Textile Chemicals Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Coating & Sizing Chemicals, Colorants & Auxiliaries), By Application (Apparel, Technical Textiles), By Process, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 - 2030

Textile Chemicals Market Size & Trends

The global textile chemicals market size was estimated at USD 26.5 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5% from 2024 to 2030. This growth is attributable to the growing consumer demand for apparel, technical textiles, home textiles, and other items. With a steadily growing population, the demand for clothes and other textile products is expected to increase, thus fueling the production capacity of this industry. However, currently, global trade is getting more complicated due to recession in various countries, resulting in currency fluctuations. Other major challenges faced by the textile industry include the Eurozone crisis and Britain post-BREXIT.

According to the American Chemistry Council, the U.S. chemicals industry is expected to witness an increase in volume consumption due to growing demand for chemicals from the automotive, construction, and consumer goods industries. Meanwhile, the chemicals industry in the country is projected to reach its pre-pandemic level.

This is expected to create opportunities for manufacturers of textile chemicals to set up their production facilities or collaborate with local players in the U.S. For instance, in June 2021, Archroma partnered with Van Horn, Metz & Co. Inc., a specialty raw material distributor in the country, for the distribution of Mowilith emulsions.

Upsurges in the real estate sector, changing fashion trends, and inclination toward home décor and furnishing have driven the textile industry's growth in the recent past. However, with the growing application scope, consumer preferences toward bio-chemicals with similar properties are also projected to drive market growth. Moreover, the rising consumption of technical textiles in the automotive sector is expected to bolster market growth in the long run.

Market Dynamics

Numerous chemicals are used in the textile industry to offer a wide range of performance features during production processes, which are known as process chemicals. These end products include biopolishing enzymes, de-sizing enzymes, flame retardants, antiviral/antimicrobial agents, lubricating/anti-crease agents, water and oil repellents, printing auxiliaries, and softening agents.

To reduce the amount of damage caused to the environment and achieve sustainability, companies in the manufacturing industry are taking steps by processing fabrics without using harmful chemicals, using attractive finishes that reduce laundering requirements, and following guidelines laid down by regulatory standards.

According to The Textile Magazine, chemical companies are developing innovative solutions that are safer for both the environment and human health. Such products developed by manufacturers include wicking agents and softeners developed from beeswax, refined vegetable components, deaerators, and defoamer based on rapeseed oil, among others. Some major producers involved in the development of these sustainable textile products include DyStar Singapore Pte Ltd, Fashion Chemicals GmbH & Co. KG, CHT, Beyond Surface Technologies, Huntsman International LLC., The Chemours Company, Rudolf GmbH.

Process Insights

The coating process segment dominated the market in 2023 with a revenue share of more than 71.3%. This is attributed to the increasing demand for coating chemicals, which have the ability to provide additional properties including waterproofing, fire resistance, stain repellence, and others.

The coating process segment is expected to continue its dominance in the market during the forecast period. In the coating process, coating protection chemicals are mainly consumed to cater to the increasing demand for flame retardant, UV protection, and other protective coatings, which is anticipated to create an increasing demand for these chemicals over the forecast period.

Denim finishing agents such as enzymes, softeners, anti-back staining agents, and bleaching agents are highly utilized in the denim finishing process in the textile industry. The consumption of finishing agents is anticipated to grow at a faster rate owing to increasing demand for high-quality finishing with aesthetic and soft-handling fabrics.

In addition, efficient pretreatment of fabric is the basis of reproducible uniform results in all successive processes such as printing and dyeing. In the pretreatment process, it is important to remove all accompanying and interfering substances from the fabric. Along with de-sizing, scouring, and bleaching, other pretreatment processes include optical brightening, alkalizing, and mercerizing.

Around 90% of chemicals and auxiliaries are used for the pretreatment process such as de-sizing, scouring, and bleaching. These chemicals make the fabric hydrophilic and ready for wet processing, which is further anticipated to propel demand for textile chemicals.

Application Insights

The apparel applications segment dominated the market in 2023 with a revenue share of more than 44.8%. This is attributed to several factors such as rising disposable incomes, the growing millennial and Gen Z population who are getting influenced by social media and fashion icons, and the growing e-commerce industry.

Growth in textile raw material production is also expected to increase, which, in turn, is likely to contribute to apparel production growth. For instance, fiber production in India grew from 1.44 million tons in 2019 to 2.4 million tons in 2020, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). Increasing apparel production is expected to increase demand for products in apparel for pretreatment, dyeing, and printing applications.

A wide range of textile chemicals is used in apparel production, including mercerizing agents, peroxide stabilizers, dyes, dispersants, leveling agents, soaping agents, thickeners, binders, softeners, and pretreatment chemicals. Players in the apparel industry are adopting environment-friendly processes, which include non-toxic chemicals. For instance, in November 2021, Cosmo Specialty Chemicals introduced a hydrophilic block silicone emulsion. Non-toxic and eco-friendly product improves the softness properties in several applications.

Furthermore, the technical textiles market is on a growth trajectory in countries from Asia Pacific. The product is likely to witness high demand from Medtech, Buildtech, and Protech applications. An increase in public infrastructural projects by governments in their economic revival packages is expected to boost demand for Buildtech, subsequently increasing demand for products.

Product Insights

The coating and sizing chemicals segment dominated the market in 2023 with a revenue share of more than 50.5%. This is attributed to the growing demand from geotextiles, automotive, outdoor wear, and aerospace applications. Global demand for sizing chemicals is expected to increase during the forecast period for efficient sizing of fabrics during the finishing treatment.

Dextrin, wheat starch, corn starch, gelatin, etc. are the most commonly used natural pastes. Water-soluble polymers such as carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylates, and modified starch, also known as textile sizing chemicals or agents, are used to protect yarns to withstand mechanical stress during weaving.

The colorants and auxiliaries segment held a revenue share of more than 12% in 2023. Colorants can be dyes or pigments, which impart colors to textiles. Dyeing of a fabric involves several steps, which are singeing, de-sizing, padding, scouring, bleaching, mercerizing, printing, and finishing.

Moreover, chemical finishing enables textiles to become oil-repellent, water-repellent, flame-retardant, and antistatic. With increasing demand for customized and aesthetically attractive products, the demand for finishing agents is anticipated to surge globally. This is expected to result in market growth over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific dominated the market in 2023 with a revenue share of more than 57.5%. This is attributed to rapid urbanization, economic resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and modernization of textile and chemical manufacturing processes.

According to the World Trade Statistical Review 2021, three out of the top four apparel exporters in 2020 in the world were countries of Asia Pacific that is, China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Growing apparel production in the region is expected to boost the product market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period.

Furthermore, Europe is characterized by the presence of several major economies such as Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Russia. Supportive policies, an increase in wages, and increasing employment opportunities are some of the factors contributing to the economic growth of the region.

The impact of COVID-19 on the Europe textiles industry was severe which negatively impacted the growth of the product market in Europe. However, favorable government support, the adoption of digitalization and sustainability, and the creation of robust supply chains are anticipated to improve market growth in Europe during the forecast period.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The market is highly competitive owing to the presence of many manufacturers with a global presence. The spread of COVID-19 has accelerated technological transformation, which had already begun. Digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) in manufacturing processes have been at the forefront of company strategies.

For instance, in January 2021, Solvay S.A. announced that it would begin using blockchain technology to develop a circular economy. Technology will be used to store, exchange, develop, and trace information related to products, right from their feedstock producers to end-users.

Market participants are also engaged in adopting strategic initiatives such as new product launches, acquisitions, and others. For instance, In May 2023, Dystar announced its eco-advanced indigo dyeing, which aims to reduce energy consumption by up to 30% and water usage by up to 90% during the production process.

Textile Chemicals Market Report Scope

Global Textile Chemicals Market Report Segmentation

This report forecasts volume and revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global textile chemicals market report based on process, product, application, and region:

• Process Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Pretreatment

    • Desizing Agents

    • Bleaching Agents

    • Scouring Agents

    • Others

  • Coating

    • Anti-piling

    • Water Proofing

    • Protection

    • Water Repellant

    • Others

  • Treatment Of Finished Products

    • Softening

    • Stiffening

    • Others

• Product Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Coating & Sizing Chemicals

  • Colorants & Auxiliaries

    • Dispersants/levelant

    • Fixative

    • UV Absorber

    • Others

  • Finishing Agents

    • Repellent and Release

    • Flame Retardants

    • Antimicrobial or Anti-inflammatory

    • Others

  • Surfactants

    • Wetting Agents

    • Detergents & Dispersing Agents

    • Emulsifying Agents

    • Lubricating Agents

  • Denim Finishing Agents

    • Enzymes

    • Resins

    • Softeners

    • Defoamers

    • Bleaching Agents

    • Curesh Resistant Agents

    • Anti-back Staining Agents

    • Others

• Application Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Apparel

    • Sportswear

    • Outerwear

    • Innerwear

    • Others

  • Home Furnishing

    • Furniture

    • Drapery

    • Carpet

    • Others

  • Technical Textiles

    • Agrotech

    • Buildtech

    • Geotech

    • Medtech

    • Mobiltech

    • Packtech

    • Protech

    • Indutech

    • Others

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

    • Russia

    • Poland

    • Turkey

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

    • Vietnam

    • Indonesia

    • South Korea

    • Thailand

    • Philippines

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

    • Argentina

    • Peru

  • Middle East & Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • South Africa

    • Morocco

    • Tunisia

    • Kenya

    • UAE

    • Egypt