Global Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates Market Faces Mixed Trends Amid Demand and Supply Challenges

Hamburg, Germany: In the European market, the Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates market has witnessed a challenging environment in the past quarters. Market participants reported that inquiries from the downstream surfactant and detergent industries have been sluggish, resulting in low market transactions. The lack of enthusiasm from these sectors is contributing to a generally weak market performance. Despite the crucial role of surfactants and detergents in various applications, the current demand appears insufficient to drive significant market activity. As per the market sources, the tight monetary conditions weighing on the purchasing sentiments have become a crucial factor in dragging down the market growth of several chemicals, including Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates.

In the US market, the Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates prices have witnessed no major fluctuations entering August 2024. The average inquiries from the downstream Personal Care industries have led to stabilized market operations.  Foreseeing no major improvement in terminal demand, the manufacturers have kept their prices at previous levels. The availability of Palm Oil was also sufficient to meet the demand from the downstream manufacturing firms.  In addition, the cost support from upstream Fatty Alcohol remains limited as its prices remained stagnant in the given timeframe. In Q2 2024, Procter & Gamble's year-on-year sales volumes remained flat, marking a positive shift from the 1% decline reported a year earlier, indicating progress for the company. However, their revenue fell short of analysts' expectations due to weaker-than-the-anticipated organic sales growth. This stabilization in sales volumes for Procter & Gamble suggests a steady demand for products containing Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates, such as personal care items and detergents. However, the lower-than-expected revenue might reflect challenges in the market that could impact the overall demand and pricing for Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates.

On the other hand, In China, in June one of the manufacturing plants of Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates, China Sanjiang Fine Chemicals Company Limited underwent force majeure due to floods. Thus, the supply of finished Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates remains limited, leading to a rise in the manufacturer’s quotations.  On the demand side, the inquiries from the downstream Personal care industries have remained sufficient, contributing to the upshift observed in the price realizations of Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates.

According to the pricing intelligence of ChemAnalyst, the prices of Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates might remain on the higher end.  The positive price shift is anticipated to be driven by active demand from the terminal industries.  Moreover, in the European market, the rising freight charges and limited availability of the finished goods amidst the lower operating rates of the manufacturing firms might lead to bullish Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates market sentiments in the forthcoming weeks.