US demand for specialty surfactants is forecast to rise 2.0 percent per year to 4.2 billion pounds in 2020. Gains in all markets will be supported by a continued trend toward safer, more environmentally friendly products. Multi-functionality and compatibility with other chemicals are also important features, as manufacturers seek to decrease chemical and additive content in products such as personal care products, cleaning chemicals, and food and beverages. However, specialty surfactants will continue to face significant competition from commodity surfactants, which are less expensive and tend to be preferred in high-volume markets such as cement and asphalt production and oil and gas production. These and other trends are presented in Specialty Surfactants, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

Personal care product applications are expected to show the fastest gains in specialty surfactant demand. Many consumers are willing to pay for products that utilize gentler specialty surfactants, instead of the harsher natural soaps and commodity surfactants that have previously dominated this market. In the cleaning product market, specialty surfactant demand will be supported by changing detergent use patterns in the household segment. The increasing popularity of detergent pods -- which have contributed to a decline in total detergent use in volume terms since they are pre-measured -- has supported the use of lower volume, more efficient specialty surfactants over commodity products. The use of high efficiency (HE) laundry machines requires laundry detergents that are effective at lower temperatures and in smaller volumes of water; as a result, HE laundry detergents generally have higher specialty surfactant loadings.

Demand for specialty surfactants in industrial applications will be supported by rising activity in key industries, including plastics processing, and food and beverage processing. Specialty surfactants compete with commodity products to a greater degree in industrial markets, with many users selecting specialty surfactants for reasons such as environmental considerations, brand differentiation, or consumer preference. While some markets -- such as food processing and paint and coatings -- tend to favor high-value specialty surfactants for performance and consumer preference purposes, other markets -- such as cement and asphalt and oil and gas -- are more price sensitive because surfactants are required in very high volumes.