PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1927277
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1927277
Sugar-based surfactants are a category of surfactants derived from natural sugars such as glucose, sucrose, and maltose. They are commonly found in personal care products. These surfactants are adept at producing a dense, creamy lather, facilitating the removal of oil and dirt from both the skin and hair.
The primary types of sugar-based surfactants include alkyl polyglycolide, decyl glucoside, sucrose cocoate, among others. Alkyl polyglucosides, for instance, are innovative surfactants synthesized by combining cornstarch with fatty alcohol, resulting in a highly biodegradable solution. These surfactants encompass various raw materials, including monomeric, dimeric, and polymeric sugar-based varieties, serving multiple applications across home and personal care, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and other industries.
Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.
Tariffs are influencing the sugar-based surfactants market by increasing costs of imported sugar derivatives, fatty alcohols, and processing catalysts. Producers in Europe and North America are most affected due to reliance on imported bio-based intermediates, while Asia-Pacific faces cost pressures on export-oriented surfactant manufacturing. These tariffs are impacting pricing and supply chain stability. However, they are also encouraging local sourcing of agricultural feedstocks, regional processing facilities, and innovation in cost-efficient bio-surfactant production.
The sugar-based surfactants market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides sugar-based surfactants market statistics, including sugar-based surfactants industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a sugar-based surfactants market share, detailed sugar-based surfactants market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the sugar-based surfactants industry. This sugar-based surfactants market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
The sugar-based surfactants market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $6.32 billion in 2025 to $6.76 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth of natural personal care products, increasing consumer preference for green ingredients, expansion of homecare product formulations, availability of sugar-based raw materials, rising pharmaceutical excipient usage.
The sugar-based surfactants market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $8.66 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing regulatory support for bio-based chemicals, rising adoption in sustainable agriculture formulations, expansion of biotech processing applications, increasing demand for low-irritation surfactants, growing investments in renewable surfactant production. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing demand for plant-derived surfactants, rising adoption in mild personal care formulations, growing use in eco-friendly cleaning products, expansion of pharmaceutical and biotech applications, enhanced focus on biodegradability.
The increased spending on cosmetics and personal care products is expected to drive the growth of the sugar-based surfactant market going forward. Personal care products include any items applied to the human body for washing, beautifying, enhancing attractiveness, or altering appearance. Sugar-based surfactants are commonly used in personal care products such as shampoos, shower gels, and hand soaps, where they create a thick, creamy foam that helps cleanse skin and hair by removing oil and dirt. Growing awareness of personal hygiene has further encouraged higher expenditure on cosmetics and personal care items. For instance, in October 2023, Global Cosmetic Industry, a US-based media company, reported that 95% of surveyed beauty enthusiasts planned to maintain or increase their spending on beauty products in 2024 compared to 2023. Therefore, rising demand in personal care is boosting the sugar-based surfactant market.
Increasing demand from the pharmaceutical industry is also expected to propel the sugar-based surfactants market. The pharmaceutical sector focuses on the research, development, production, and marketing of drugs and medications for preventing, treating, and curing diseases. Sugar-based surfactants are valued in pharmaceuticals for their environmental sustainability, safety, biocompatibility, stability, solubility, and versatility in formulation, making them important for a variety of applications. For example, in January 2024, IQVIA Inc., a US-based healthcare and life sciences analytics company, reported that global medicine use grew by 14% over the past five years, with an additional 12% growth expected through 2028, reaching 3.8 trillion defined daily doses annually. Therefore, rising pharmaceutical demand is driving growth in the sugar-based surfactant market.
In December 2023, Innospec Inc., a US-based specialty chemicals company specializing in surfactants and performance chemicals, acquired QGP Quimica Geral S/A for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, Innospec aims to expand its performance chemicals business in South America by integrating QGP's surfactant and specialty chemical manufacturing capabilities, strengthening its regional manufacturing and product development base. QGP Quimica Geral S/A is a Brazil-based specialty chemicals company producing surfactants, detergents, and other specialty chemical products.
Major companies operating in the sugar-based surfactants market are BASF SE, Evonik Industries AG, Croda International Plc, Clariant AG, Kao Corporation, Stepan Company, Galaxy Surfactants Ltd., Oxiteno SA, Wilmar International Limited, Sasol Limited, Emery Oleochemicals, KLK OLEO, Innospec Inc., Seppic SA, Nouryon, Lonza Group, Arkema SA, Solvay SA, Huntsman Corporation, Vantage Specialty Chemicals
Western Europe was the largest region in the sugar-based surfactants market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the sugar-based surfactants market report forecast period. The regions covered in the sugar-based surfactants market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa
The countries covered in the sugar-based surfactants market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain
The sugar-based surfactants market consists of sales of nano-emulsions, micelles, nonionic surfactants, surface active agents, and anionic surfactants. 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.
Sugar-based Surfactants Market Global Report 2026 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses sugar-based surfactants market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for sugar-based surfactants ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The sugar-based surfactants market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, total addressable market (TAM), market attractiveness score (MAS), competitive landscape, market shares, company scoring matrix, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
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