Methyl Ester Ethoxylate Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The methyl ester ethoxylate market was valued at USD 127.28 million in 2021 and is expected to record a CAGR of 3.67% during the forecast period 2022-2027.

The market was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. However, consciousness regarding personal hygiene and clean surrounding increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which stimulated the demand for methyl ester ethoxylate in applications such as detergents and industrial cleaning agents, personal care products, and others.

• Over the short term, surging demand from personal care and cosmetics and growing awareness regarding low foam, low rinse, and single wash detergents are expected to drive the market's growth.
• On the flip side, the presence of more efficient surfactants is likely to hinder the growth of the market studied.
• Growing awareness regarding bio-based surfactants and growing urbanization in developing countries are likely to act as opportunities for the methyl ester ethoxylate market.
• Europe is expected to dominate the global market and is likely to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Key Market Trends

Growing Demand from Detergents and Industrial Cleaning Agents

• Methyl ester ethoxylate is an ester that yields methanol on hydrolysis methyl esters of carboxylic acids. Methyl ester ethoxylates are low foaming, non-ionic surfactants compared to fatty alcohol ethoxylates.
• Fatty acid methyl esters, such as coconut methyl ester or soya methyl ester, can be ethoxylated directly using a catalyst system to obtain methyl ester ethoxylates.
• Their wetting strength is comparable to fatty alcohol ethoxylates of an equivalent alkyl chain. They do not form gels as fatty alcohol ethoxylates. Methyl ester ethoxylates may work as excellent emulsifiers and detergents. They also help in building viscosity in low active formulations.
• Methyl ester ethoxylates have application in detergents, cleaning agents, hard surface cleaners, emulsifiers, laundry pre-spotters, and others.
• The method for making a laundry detergent includes forming an aqueous non-ionic premix by mixing a non-ionic surfactant, including a methyl ester ethoxylate stable in an alkaline environment and water.
• Methyl ester ethoxylates are formed by the transesterification of refined, bleached, and deodorized oil to form fatty methyl esters, followed by an ethoxylation process. Specifically, a catalyzed reaction between the fatty methyl esters and ethylene oxide forms the methyl ester ethoxylates. By using this production process to form methyl ester ethoxylates for use as the non-ionic surfactant, the step of hydrogenation required for alcohol ethoxylate production is eliminated, thus, reducing production costs for detergents.
• The global detergents and industrial cleaning agent market is anticipated to grow over the coming years in line with rising consumer consciousness regarding maintaining healthy hygiene and cleanliness. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a growth in cleaning activities in industrial spaces, which, in turn, has increased the demand for industrial cleaning agents.
• As per reports by the International Association for Soaps, Detergents, and Maintenance Products, the industry witnessed a double-fold demand for cleaning products in 2020, and this trend continued in 2021. The consumer inclination toward hygiene has triggered the demand for specialty detergents and cleaning agents in recent times.
• Thus, the rise in production of detergents and cleaning agents is likely to boost demand for the methyl ester ethoxylate market.

Europe Region to Dominate the Market

• Europe is expected to dominate the market for methyl ester ethoxylate during the forecast period due to an increase in demand from countries like Germany, Italy, and France.
• In Germany, in 2020, the manufacturing sector accounted for EUR 60.8 billion of investments from public and private sector investors, which registered a low trend of 14% compared to the previous year. Out of the total investments, 22% was accounted for in the manufacturing of motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers.
• Revenue from soaps and synthetic detergents climbed from EUR 345 million in 2017 to EUR 502 million in 2021, according to IKW, the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery, and Detergent Association, after reaching a peak of EUR 632 million in 2020. The industry improved in 2021 with a gain in consumer purchases in the domestic market. Moreover, the rising awareness about personal care among the young population in the country is expected to drive the demand for skin care products and cosmetics.
• The demand for cleaning products in the household witnessed a sudden spike in 2020 and 2021. This trend was supported by increased consumer consciousness regarding hygiene and cleanliness.
• As per the reports by Cosmetics Europe, Germany was the largest market for cosmetics and personal care products in the European region. The country accounted for a revenue contribution of more than EUR 14 billion in 2021.
• Furthermore, Italy contributes a notable share to the overall regional growth. Its major industries include tourism, precision machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrical goods, textiles, fashion, clothing, and footwear.
• According to projections by Cosmetica Italia, sales of Italian beauty companies grew by 10.4% to EUR 11.7 billion in 2021. Further, the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly and effective cosmetics is likely to increase the demand for cosmetics in the country.
• Despite a strong pick-up in production in 2021 and resumption of domestic consumption (+6.5%), the Italian cosmetics industry has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic level of activity. However, the association expects the industry to level the pre-COVID-19 figure by the end of 2022 and register a sales figure of EUR 12.5 billion.
• According to Cerved, the detergent and cleaning products sector grew moderately in 2021, supported by increasing demand from industrial, commercial, and household cleaning activities. Moreover, the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country fueled the demand for hygiene maintenance and cleanliness.
• Moreover, in France, the detergent and cleaning agent market is majorly driven by industrial and household applications. The laundry detergent market in the country has constantly been growing. The French population considers laundry to be a significant part of their daily lives. In France, almost 20 million machines are produced each year. Between January 2021 and January 2022, total cleaning product sales in French supermarkets amounted to more than EUR 5.7 billion. Laundry product sales were roughly EUR 2.2 billion during the same time and are likely to rise further in the forecast period.
• According to the French Beauty Federation (FEBEA), the French cosmetic industry is anticipated to grow in the forecast period with increasing consumer demand and rising investments from cosmetic manufacturers in the country. Moreover, the adoption of online shopping trends has provided a wide scope of expansion in the domestic market.
• Therefore, all the abovementioned factors are likely to significantly impact the demand for the market studied in Europe over the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The global methyl ester ethoxylate market is partially consolidated in nature. Some of the key players in the market include Indorama Ventures, KLK OLEO, Lion Specialty Chemicals Co. Ltd, INEOS, and Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc., among others.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

This product will be delivered within 2 business days.