers, dispersants, wetting agents or foaming agents. They findapplication in various end-use industries such as pharmaceuticals, petroleumcosmetics, and agro chemicals. Continuous growth in these sectors is expectedto benefit industry participants. The global surfactants market is expected toreach USD 46.20 billion by 2022.
Disinfectants market has grownin value terms to an estimated Rs. 6 bn a year, if multi-purpose detergents areexcluded. In volume terms, the market is of the order of around 9600 tpa ofwhich more than 60% is represented by phenyls. The branded MNC-oriented marketis placed at over Rs. 2750 mn and is growing at about 20%.
The personal careingredients market in India is currently valued at about $520million. Productsranging from hair care, skin care & bath products, cosmetics and fragrancesform the personal care product market. In India, this industry has grownsteadily with the increasing usage of specialty ingredients for formulationsused in personal care products.
Floor cleaning market is thesecond largest product category of the toiletries and household cleansing marketof India. The floor cleaning market has been further segmented into dish washbars, liquid and powder in which dish wash bars commanded a predominant share. Growingawareness, easier access to range of products through organised retail formatsand changing lifestyles have been the key growth drivers for the sector witheven rural households starting to display preference for toilet cleanerproducts instead of phenyl and acids which facilitated the further expansion ofthe industry in India.