SLS, SLES, and LAS Market Report 2026

The sls, sles, and las market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $11.63 billion in 2025 to $12.37 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to expansion of detergent and cleaner consumption, growth of urban households, increasing use of surfactants in industrial applications, availability of large-scale surfactant production, rising focus on hygiene products.

The sls, sles, and las market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $15.52 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing demand for specialty surfactant blends, rising adoption of liquid and gel detergents, expansion of industrial cleaning applications, growing focus on formulation performance optimization, increasing investments in surfactant capacity expansion. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing demand for high-foaming cleaning agents, rising adoption of multi-surfactant blends, growing use in industrial and institutional cleaning, expansion of liquid detergent formulations, enhanced focus on cost-effective surfactant systems.

The growth of the e-commerce industry is expected to drive the growth of the SLS, SLES, and LAS markets going forward. E-commerce, or electronic commerce, involves the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet. E-commerce platforms offer consumers a convenient and accessible way to purchase personal care and cleaning products containing SLS, SLES, and LAS. The rise of e-commerce also allows manufacturers to reach a broader audience and expand their market presence. For example, in November 2023, the International Trade Administration, a US-based government agency, reported that e-commerce revenues in the UK are projected to grow at an annual average rate of 12.6% by 2025. Consumer e-commerce accounted for 36.3% of the UK's total retail industry, with revenue expected to reach $285.6 billion by 2025. Therefore, the expansion of the e-commerce industry is fueling the growth of the SLS, SLES, and LAS markets.

The increasing demand for personal care products is also expected to drive the growth of the SLS, SLES, and LAS market going forward. Personal care includes products and practices for hygiene, grooming, skincare, and overall body care to maintain health and appearance. Growth in the sector is primarily driven by rising consumer awareness about hygiene and grooming, particularly in urban areas. SLS, SLES, and LAS are critical in personal care products, providing effective cleansing, foaming, and emulsifying properties. For instance, in March 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau, a US-based government agency, reported that retail sales for health and personal care stores in the United States increased by 8.7% (±0.5%) in December 2023 compared to December 2022. Therefore, rising demand for personal care is contributing to the growth of the SLS, SLES, and LAS market.

Major companies in the SLS, SLES, and LAS market are focusing on introducing advanced products, such as LAS raw materials, to gain a competitive advantage. LAS is industrially produced by sulfonating linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), which are prepared by alkylating benzene with long-chain monoalkenes, followed by sulfonation with sulfur trioxide and neutralization with sodium hydroxide. For example, in January 2023, Cepsa Química, a Spain-based chemicals company, launched NextLab, the world’s first linear alkylbenzene (LAB). LAB is used to produce linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), the largest primary surfactant in the homecare industry for manufacturing biodegradable detergents. LAS is the most widely used surfactant in home detergents, valued for its exceptional washing performance, versatility, and processability. It is used in complex solutions, such as single-dose capsules or highly concentrated liquid detergents, as well as conventional formats like powder or bar detergents.

Major companies operating in the sls, sles, and las market are BASF SE, Stepan Company, Clariant AG, Galaxy Surfactants Ltd., Sasol Limited, Huntsman Corporation, Evonik Industries AG, Godrej Industries Limited, Oxiteno SA, Aarti Industries Ltd., Enaspol a.s., Miwon Commercial Co. Ltd., Colonial Chemical Inc., Tanfac Industries Limited, Kao Corporation, Wilmar International Limited, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Unilever PLC, Procter & Gamble Company, Solvay SA, Arkema SA.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the SLS, SLES, and LAS market in 2025. Latin America is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the SLS, SLES, and LAS market during the forecast period. The regions covered in the sls, sles, and las market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the sls, sles, and las market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The SLS, SLES, and LAS market consists of sales of dry and liquid forms of sodium lauryl sulfate. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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