More Sustainable Cleaning: Ceresana Sees Opportunities for Bio-Based Surfactants

KONSTANZ, Germany, 2026-02-04 — /EPR Network/ — Cleaning with the help of bacteria, fungi, or algae: Detergents and shampoos do not necessarily have to be made from climate-damaging crude oil or controversial palm oil. Surfactants can also be fermented by microorganisms from organic waste, for example. The latest, already second edition of Ceresana’s biobased surfactants market report forecasts that the global market for these green chemicals will experience sales growth to more than USD 32 billion by 2034. In North America, Ceresana’s market researchers expect sales to increase by around 3%, and in other regions of the world by more than 6%. Surfactants are among the first everyday chemical products that are already being manufactured in large industrial plants from renewable raw materials, i.e. at least partly on the basis of biogenic materials such as sugar, corn, or vegetable oil.

Clean Bioeconomy

Washing powders and liquid detergents consist to a large extent of surfactants, as these surface-active substances make it easier to remove dirt. In addition, surfactants can form a foam and enable the mixture of water and oil. Household detergents and cleaning products are by far the most important sales market for bio-based surfactants today, accounting for around 43% of global revenues. This is followed by personal care products and cosmetics as well as industrial cleaning agents. The versatile chemicals are used for a wide variety of applications, for example as emulsifiers in skin creams, as dispersing agents in paints and printing inks, as antistatic additives in plastics and textile fibers or as wetting agents in fertilizers and pesticides. There are surfactants in toothpaste as well as in cooling lubricants, extinguishing foam, disinfectants and contraceptives. One industrial application, for example, is ore extraction. Even companies in the oil industry can use biosurfactants to improve their eco-balance, for example in oilfield chemicals or for the bioremediation of contaminated areas.

Sustainable Upcycling of Biomass

Bio-based surfactants not only reduce dependence on fossil raw materials, but also open up new recycling opportunities for organic residues, such as by-products from the paper industry and biofuel production or food waste from supermarkets. All surfactants have a water-repellent and a water-attracting part, both of which can be bio-based. Sugar surfactants can consist of coconut fatty alcohols and glucose, for example. The most important sugar surfactants at present are the high-foaming alkyl polyglycosides (APGs): non-ionic surfactants that can be produced purely on a plant basis. APGs are less sensitive to water hardness than anionic surfactants, effective at lower temperatures, skin-friendly, non-toxic, and biodegradable. With these environmentally friendly properties, APGs could become an alternative to linear alkylbenzene sulfates (LAS), the most widely used petrochemical surfactants today. Glycolipids are also considered a promising trend: These natural building blocks of cell membranes were one of the main topics of the international conference “Biosurfactants 2025” in Aachen, Germany. Surfactants are also often mixed with other chemicals, for example with complexing agents in detergents, which are ideally also available as organic versions. Blends of petrochemical and biogenic chemicals are marketed as “bioattributed”, “proportionately biobased”, or “mass-balanced grades”.

Current Global Biobased Surfactants Market Report (2nd Edition):

Chapter 1 of the new study by Ceresana provides a comprehensive analysis of the global biobased surfactants market – including growth forecasts up to 2034: The development of demand (in tonnes) and revenues (in USD and EUR) is explained for each of the following regions: Western and Eastern Europe, North and South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Demand and revenues are also broken down by individual application areas. Demand for bio-based surfactants is recorded for these product types: Anionic surfactants, Cationic surfactants, Non-ionic surfactants, other surfactants.

In Chapter 2, the surfactant sales for 26 countries are analyzed individually, i.e. for the largest national surfactant markets. The demand for and revenues generated with bio-based surfactants are shown in each case. In addition, demand is split by the aforementioned product types and demand and revenues are broken down for the following applications: Detergents and cleaners, Industrial cleaners, Personal care and cosmetics, Textiles and leather, Paints and plastics, other applications.

Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the largest bio-based surfactant manufacturers, clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, net income, product range, production sites, and short overview of the company. Detailed profiles of the most important 55 manufacturers are provided, e.g. of Arkema S.A., BASF SE, Evonik Industries AG, Givaudan SA, KLK OLEO, Nouryon Specialty Chemicals B.V., Sasol Limited, The Dow Chemical Company, and Wilmar International Limited.

Further information on the new edition of the market study Biobased Surfactants – World (2nd edition): https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/biobased-surfactants-market-report-world

About Ceresana
As one of the world’s leading market research institutes, Ceresana specializes in the chemicals, plastics, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. More than 250 market studies provide more than 10,000 customers around the world with the knowledge base for their sustainable success. A key area of focus is the bio-economy: Ceresana supports the dynamically growing circular economy with market analyses and forecasts on bio-based products and biodegradable materials. With the digital event series “Future of Bio”, Ceresana is creating a platform for experts and specialists to exchange knowledge, utilize synergies, and jointly drive the future of the bio-economy forward. Learn more about Ceresana at www.ceresana.com

Let’s meet! The successful Ceresana event series on the future of the bioeconomy continues. The next online events are “Future of BioAdhesives” (February 24 and 25, 2026), “Future of BioCoatings” (March 18 and 19, 2026), and “Future of BioInvestments” (April 22 and 23, 2026): https://ceresana.com/events

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Press Contact: Martin Ebner, m.ebner@ceresana.com