International dynamics of the global moisturising agent industry in the first quarter of 2026

2026-03-26 10:04
In the first quarter of 2026, the global wet strength agent market expanded steadily driven by demand and regulations. Core product categories include polyamide epichlorohydrin (PAE), polyamine epichlorohydrin (PAE), glyoxalated polyacrylamide (GPAM), etc. Green transformation, formaldehyde-free substitution, and breakthroughs in bio-based technologies have become the core main lines of the industry. Capacity expansion in the Asia-Pacific region and stricter compliance in Europe are advancing simultaneously, accelerating the optimization of the market pattern.
The global wet strength agent market size reached 2.227 billion US dollars in 2026, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% from 2026 to 2035, and it will exceed 4.003 billion US dollars in 2035. From the perspective of the regional pattern, the Asia-Pacific region, as the world's largest demand market, accounts for 37%, with China and India as the core of growth. The strong demand for toilet paper and food packaging paper continues to drive local capacity expansion; the North American region accounts for 29%, with stable demand for high-end household paper and medical packaging, and a high penetration rate of automatic sizing systems; the European region accounts for 24%, which is the region with the strictest environmental regulations in the world, and formaldehyde-free and low-AOX (adsorbable organic halides) products are accelerating the replacement of traditional categories; the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America regions together account for about 10%, and with the continuous improvement of infrastructure construction and demand for toilet paper, the market in this region is gradually expanding. In terms of application structure, toilet paper is the largest application field, accounting for 46%, and nearly 85% of thin paper products worldwide use wet strength agents; packaging paper accounts for 34%, of which the demand for food service packaging increased by 19% year-on-year; special paper accounts for 20%, mainly used in high-end scenarios such as currency paper and filter paper.
At the technical and product level, greenization and compliance upgrading have become core trends. Currently, 33% of global wet strength agent manufacturers have shifted to formaldehyde-free formulations. The EU REACH Regulation and the US EPA are constantly tightening product residue limits, promoting the iteration and upgrading of PAE products towards low residue and low AOX. Important breakthroughs have been made in bio-based technologies, and 41% of producers have laid out bio-based wet strength agents, mainly using starch, chitosan, and natural polymers as raw materials. Such products can reduce chemical residues by 15%-20%, and the wet strength retention rate can reach 20%-30%. Relevant research institutions are advancing the glucose-based full bio-synthesis chitosan process, which is expected to complete pilot testing in 2026, and the raw material cost can be reduced by more than 35% after commissioning. At the same time, process optimization continues to advance. Advanced polymer crosslinking technology increases the resin curing efficiency by 14% above 95℃, and high-solid-content, low-viscosity wet strength agent products also effectively reduce transportation and use costs. Application scenarios are constantly expanding. In the papermaking field, wet strength agents adapt to the needs of high-speed paper machines (>1200 meters per minute) and recycled fibers (accounting for 56%), increasing the wet strength retention rate to 25%-40%, effectively solving the problem of recycled paper recycling; in the packaging and medical fields, the demand for food-contact-grade wet strength paper continues to grow, the penetration rate of medical packaging paper is constantly increasing, and the waterproof and oil-resistant properties of products are also continuously optimized; in addition, the research and development of wet strength additives for textiles and daily chemicals is accelerating, promoting the gradual expansion of wet strength agents to application scenarios beyond paper.
At the supply chain and policy level, capacity expansion and stricter compliance go hand in hand. From 2022 to 2024, 41% of global wet strength agent producers implemented capacity expansion plans, and the global capacity increased by 9% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, of which the new capacity in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 62% of the global total. At the policy level, the EU REACH Regulation further restricts PAE residues, requires reducing AOX emissions, and promotes the replacement of traditional categories with glyoxal-based resins and bio-based products; the US FDA strengthens the certification of food-contact paper additives, and formaldehyde-free and biodegradable products obtain priority access qualifications; globally, 60% of buyers prefer recyclable and biodegradable wet strength agent products, and certifications such as OK Compost and USDA BioPreferred have become important thresholds for market access. In terms of the competitive pattern, the industry is characterized by concentration of leading enterprises, with the top 5 global suppliers accounting for about 48% of the market. At the same time, local enterprises in regions such as China and India are gradually emerging through technological upgrading and cost advantages, and relevant domestic products have obtained international certifications, with export shares continuously increasing.
In the first quarter of 2026, the global wet strength agent industry witnessed a number of key events. Several international market research institutions released reports, predicting that the industry will maintain a stable growth of more than 6% from 2026 to 2035, and bio-based products will become the core growth driver; at international chemical exhibitions, low-VOC, formaldehyde-free, and bio-based wet strength agents became the focus of the exhibition, and automatic sizing systems also received widespread attention; most producers increased environmental protection investment, shut down old high-pollution production facilities, and fully promoted the transformation to green production.
Overall, the global wet strength agent industry showed distinct characteristics of growing demand, technological upgrading, stricter compliance, and regional differentiation in the first quarter of 2026. In the future, bio-based, formaldehyde-free, and low-residue products will become the mainstream of the industry, the Asia-Pacific region will continue to dominate the global market, and Europe's strict environmental regulations will further accelerate industry reshuffling. With the continuous breakthrough of technology and the continuous integration of the supply chain, the global wet strength agent industry will develop steadily towards higher quality and more sustainability.


声明：此篇为 Shandong Yongsheng Chemical Co., Ltd. 原创文章，转载请标明出处链接： https://www.sdyshx.com/en/sys-nd/246.html
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