Marico, maker of Parachute Coconut Oil, reported double-digit underlying volume growth in Q1 FY27 despite price increases. The company managed raw material cost volatility through pricing actions, though cooling commodity prices may ease future margin pressure.
Asia
In Asia, Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylate prices moved lower through H2’25 as the region dealt with steady supply and weaker buying interest. Demand from home care, personal care, and textile processing stayed soft, so inventories did not clear as expected. Feedstock prices for palm kernel oil and coconut oil eased, which lowered production costs and encouraged suppliers to reduce their offers.
Throughout the quarter, buyers showed little urgency and continued purchasing only small volumes because they expected prices to fall further. Export activity also slowed as global markets faced similar oversupply, making it harder for Asian producers to move cargoes abroad. With high stocks, softer raw materials, and limited downstream demand, FAE prices in Asia kept a downward tone during the second half.
Europe
In Europe, Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylate prices also declined during H2’25. Demand from personal care, textile auxiliaries, and industrial cleaning remained weak, leaving distributors with more material than needed. Lower costs for rapeseed-based alcohols and imported lauric oils allowed producers to cut prices, but the reductions did not improve market activity. Imports from Asia continued to arrive, adding extra pressure to domestic sellers who were already working through high inventories. Most buyers kept to short-term planning and avoided large orders, which prevented any recovery. Because both supply and feedstock conditions remained comfortable, FAE prices in Europe stayed soft throughout the period.
North America
In North America, the FAE market showed the same downward pattern seen in other regions. Demand from home care and industrial cleaners remained muted, and domestic inventories stayed high. Raw material costs for natural and synthetic alcohols fell, lowering production expenses and giving producers room to reduce prices. Increased imports from Asia added more supply to the market, prompting sellers to compete for limited buying. With slow offtake and comfortable stocks, North American FAE prices continued to ease through H2’25.
Analyst Insight
According to Procurement Resource, Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylate (FAE) prices are expected to remain soft in the coming terms unless demand strengthened or feedstock costs turned upward.
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Asia
During the first half of 2025, Asia’s Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates market moved through two distinct phases. In the early months, prices dropped as demand from the personal care industry slowed down and producers dealt with too much stock. A fall in palm oil prices also made it cheaper to produce FAE, adding to the decline. However, this situation changed in the second quarter.
Unexpected factory shutdowns in Malaysia due to a gas pipeline fire caused supply shortages, especially in countries like India and China. At the same time, steady buying from the personal care sector supported by online shopping trends kept demand strong. These factors worked together to push prices up sharply by the end of the period.
Europe
The European FAE market experienced steady price declines during the first quarter of 2025. A mix of low consumer confidence, cautious spending, and surplus supply caused prices to slide further. Buyers preferred to only meet short-term needs rather than stock up. Although certain luxury and eco-friendly cosmetic products saw some demand, it wasn’t enough to support the broader market.
In the second quarter, rising raw material costs and expensive imports helped prevent further drops. Improvements in transportation also supported pricing, while moderate interest from specialty chemical and fuel sectors added slight strength to the market.
North America
In North America, prices for Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates followed a downward path in the first quarter. This trend was mainly due to weak purchasing activity, large inventories, and reduced input costs.
The personal care sector, especially cosmetics, faced challenges that further reduced demand. By March, uncertainty around tariffs and market conditions made the situation worse. However, the market began to settle in the second quarter. Demand picked up slightly in personal care and industrial applications, while supply chains recovered from earlier disruptions. As a result, prices remained stable with little movement in either direction.
In general, fatty alcohols are ethoxylated to produce Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates (FAE's), which are a common form of non-ionic surfactant such as octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether. Alcohol ethoxylates are a class of compounds. They are a major part of many industrial practices and the commercial market, as well.
Because of the basic structure of ethoxylated alcohols that pair a hydrophobic portion (water-hating) with a hydrophilic component (water-loving), they are considered a versatile class of compounds, commonly referred to as surfactants. Ethoxylated alcohols can vary widely in their properties and applications depending upon fatty alcohols, which can vary in their structures and lengths.
R(OC2H4)nOH
Detergents, Cosmetics , Textile, Paper, Oil, Cleaning and scouring agent, Wetting agent
BASF SE, India Glycols Limited, The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G Chemicals), The Dow Chemical Company
CurrencyUS$ (Data can also be provided in local currency)
Supplier Database AvailabilityYes
Customization ScopeThe report can be customized as per the requirements of the customer
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Note: Our supplier search experts can assist your procurement teams in compiling and validating a list of suppliers indicating they have products, services, and capabilities that meet your company's needs.
Industrial ethoxylation is the most common method to produce fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAE’s) and is commonly performed upon fatty alcohols. FAE’s can be obtained by hydroformylation in the Shell higher Olefin process , or by hydrogenation of fatty acids from seed oils.
This reaction is then proceeded by passing ethylene oxide through alcohol at 180oC, with the catalyst as potassium hydroxide (KOH). This reaction is highly exothermic and requires a careful control.
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Furfuryl alcohol is made using hydrogen and furfural through hydrogenation. Furfural and hydrogen are thus transmitted to a hydrogenation reactor, which produces furfuryl alcohol.
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