Glycerol Market Size - By Product Type (Crude, Refined), By Source (Biodiesel, Fatty Acids, Fatty Alcohols, Soap Industry), By Application, Downstream Application & Global Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Glycerol Market Size

The glycerol market value was valued at USD 5.6 billion in 2024 and is set to register more than 11.9% CAGR from 2025 to 2034, Glycerol's lubricating, emollient and moisturizing properties make it very relevant in skin, hair, and even in some oral care formulations. The rising consumer shift towards organic natural cosmetics is steering the demand for glycerol from both animal and plant oils.
 

The importance of glycerol has expanded due to its application in pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, personal care products, and even in the production of biofuels. Because of glycerol’s biofuel industry and the international demand for renewable energy, glycerol is produced as a byproduct in the manufacturing of biodiesel. Governments across the globe are supporting bio-based products, thus the importance of glycerol is increasing for green chemistry and sustainability.
 

This opportunity can be grabbed by investing in glycerol produced from renewable sources, such as biodiesel glycerol. In these instances, the regulation and investment are in sustainable technology and industry which tend to have long-term returns. So far, environmental sustainability has mostly been focused on government activities; however, policies and regulations can be put forth that encourage businesses to invest in environmentally friendly methods of production. This is beneficial for the economy as well as for environmental sustainability.
 

Increasing demand in personal care and cosmetics: As a skin moisturizer, emollient, and emulsifier, glycerol is used in the cosmetic sector. The awareness of the importance of glycerol infused skincare products is increasing which in turn is raising the demand in the cosmetics and personal care value chain.
 

Rising demand in the food and beverage industry: Together with other industries, glycerol is also used as a solvent, sweetener, and humectant in food production. With the increasing health concerns, glycerol is now gaining acceptance in the food and beverage industry as a low-calorie preservative and sugar substitute.
 

Expanding applications in industrial processes: There are new emerging developments in industrial processes as Glycerol is now being used in antifreeze and plastic or as solvents for various industrial purposes. Increase in both focus and concern towards green and bio based industrial products and technologies is driving the adoption of non-biodegradable and toxic polymers.
 

Growing demand in the automotive industry: Glycerol is being used as a main component of the lube oil, antifreeze and coolant which helps to reduce the cost of production as the glycerol has good number of production throughout the world, It helps to lower the freezing points of the fluid will help to car owners in excessive cold places in the world which have negative temperature in the winters.
 

It is also used to produce brake fluids also suspension fluids for the automotive sector. As the automotive industry move forward towards the sustainable product making industry hence the use of glycerol in the automotive fluid will increase.
 

For instance, Manufacturer are using potential of glycerol and its derivatives in the automotive fuel additives, Due to the surplus of glycerol from biodiesel production, researchers explored blending glycerol with gasoline to create renewable fuel options.
 

Growing use in tobacco and e-cigarette: glycerol as humectant used in the tobacco products it will help to maintain the moisture level of the products. It also helps to improve the quality of the vaping products by adding smoothness as the vaping industry is growing rapidly will impact on the use of the glycerol in the tobacco market.
 

For instance, Studies examine that the impact of the glycerin concentration on toxicant emissions in water-pipe tobacco smoking, finding that lab-made samples showed increased acrolein emissions with higher glycerin levels.
 

Expanding applications in agriculture and animal feed: the impact Glycerol is used in the manufacturing of agricultural products particularly in the manufacturing of animal feed. It is supplied as an energy source to the livestock feed for poultry as it contains easily available carbohydrates. It is also used as a feed additives to enhance the digestive health in animal, It is also used in the some agriculture chemicals like pesticides and herbicides.
 

Despite the possible prospects of Glycerol’s niche marketing, the biodiesel industry’s motions and movement as well as Glycerol’s motif advertising campaign may upend the entire venture. The increased purchasing and selling activity of the biodiesel trade leads to erratic supply levels for Glycerol, which negatively impacts its selling price.
 

The existence of alternatives in the cosmetics industry which can functionality replace solvents renders the cosmetics market highly competitive. Likewise, the crude glycerol’s purification process is expensive and sophisticated having the potential to bar smaller and medium-sized enterprises from entering the market.
 

Glycerol Market Trends

The increasing use of glycerol for the manufacture of bio-based chemicals and goods will support the growth in the market. Industries transitioning to sustainable approaches, glycerol is now helping in the production of biodegradable polymers and solvents. The rising popularity of green chemicals has prompted the substitution of glycerol in the making of non-toxic antifreeze deicing solvents. Further advancement in biotechnology is making fermentation processes for biofuels and bioplastics economically feasible, thus broadening its market range.
 

As an illustration, Fermbox Bio made EN3ZYME in May of 2024 which is a blend of microbes that break down carbohydrates to liberate sugars for ethanol synthesis to replace fossil fuels.
 

Glycerol Market Analysis

Based on product type the refined segment recorded over USD 4.6 billion in 2024 and will generate over USD 10.2 billion by 2034. Adding extra materials increases the cost value of glycerol unlike glycerin fuels which can be very useful in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetology sectors.
 

In other aspects, alongside medicine, glycerol's refined version is extensively used in syrup and other drugs. Advanced flavoring and preserving agents are also glycerol-based compounds used alongside other agents primary to medicines to enhance the safety and efficacy of products.
 

A major factor that drives the success of glycerol-based fuels, which are categorized under low-quality crude glycerol, is the demand for biodiesel and bio-based chemicals. In addition to these compounds, antifreeze, plastics, and solvents are also produced from biodiesel. While crude glycerol does have a range of applications, its economic worth is significantly lessened due to its requirement of thorough purification (Source: U.S. Department of Energy).
 

Glycerol market value from the biodiesel segment is expected to reach over USD 8.3 billion by 2034. The biodiesel segments have a good market share in 2024 which is around 69.8%. This is due to the volume of glycerol produced as a byproduct during biodiesel manufacturing.
 

The biodiesel industry is growing rapidly due to increasing global dependency on renewable energy and reducing carbon footprints. The high glycerol yield from biodiesel production reduces the cost and increases the stability of glycerol delivery for promoting its use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food & beverage (F&B) and other industries.
 

• Glycerol from fatty acids has a wide range of applications particularly in the manufacturing of lubricants, surfactants and esters. The market for glycerol from fatty acids is increasing by its multiple uses in chemistry and industry.
   
• Glycerol is important in the production of detergents, emulsifying agents, and plasticizers, and fatty alcohol is another noteworthy source of glycerol. The shift towards more environmentally friendly products has created a niche for glycerol derived from fatty alcohol.
   
• Glycerol is derived in the oldest industry which science has worked on, soap and cleansing materials production. By increasing market demand glycerol serves as a humectant and moisturizing agent in personal care formulations.
   

The United States glycerol market was evaluated at more than USD 1 billion in 2024 and projected to surpass USD 2.3 billion by 2034. The increase in demand for glycerol by the food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, and even biofuel industries has provided new and diverse opportunities for the market.
 

The market is growing also due to the high growing consumption in the renewable energy industry for biodiesel. There is a higher preference towards natural and organic products in the cosmetics and personal care industry which has further increased the consumption. At the same time, the US glycerol market is progressing toward the use of nontraditional fatty acids and alcohols, particularly glycerol esters, thus fostering new and enhanced industrial processes as well as biobased chemicals.
 

To illustrate, the ISG database reports that, in 2022, the United States exported USD 148 million in glycerol, which made glycerol one of the top 100 export products of the United States that year and placed the country 6th in the world in terms of value of glycerol exports. Canadian exports led, followed by Mexico, India, Malaysia, and South Korea, which spent USD 70.9 million, USD 28 million, USD 17.2 million, USD 10.4 million, and USD 3.22 million respectively.
 

Glycerol Market Share

Dominant glycerol corporations are integrating with biodiesel producers as a new diversification strategy and also adopting vertical expansion. This type of diversification enables these companies to manage all stages of the production cycle from procurement of raw materials to manufacturing and to distribution of end products. Other necessary expenditures include R&D spending to create glycerol-based derivatives.

The top 5 companies for glycerol market are Eni, BASF, Dow, Kao Corporation and Godrej industries limited, undertook a collaborative research and development project seeking to diminish the CO2 emissions within the biofuel industry, particularly focusing on the sustainable approach of converting glycerin, a biodiesel by-product, into bio-propanol. The process used to produce bio-propanol was glycerin hydrotreated catalytically, and it was estimated that greenhouse gas emissions were lowered by 65 to 75 percent. This bio-propanol is applicable as a drop-in biofuel component in gasoline. The objective of this partnership was to foster advancement together with emission reduction in the biofuel industry.
 

Glycerol Market Companies

Key manufacturers operating in the glycerol industry include:

• Aemetis, Inc.
• ADM
• BASF SE
• COCOCHEM
• Dow
• Emery Oleochemicals
• Godrej Industries Limited
• Kao Corporation
• KLK OLEO
• Monarch Chemicals Ltd
• Oleon NV
• Procter & Gamble
• Wilmar International Ltd.
   

Glycerol Industry News

• In December 2022, BASF, the world's frontrunner in the chemical industry, unveiled Euperlan NL Pearl in December 2022. This new product utilizes wax base germane to COSMOS standards set for shine and luster enhancement. The innovation incorporates natural materials such as cocamidopropyl betaine and glycerol oleate.
   
• In January 2024, Xylome introduced two new products developed by precision fermentation using yeast, which serve as substitutes for palm oil, including refined bleached and deodorized palm oil. These products supplemented other uses of palm oil.
   
• In October 2024, Evonik and Kolmar Wuxi partnered strategically to promote development within China’s beauty industry. The partnership concentrated on manufacturing sustainable ingredients for sun care, color cosmetics, and multifunctional active cosmetics. The aim of the companies was to utilize their international and local experience to address the increasing market need for skin care cosmetics which are effective and environmentally friendly.
   
• In March 2023, ORLEN marked the first anniversary of their BioPG plant, which utilizes glycerol to produce renewable polypropylene glycol (BioPG) through BASF’s technology. The newcomer enlarges the market and has 30,000 metric tons of yearly capacity.
   

This glycerol market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecasts in terms of revenue (USD Billion) & volume (Kilo Tons) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

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Market, By Product Type

• Crude
• Refined

Market, By Source

• Biodiesel
• Fatty Acids
• Fatty Alcohols
• Soap Industry

Market, By Application

• Personal Care
• Pharmaceuticals
• Alkyd Resins
• Foods & Beverages
• Polyether Polyols
• Tobacco Humectants
• Others

Market, By Downstream Application

• Propylene glycol
• Epichlorohydrin
• Acrylic Acid
• 1,3-Propanediol
• Acrylonitrile

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • UK
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Russia
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
• MEA
  • South Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE