consultant puts growth in global demand for surfactants at 1.7%/y (p 7) but elsewhere growth is predicted to exceed 6%/y in Brazil, China, India and Indonesia. Likewise, demand growth for personal care ingredients such as surfactants is currently 2-2.5% in Europe and North America but is estimated at 6-10%/y in India, according to several sources. Similar patterns are also seen for the laundry detergent and I&I sectors.
Although surfactant volumes in 'Western' markets are reported to remain 5-10% below prerecession levels, the majority of surfactant producers and their customers have posted significantly improved financial results for 2010 compared to the previous 2 years. Stepan reported record income for the fourth quarter and full year ended 31 Dec 2010 of $11.4 million (+19%) and $65.4 million (+4%), respectively. Surfactant volumes were up 2% and 4%, respectively. Sales for Rhodia Novecare were up 21% for full-year 2010, boosted by the McIntyre acquisition in 2009, with recurring EBITDA increasing 60%. Novozymes' results improved year on year in every quarter with detergent enzyme sales for the year as a whole up 18%. Representative of the consumer products manufacturers, Henkel delivered an 11.2% sales increase to โฌ15.092 bn in 2010; net income improved by 82% to โฌ1.143 bn. The Cosmetics/Toiletries business sector registered sales growth of 8.6% while operating profit rose by 6.1%. The Laundry & Home Care sector increased sales by 4.6% and operating profit rose by 8.2%. Unilever also reported strong underlying volume growth in laundry products, particularly in India; for the company as a whole, full-year sales were up 11% and net profit 26%.
In terms of surfactant innovations, 2010 was a fruitful year, with many of the new products launched showing the trends towards more natural and sustainable materials with milder properties. Colonial Chemical was as prolific as usual, introducing natural amphoteric Cola Teric CET, coconutderived Cola Fax PME and mild blend Cola Det EQ-12 for personal care products, and amphoteric Cola Teric JBS for industrial applications [ibid, Feb 2011]. Stepan launched allnatural lauryl amine oxide Ammonyx