Study: Demand for personal care ingredients on the rise

LITTLE FALLS, N.J. A stable consumption of personal care products, and increased consumer awareness of products with such skin protection benefits as anti-aging and sun care, is helping to fuel the demand for personal care ingredients in the United States, according to consulting and research firm Kline & Co.

The market posted 3% growth since 2005, and is forecasted to grow further at a CAGR of 2.2% through 2014, according to Kline's recently released study, "Global Personal Care Ingredients 2010: Market Analysis and Opportunities."

Conditioning polymers are the leading product category, followed by surfactants, which constitute a market share of about 32% and 23%, respectively, by volume. Alkyl polyglucosides, or so-called "green" surfactants that are plant-derived, exceeded the growth of traditional surfactants by more than 2% in 2009.

Spurred by growing consumer awareness, the natural personal care product market has persevered through the recession, registering an 8% sales gain in 2009 in the United States. Natural ingredients benefited from a strong demand for natural products, capturing a small but increasing growth in their sector.

Hair fixative polymers and conditioning polymers are the most consolidated categories, with the top three players constituting for more than 75% of the overall market. The top 10 players in the U.S. market accounted for about 65% of the total market across all product categories covered in the report.