Detergent Chemicals Market Size & Share 2026-2035

Detergent Chemicals Market Size

The global detergent chemicals market was valued at USD 61.7 billion in 2025 and USD 97.5 billion by 2035, expanding at approximately 4.7% from 2026 to 2035. The market covers functional ingredients used in laundry, dishwashing, personal cleansing, household cleaning, and industrial sanitation, including surfactants, builders, enzymes, bleaching agents, chelating agents, fragrances, optical brighteners, and other performance additives.

Surfactants remained the largest product group at USD 19.30 billion in 2024 because cleaning formulations still rely on them for wetting, soil removal, emulsification, and foaming. Builders, valued at USD 11.68 billion, retained a substantial position but face a slower trajectory as phosphate restrictions and the shift from powders toward liquids and unit doses change the preferred water-softening chemistry. Enzymes, at USD 5.38 billion in 2024, are expected to expand fastest as formulators use multi-enzyme systems to maintain stain-removal performance at lower wash temperatures. BASF has continued to invest in enzyme and biotechnology capabilities for detergent applications, indicating that biological performance ingredients are becoming more material to formulation development ^{[1]BASF SE, Care Chemicals Factbook: Nutrition & Care Segment. basf.com}.

Laundry cleaning accounted for USD 21.00 billion in 2024, making it the largest application. Demand is increasingly defined by formulation value rather than wash-volume growth alone: liquid concentrates and capsules require soluble builders, enzyme-stabilization systems, specialty surfactant blends, and fragrance-delivery technologies. Industrial and institutional cleaning, valued at USD 7.20 billion in 2024, is projected to grow more quickly than the market as food processing, hospitality, healthcare, and commercial-laundry operators specify cleaning performance and environmental credentials together.

Asia Pacific led regional demand at USD 19.97 billion in 2024, while North America and Europe represented higher-value reformulation markets. The Middle East & Africa is forecast to grow fastest through 2035, supported by urban household formation, expanding professional-cleaning infrastructure, and the development of regional downstream chemical supply chains. In Europe, the revised detergents and surfactants framework introduces product-information and biodegradability requirements that will extend the reformulation cycle well beyond a single regulatory deadline ^{[2]European Union, Regulation (EU) 2026/405 on detergents and surfactants. eur-lex.europa.eu}.

Enzymes and biodegradable chelants illustrate why product growth is no longer determined solely by ingredient volume. Enzymes can lower washing-temperature requirements while preserving cleaning performance, and GLDA or MGDA can replace persistent chelants in applications requiring hard-water control. Those substitutions require compatibility testing across surfactants, builders, pH conditions, capsule films, and product formats. The resulting qualification burden gives technically capable suppliers a more defensible position than commodity producers, even when the total detergent market grows at a moderate rate.

The market covers detergent chemicals used across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Product coverage includes surfactants, enzymes, fragrances, builders, bleaching agents, chelating agents, optical brighteners, and other additives. Application coverage includes laundry cleaning, dishwashing, soaps & shampoos, household cleaning, industrial & institutional cleaning, and other applications. End-use coverage includes residential/household, commercial & institutional, and industrial demand.

Key Drivers

The principal volume driver remains the migration toward formulated laundry and household-cleaning products in urbanizing markets. Kao's Fabric & Home Care business reported FY2024 revenue of ¥375.7 billion, up 6.8% year over year, while its chemical operations expanded sales of higher-value-added products in Asia and the Americas. This matters upstream because consumer movement toward liquids, capsules, and multifunctional cleaners raises ingredient value per finished product even if unit dosage falls.

Cold-water washing is shifting the performance burden from thermal energy toward formulation chemistry. Proteases, amylases, lipases, and cellulases address different soil classes, and their combined use can reduce dependence on high surfactant loading. BASF has documented the importance of matching enzyme systems with surfactant architecture and stabilizers in liquid laundry products, making enzyme adoption an application-development opportunity rather than a simple ingredient substitution ^{[3]SOFW Journal, Designing Liquid Laundry Detergent Formulations for Optimal Use of Enzymes. sofw.com}.

Bio-based surfactants are also moving from technical possibility toward commercial deployment. Evonik's rhamnolipid facility in Slovakia recorded its first sales contribution in 2024, and Unilever has used rhamnolipid technology in Sunlight dishwashing products. The near-term market is likely to remain concentrated in premium and sustainability-led formulations because fermentation, purification, and feedstock economics remain less favorable than conventional surfactant routes. Still, the ability to support renewable-content and biodegradability claims gives these materials strategic value where environmental substantiation affects market access.

Industrial and institutional cleaning strengthens demand for chelating agents and performance surfactants because many professional systems operate under alkaline conditions and must remove deposits, food soils, oils, or mineral films reliably. GLDA and MGDA are particularly relevant in this setting because they can retain function where weaker naturally derived chelants are less effective. Nouryon reported significant 2024 volume growth in its Home and Personal Care business, led by cleaning end markets, reinforcing the link between professional-cleaning demand and specialty-ingredient consumption.

Key Restraints

Conventional surfactant margins remain exposed to benzene, paraffin, ethylene oxide, energy, and freight movements. Sasol's FY2024 revenue declined 5%, while adjusted EBITDA declined 9%; its financial statements identify surfactants as products subject to cyclical margins and demand. This volatility does not eliminate detergent demand, but it can delay investment, reduce supplier pricing power, and widen the gap between integrated commodity producers and specialty suppliers whose value is less dependent on hydrocarbon cost pass-through.

European regulation is a second restraint because compliance requires evidence as well as chemical reformulation. The revised EU detergents and surfactants regulation establishes digital product-passport requirements and phased biodegradability provisions, including requirements affecting detergent capsule films and certain intentionally added substances. Suppliers serving the EU will need test data, product-composition records, and traceable documentation alongside compliant chemistry, creating a higher fixed-cost burden for smaller producers and exporters.

The transition away from phosphates and persistent chelants is technically manageable but not costless. EDTA alternatives such as MGDA and GLDA often require dosage, pH, and compatibility adjustments to achieve equivalent hard-water control. BASF notes the differentiated cleaning roles of modern chelating agents, while Nouryon positions GLDA products for pod-compatible and sustainability-led formulations. These changes can increase qualification periods, particularly in automatic dishwashing and concentrated cleaning products where mineral control, stability, and wash performance are tightly linked.

Biosurfactants face a comparable scale challenge. Peer-reviewed research identifies fermentation yield, downstream purification, and feedstock selection as decisive factors in biosurfactant economics ^{[4]Frontiers in Chemistry, Sustainable biosurfactant production from secondary feedstock 2024. frontiersin.org}. The commercial implication is that uptake will be selective until scale and process improvements lower the cost gap; premium products may adopt first, while mass-market formats continue to rely heavily on conventional anionic and nonionic systems.

The material downside risk is margin disruption in base chemistries, not a collapse in cleaning demand. Household and professional cleaning remain recurring needs, but commodity surfactant producers must absorb feedstock volatility and periodic oversupply. The market's projected growth therefore combines slower, price-sensitive growth in conventional chemistry with faster expansion in enzyme, chelant, and specialty-surfactant systems that improve performance or compliance.

Detergent Chemicals Market Segment Analysis

By Product

Surfactants

Surfactants are projected to grow from USD 20.15 billion in 2025 to USD 30.71 billion by 2035. Anionic materials remain essential for cost-effective detergency, while nonionic surfactants, alkyl polyglucosides, and biosurfactants are more relevant where mildness, biodegradability, low-temperature washing, or premium formulation positioning is required. BASF is expanding alkoxylate and APG capacity across Europe, Asia, and North America, illustrating continued investment in differentiated nonionic chemistry rather than only in bulk surfactant output.

Enzymes

Enzymes are forecast to increase from USD 5.84 billion in 2025 to USD 13.16 billion by 2035, the highest product CAGR at approximately 8.45%. Their growth rests on catalytic performance at lower wash temperatures and on their ability to address specific stains without proportionate increases in surfactant loading. Production scale, strain development, stabilization know-how, and application testing create barriers that make the segment more technically concentrated than the wider surfactants market.

Fragrances

Fragrances are expected to grow from USD 5.01 billion in 2025 to USD 8.29 billion by 2035. In fabric care, encapsulation and controlled-release systems support premium product positioning by extending post-wash scent perception. Croda's planned Guangzhou facility reflects demand for fragrance-related capabilities in China, while regulatory screening of certain fragrance substances narrows the range of materials suitable for global formulations.

Builders

Builders are projected to rise from USD 12.04 billion in 2025 to USD 16.08 billion by 2035, at the lowest product CAGR of approximately 2.93%. Their water-softening role remains necessary, but phosphate restrictions and the growth of liquid and capsule formats favor soluble carbonate, polymer, and chelant systems over particulate zeolite-based approaches. The segment's slower outlook reflects changing formulation architecture rather than a loss of demand for hardness control.

Bleaching Agents. Bleaching agents are expected to expand from USD 7.49 billion in 2025 to USD 10.72 billion by 2035. Oxygen-based systems, including sodium percarbonate used with bleach activators, align with low-temperature laundry requirements and avoid the residual concerns associated with chlorine-based chemistries. Evonik supplies hydrogen peroxide and associated bleaching solutions for home-cleaning applications, supporting this shift toward oxygen-based performance systems.

Chelating Agents

Chelating agents are forecast to increase from USD 3.84 billion in 2025 to USD 6.82 billion by 2035. Demand is being shaped by the substitution of persistent chelants and by the need for effective mineral control in alkaline cleaning systems. GLDA is well suited to many liquid applications, while MGDA is relevant in powders and automatic-dishwashing products; their selection depends on pH, solubility, formulation format, and certification requirements ^{[5]SOFW Journal, Green Chelating Agents for Industrial & Institutional Cleaning 2023. sofw.com},.

Optical Brighteners

 Optical brighteners are projected to rise from USD 2.16 billion in 2025 to USD 3.41 billion by 2035. They remain useful for maintaining perceived textile whiteness, but environmental scrutiny and portfolio rationalization limit their strategic appeal. BASF has announced a planned divestiture of its optical brighteners business, a sign that major suppliers are reassessing the category's fit within higher-growth care-chemicals portfolios.

Others

Other additives are projected to grow from USD 5.20 billion in 2025 to USD 8.29 billion by 2035. This category includes anti-redeposition polymers, preservatives, corrosion inhibitors, pH buffers, and stabilizers. Its value lies in enabling the performance of the full formulation, particularly in concentrated liquids and unit-dose products where ingredient compatibility becomes more demanding.

By Application

Laundry Cleaning

 Laundry cleaning is forecast to expand from USD 22.05 billion in 2025 to USD 35.58 billion by 2035. Product-format migration is central to ingredient demand: liquid concentrates and capsules require solubility, stability, and controlled-release performance that are less critical in conventional powders. Kao's growth in high-value-added fabric and home care products demonstrates the commercial relevance of premium laundry formats in mature and emerging markets.

Dishwashing

 Dishwashing is projected to grow from USD 7.17 billion in 2025 to USD 11.70 billion by 2035. Automatic-dishwashing formulations require coordinated performance from enzymes, builders, bleach systems, rinse aids, and chelants. The segment is therefore sensitive to changes in phosphate use and to the ability of biodegradable chelants to prevent filming and scaling under variable water-hardness conditions.

Soaps & Shampoos

Soaps & shampoos are expected to increase from USD 11.82 billion in 2025 to USD 17.55 billion by 2035. Mild surfactant blends, including amphoterics and nonionics, are more important here than high-detergency anionic systems because skin compatibility, sensory characteristics, and formulation aesthetics influence purchasing decisions.

Household Cleaning

Household cleaning is forecast to rise from USD 10.18 billion in 2025 to USD 16.08 billion by 2035. Hard-surface and multipurpose formulations increasingly compete on grease removal, low residue, fragrance, and substantiated environmental performance. Dow's ECOSURF and related home-care product portfolio illustrates the role of biodegradable specialty surfactants and dispersants in this application ^{[6]Dow Inc., Home Care Industrial and Institutional Cleaning market page. dow.com}.

Industrial & Institutional Cleaning

Industrial & institutional cleaning is expected to advance from USD 7.61 billion in 2025 to USD 13.16 billion by 2035, at approximately 5.61% CAGR. Cleaning protocols in food processing, healthcare, hospitality, and commercial laundry require reproducible results under demanding operating conditions. This supports demand for high-pH-compatible chelants, enzyme systems, peroxide-based chemistries, and surfactants backed by technical service.

Others. Other applications are projected to increase from USD 5.72 billion in 2025 to USD 7.26 billion by 2035. Growth is comparatively slower because these uses tend to have more specialized volumes and less exposure to the large format transitions occurring in consumer laundry and professional cleaning.

By End-Use Industry

Residential/Household

 Residential and household use is projected to increase from USD 34.98 billion in 2025 to USD 52.64 billion by 2035. It remains the largest end-use category, although its approximately 4.16% CAGR reflects mature-market saturation and affordability constraints in lower-income consumer groups. Premiumization in urban households partially offsets this moderation.

Commercial & Institutional

 Commercial and institutional end use is expected to grow from USD 16.39 billion in 2025 to USD 27.78 billion by 2035. Procurement in this channel increasingly values documented cleaning efficacy, worker safety, environmental characteristics, and supply reliability, making it a comparatively favorable market for specialty ingredient suppliers.

Industrial

Industrial end use is projected to increase from USD 10.35 billion in 2025 to USD 17.06 billion by 2035. Manufacturing, process cleaning, food and beverage operations, and specialized sanitation systems require chemistry tailored to soil type, water conditions, equipment compatibility, and discharge constraints. These requirements support the use of peroxide, chelant, surfactant, and enzyme systems that can be qualified for specific processes.

Builders provide the clearest contrast. Their essential function remains intact, but liquid and unit-dose formats redistribute that function toward soluble and polymeric systems. Suppliers relying on conventional builder volumes will need to adapt portfolios toward format-compatible chemistry, whereas suppliers with chelants, dispersants, enzymes, or specialty surfactants are better placed to benefit from the higher-growth applications.

Detergent Chemicals Market Regional Analysis

North America

North America is projected to increase from USD 16.75 billion in 2025 to USD 25.68 billion by 2035. Regional demand is shaped less by basic household penetration than by product reformulation, sustainability claims, and the growth of performance-oriented professional cleaning. EPA Safer Choice and CleanGredients programs influence ingredient selection in many household and institutional formulations; Dow markets several surfactant products into this compliance-oriented environment ^{[7]Dow Inc. / UL Prospector, Defining the Future of Cleaning in Home Care. ulprospector.ul.com}.

U.S.

The U.S. is the region's primary demand center, with mature laundry and dishwashing markets that favor concentrated liquids, unit doses, stain-removal performance, and eco-labeled products. Ingredient suppliers benefit when they can support national brands with regulatory and formulation documentation.

Canada

Canada follows similar premiumization and chemical-assessment trends, although its smaller market scale places more importance on integration with North American supply chains and shared consumer-product portfolios.

Europe

Europe is expected to rise from USD 15.24 billion in 2025 to USD 24.69 billion by 2035. The region's approximately 4.93% CAGR is driven mainly by reformulation value rather than large consumption-volume expansion. Regulatory requirements on biodegradability, digital product information, and environmental claims are extending the development cycle for surfactants, capsule films, builders, chelants, and additives.

Germany

Germany is a major European production and consumption center for care chemicals. BASF's investments in alkoxylates, enzymes, and specialty care chemicals reinforce the country's importance to regional technical supply.

UK

The UK retains a mature detergents market with demand for performance, convenience, and sustainability-led products. Regulatory divergence requires suppliers to monitor both UK and EU compliance pathways where products serve multiple European markets.

France

France supports demand for premium household and personal-cleaning formulations, particularly those requiring substantiated environmental claims and differentiated fragrance or mild-surfactant systems.

Spain

Spain's detergent demand is supported by household cleaning and hospitality activity. Warm-climate usage patterns and regional tourism increase the relevance of professional cleaning formulations.

Italy

Italy combines established household-product demand with foodservice, hospitality, and industrial-cleaning requirements, supporting sales of surface-cleaning and institutional formulations.

Rest of Europe

The rest of Europe includes markets where EU regulation and ecolabel expectations affect ingredient qualification. Suppliers able to provide consistent product and compliance support across multiple countries gain an advantage over fragmented, country-specific offerings.

Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific is projected to grow from USD 20.86 billion in 2025 to USD 31.97 billion by 2035. It combines the largest regional market with highly varied demand conditions: cost-sensitive detergent consumption in developing economies, large-scale commodity surfactant production, and premium formulation demand in Japan, South Korea, and urban Chinese markets.

China

China is a major consumer and manufacturing base. Growth in liquid and capsule formats raises ingredient complexity, although near-term consumer caution can constrain premium-product sales. Kao reported a FY2024 decline in China sales, illustrating that premiumization does not eliminate exposure to macroeconomic conditions.

India

India offers a substantial long-term demand opportunity as household purchasing power, urbanization, and washing-machine ownership expand. Croda commissioned a surfactants plant in Dahej in early 2025, providing local capacity for specialty grades serving Indian and wider Asian home-care markets ^{[8]Croda International Plc, Consumer Care Business Review Annual Report & Accounts 2024. croda.com}.

Japan

Japan is a premium market with strong demand for product performance, scent, convenience, and fabric-care benefits. Kao's continued Fabric & Home Care growth highlights the value of product innovation in a mature market.

Australia

Australia's market is relatively mature and favors product safety, sustainability credentials, and concentrated formats. Imports and regional supply relationships influence the availability of specialty detergent inputs.

South Korea

South Korea supports premium laundry and household-cleaning formats, with consumers responsive to convenience, performance, and sustainability claims. This strengthens the market for fragrance, enzyme, and specialty-surfactant systems.

Rest of Asia Pacific

Southeast Asia and other Asia Pacific markets contribute significant detergent volume growth, though local purchasing power and powder-format prevalence maintain demand for cost-effective surfactants alongside premium products in urban centers.

Latin America

Latin America is expected to increase from USD 4.95 billion in 2025 to USD 8.16 billion by 2035. Rising modern-retail penetration, urbanization, and demand for liquid or concentrated household products support a gradual increase in ingredient value per wash.

Brazil

Brazil is Latin America's largest market and a key demand center for household detergents, fabric care, and industrial cleaning. Its large consumer base supports both mass-market surfactants and higher-value product formats.

Mexico

Mexico benefits from integration with North American consumer-product supply chains while retaining strong domestic demand for affordable household and institutional cleaning products.

Argentina

Argentina represents a smaller but relevant market where household-detergent demand is sensitive to purchasing power and local manufacturing economics.

Rest of Latin America

Other Latin American markets offer incremental growth through urbanization and improved consumer access to formulated cleaning products. Demand remains exposed to currency, income, and import-cost volatility.

Middle East & Africa

The Middle East & Africa is projected to increase from USD 3.93 billion in 2025 to USD 6.98 billion by 2035, the fastest regional CAGR at approximately 5.88%. Household formation, urbanization, hospitality investment, foodservice expansion, and professional-cleaning demand support regional consumption. The region also has increasing strategic relevance as a chemicals production and export base.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is developing as a regional petrochemical and detergent-input hub. Its advantage lies in feedstock access and export logistics, although sustainable growth will depend on whether downstream formulation capacity and specialty-chemicals capability develop alongside base-chemical output.

South Africa

South Africa is a significant sub-Saharan market and an important regional supply base. Sasol's chemicals portfolio, including surfactant exposure, links regional detergent demand with integrated energy-and-chemicals economics.

UAE

The UAE's growing hospitality, commercial-property, and consumer-goods sectors support professional and household-cleaning demand. Local downstream manufacturing can increase demand for regionally sourced surfactants and additives.

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Other markets are defined by varying household income, distribution infrastructure, and sanitation investment. Affordable powdered detergents remain important, but urban consumers and institutional customers create growing demand for higher-performance chemistry.

The Middle East & Africa presents an additional supply-chain question. Its forecast growth is supported by consumption, but regional investment in base chemicals can also alter trade flows and pricing for detergent inputs. Suppliers that combine regional manufacturing or distribution with differentiated formulation support may avoid direct competition with commodity imports and better serve emerging institutional-cleaning demand.

Detergent Chemicals Market Share & Competitive Landscape

Competition is shaped by portfolio breadth, application expertise, feedstock access, sustainability credentials, and regional manufacturing reach. The market includes globally integrated producers of surfactants and specialty ingredients alongside companies specializing in biotechnology, oleochemicals, polymers, bleaching systems, and chelants.

Clariant operates detergent-relevant activities through its Care Chemicals business, supplying home care, personal care, and industrial applications. Its specialty orientation positions it toward lower-cyclicality, higher-margin chemistry rather than direct competition in undifferentiated bulk surfactants ^{[9]Clariant AG, Integrated Report 2024. clariant.com}.

Croda International serves home-care customers through Consumer Care. The division reported £920.0 million in 2024 sales, while Home Care sales grew 9%, or 13% in constant currency; its strategy centers on ECO surfactants, formulation-led innovation, and regional production expansion in India and China.

Dow Chemicals supplies nonionic, anionic, biodegradable, and polymeric ingredients for household and institutional cleaning. Its ECOSURF, TERGITOL, DOWFAX, and ACUSOL portfolios position the company across surfactant, dispersant, and performance-additive requirements.

Evonik Industries combines biosurfactants, hydrogen peroxide, bleaching technologies, and specialty nonionic systems. Industrial-scale rhamnolipid production in Slovakia gives Evonik a differentiated position in renewable biosurfactant supply, while its broader home-care portfolio addresses cleaning, sanitation, and odor-control applications.

Huntsman International has concentrated its portfolio following the February 2023 sale of its Textile Effects business to Archroma. The transaction refocused the company toward core performance-products operations, including differentiated amines and specialty chemical positions relevant to industrial and consumer applications.

Kao Corporation combines branded consumer products with a chemical business supplying oleochemical and fatty-acid derivatives. Its Attack and CuCute brands provide direct visibility into household cleaning trends, while the chemical business can translate that market insight into ingredient development.

Lubrizol participates through specialty polymers, rheology modifiers, and performance ingredients that support stability, soil release, and fabric-care properties. Its position is more closely linked to formulation performance than to high-volume base surfactant supply.

Mahaveer Surfactants serves Indian detergent and cleaning-product manufacturers with regional surfactant supply. Its proximity to domestic formulators can be valuable where supply reliability, local service, and cost management matter as much as global-scale specialty differentiation.

Solvay supplies essential and performance chemicals relevant to builders, pH adjustment, peroxide-based cleaning, and specialty surfactant applications. Its broader chemistry base supports participation across laundry, industrial cleaning, and bleaching-related demand.

BASF has a broad Care Chemicals platform spanning surfactants, alkoxylates, chelants, enzymes, and application support. Capacity expansions in APGs and alkoxylates, together with biotechnology investment and selective portfolio divestitures, indicate a strategy focused on specialty growth categories and higher-value care chemistry.

Nouryon is a key supplier of chelating agents and surfactants for home and personal care. Its Consumer & Life Sciences segment generated USD 2.3 billion in 2024 revenue and a 22.6% adjusted EBITDA margin; growth in cleaning end markets supports its positioning in GLDA, sustainable surfactants, and certified renewable-carbon offerings.

Sasol brings integrated energy-and-chemicals exposure to surfactants and fatty-alcohol derivatives. Its feedstock position can support supply security, but its FY2024 results also demonstrate the margin cyclicality faced by companies exposed to broader energy and commodity chemical markets.

Recent Industry Developments

EU detergents and surfactants regulation entered into force in March 2026. Regulation (EU) 2026/405 entered into force on March 22, 2026, with general applicability from September 23, 2029. The framework includes digital product-passport requirements and phased biodegradability provisions for detergent capsule films and certain intentionally added substances.

BASF announced planned divestitures of optical brighteners and Softex anionic surfactants. The company announced plans to divest its optical brighteners business and production assets to Catexel and its Softex anionic surfactants business to GOVI CAST Sdn. Bhd., with completion anticipated in 2026. The moves align with BASF's focus on higher-growth care-chemicals categories.

BASF invested in enzyme and biotechnology production in Austria in 2024. The investment at Kundl/Schaftenau expanded capability supporting detergent enzyme production and BASF's Lavergy portfolio for laundry and dishwashing formulations.

BASF continued its APG and alkoxylate expansion program. Capacity additions in Antwerp and Ludwigshafen, alongside planned or progressing projects in Zhanjiang, Bangpakong, and Cincinnati, support the company's nonionic and sustainable-surfactant strategy.

Evonik recorded first 2024 sales from industrial-scale rhamnolipid production. Its Slovenská Ľupča site produced rhamnolipid biosurfactants at industrial scale, and Evonik subsequently entered an exclusive U.S. distribution agreement with Sea-Land Chemical effective March 1, 2025.

Croda commissioned a Dahej, India surfactants plant in early 2025. The facility supports ECO and specialty surfactant supply to India and broader Asian home-care and personal-care markets; Croda has also identified Guangzhou, China, as a planned 2026 manufacturing location initially serving fragrance demand.

Nouryon introduced Dissolvine GL Premium and Berol Nexxt at SEPAWA 2023. Dissolvine GL Premium is a GLDA-based chelant designed for sustainable cleaning formulations and pod compatibility, while Berol Nexxt expands Nouryon's surfactant offering for home-care applications.

Huntsman completed the sale of Textile Effects to Archroma in February 2023. The transaction was finalized at approximately USD 597 million, including working-capital adjustments and assumed pension liabilities, and narrowed Huntsman's portfolio toward core performance-products businesses.

European green-claims rules continued through the legislative process. The European Commission's Green Claims Directive proposal seeks substantiation and verification of voluntary environmental claims, raising the evidence threshold for terms such as biodegradable, eco-friendly, and plant-based when used in detergent-related marketing.