European market, mainly for theproduction of plastic bottles, polyesterfibres, refrigerants, detergents andsurfactants.

In other company news, ShellChemicals Japan is to start promotingits higher alcohols for toiletries anddetergents in Japan. Samplemarketing of Neodol 145 will start inearly 2005. The company is theworld’s largest producer of synthetichigher alcohols, with a capacity of545,000 tonnes/y.

Info Chimie Magazine, Sep 2004, (458), 20 (in French)& Japan Chemical Week, 13 Jan 2005, 46 (2301), 8

SURFACTANTSSurfactant volumes rebound butmargin pressure remains

Suppliers of surfactants to soap anddetergents producers say demandexceeded expectations in 2004. Butthe cost of raw materials – especiallyfor products linked to LAB and EO –has increased sharply, resulting in alag in margins. Global surfactantsdemand rose 10% in 2004, with Asialeading the way. Demand forsurfactants is expected to track GDPin W Europe, Japan and N America.Overall consumption here was 6 Mtonnes, with a value of $9.8 bn.Volume is expected to increase1.9%/y here to 2008. Surfactantproducers remain optimistic overimproving profitability. A number ofmakers have consolidated or closeddown capacity in recent years,easing the previous oversupplysituation. Even if growth is onlymodest, the supply situation shouldbe sufficiently tight to provide scopefor maintaining or lifting margins.Increases in raw material prices havemoderated, but are still expected toclimb in 1Q 2005, and mostmanufacturers have thus announcedprice rises. Profitability remainsbelow reinvestment levels.Manufacturers are working hard toidentify what customers are preparedto pay for and target their productsand services accordingly. Producersare trying to offer multifunctionalproducts across a range ofsurfactants and other ingredients.

Chemical Week, 26 Jan 2005, 167 (3) (Website:http://www.chemicalweek.com)

Seiwa’s new multifunctional acylatedpolypeptide

Seiwa Kasei has come up withPromois EFLS, a multifunctionalacylated polypeptide obtained fromsilk that prevents discolouring byshampoos. Promois EFLS is afoaming surfactant that providessoftness, silkiness and gloss to thehair. Coloured hair is repaired andmoisturized.

Parfums, Cosmetiques, Actualites, Dec 2004, (180),63

Cognis expands surfactants activitiesin Asia

Cognis is expanding in the Asiansurfactants market. Its Thaisubsidiary has formed a 50:50 jointventure with Thai Olefins plc for theproduction and marketing of fattyalcohol ethoxylates. The company,named Thai Ethoxylate Co Ltd[Focus on Surfactants, Feb 2005],will start production by Oct 2006 at anew $20 M, 50,000 tonnes/ysurfactants plant being constructed atRayong Industries Industrial Estate,southeast of Bangkok. The jv willprincipally serve customers in thehome and personal care industries.Both companies will contributeexpertise in the production of theethylene oxide and fatty alcoholfeedstocks to the joint venture, andoutput will be marketed by bothpartners. About half of the productionis likely to be sold in the domesticmarket where ethoxylate demand isaround 25,000 tonnes/y with anaverage growth of 7-8%/y. Asianmarket demand is around 1.6 Mtonnes/y and global demand isaround 2.5 M tonnes/y. Part of theproduction will also be purchased byCognis for its own captive use,chiefly in Cognis facilities in China,Thailand and Indonesia. Procter &Gamble and Servo are Cognis’ maincompetitors in this sector with P&Gplanning to start production at a new100,000 tonnes/y surfactants plant atKuala Tanjun in Jakarta during 2006.Fatty alcohol ethoxylates are used inthe production of surfactants fordetergents, cosmetics and cleaningapplications.

Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 27 Dec 2004, (281), 9 (inFrench) & NutraCos, Nov/Dec 2004, 3 (6), 8

ASSOCIATEDPRODUCTS

Phosphoric acid projects in China

Jiangyin Chengxing Industrial Corphas launched 2 projects in Jiangsuprovince, China representing a Yuan320 M investment. The first concernsthe production of 240,000 tonnes/yphosphoric acid for the electronicsindustry and the second the productionof 50,000 tonnes/y of specialityphosphates for the detergents,pharmaceuticals and food markets.

Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 10 Jan 2005, (282), 8 (inFrench)

Laundry wash takes on sunscreen role

PZ Cussons in Australia has unveileda new laundry detergent that providessunscreen into clothing in the form ofan invisible dye. The dye imparts anultra protection factor (UPF) ofbetween five and 15 after five washesand as much as 30UPF after 10washes. A Swiss chemical companyhas patented the sunscreen moleculefor use in detergent.

SPC, Soap Perfumery and Cosmetics, Dec 2004, 77(12), 3

Octel develops new product lines forhair care

Octel has come up with five productranges for the hair care segment,including a polymer for conditioningthe hair. Octacare PA 7 is a newpolyampholyte that is effective for drycombing. It is suitable for use with allsurfactants, zinc pyrithione, vitaminsand botanical extracts that may beused in formulating clear products.The product comes in liquid form andis easy to use in many hair careformulations without heating orpowerful agitation.

Parfums, Cosmetiques, Actualites, Dec 2004, (180), 86

Meadowfoam + from Fanning Corp

Fanning Corp has unveiledMeadowestollide andMeadowlactone, new bio-functionalingredients sourced frommeadowfoam seed oil. They are saidto offer measurable conditioning skin

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care benefits in terms of overallappearance, texture and tone.Meadowlactone is an amphotericcompound whose isomeric structurescan change between oil and watersolubility as a function of pH.

SPC, Soap Perfumery and Cosmetics, Dec 2004, 77(12), 37

APPLICATIONSHousehold cleaning

Household detergents

Imparting surface-modifyingcharacteristics is one of the ways thathome and fabric care companies aretrying to retain their competitiveadvantage. Controlled delivery offragrance and active ingredients isanother flourishing research area,especially for heavy-duty laundrydetergents. And while companiesseek ways to improve top productssold in developed countries, they arealso adapting cleaning chemistries tocheaper products sold in thedeveloping world. The process thatProcter & Gamble’s global fabric andhome care business uses to developproducts depends increasingly oncooperation with outside partners. AtClorox, the idea for a surface-protecting product resulted fromClorox’s ability to understandconsumer needs. At Henkel the focuson surface modification is mostevident in the automatic dishwasherdetergent (ADW) sector. BASF is alsodeveloping hydrophobically modifiedpolyacrylates for ADW that providesurface modification. The USdetergents market had a volume of$3.3 bn in the year ending 28 Nov2004. Two Procter & Gamble brands(Tide and Gain) accounted for 50% ofthe market. Speciality chemicalscompanies are scanning their productranges for products that can helpdetergent manufacturers succeed indeveloping countries.

Chemical and Engineering News, 24 Jan 2005, 83 (4),15-20 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org)

New products in the toilet

With cleaning products in N Americaand Europe showing slow growth,suppliers are turning to product

innovation to generate sales growth.Both Clorox and S C Johnson haverecently launched disposable germ-killing brushes. These products meanconsumers no longer have to pour acleaner into the toilet, and producerssay they are more sanitary. Clorox’sToiletWand posted sales of $1.5 M inDec 2004 alone.

Chemical Week, 26 Jan 2005, 167 (3) (Website:http://www.chemicalweek.com)

Personal careproducts

Uniqema targets personal care

Uniqema is to focus on specialities in2005. Its growth strategy will targetmarkets that offer prospects forabove-average growth. These includepersonal care products and syntheticlubricants. The firm is expectinggrowth at double GDP rates forpersonal care products, particularlyskin care ingredients used in anti-ageing products. Basic oleochemicalshave encountered challenging marketconditions. Basic fatty acids andglycerine account for 25% ofUniqema’s gross margin. Glycerineprices have fallen due to increasedproduction of biodiesel, which hasglycerine as a by-product. Uniqemahad sales of £465 M for Jan-Sep 2004.

Chemical Market Reporter, 3 Jan 2005 (Website:http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)

Cussons to switch soap jobs to Thailand

PZ Cussons, the maker of ImperialLeather, is to close its Nottingham,UK, factory with the loss of 160 jobsas customers shun old-fashionedbars of soap in favour of liquidvarieties. The factory, which has beenmaking soap since 1955, will shut in2007 and production will be switchedto Thailand. Soap bars produced inNottingham now account for only 17%of the group’s UK sales, down frommore than half of sales in 1995. Barsof soap are becoming less popular inthe UK and it is more cost effectivefor Cussons to move to Thailand,where it is investing in a new state-of-the-art factory. Demand for soap barsin Asia is rising. The Far East nowaccounts for two-thirds of the worldmarket for soap bars, and PZCussons already has productioncentres in Thailand and Indonesia.

The news of the closure came as PZCussons, which began trading inSierra Leone in 1879, announced itwas withdrawing from Russia andChina. The group has been hit by theweakening of the rouble, which hasmade the investment needed topromote its brands expensive, and anew distribution network has failed toimprove sales. It has also failed tosucceed in China, blaming competitivepressures. A £3 M loss in Russia andlosses in China caused the company toreport a 4% drop in pre-tax profits forthe six months to the end of Nov 2004.It has also been hit by the weak USdollar, as more than half of its businessis in currencies linked to the dollar.Rising oil costs have also affected thecompany.

The Independent, 9 Feb 2005 (Website:http://www.independent.co.uk)

PATENTSP&G creates method for enhancingsuds volume

Procter & Gamble has earned PatentNo US 6,825,157 B2 for a processimproving suds volume and sudsduration. The process uses a liquiddetergent composition that haspolymeric suds enhancers.

HAPPI, Household & Personal Products Industry, Jan2005, 42 (1), 32

Detergent composition patented byDaikin Industries

Daikin Industries Ltd of Osaka, Japanhas obtained Patent No US 6,831,048B21 for a cleaning composition havingat least one of fluoride salts andhydrogen difluoride salts, an organicsolvent with a hetero atom or atoms,water and optionally one or moresurfactants or corrosion inhibitors.

HAPPI, Household & Personal Products Industry, Jan2005, 42 (1), 32

Fabric softener method patented byCiba

Ciba Specialty Chemicals has beengranted Patent No US 6,831,055 B1for a method of using a softenercomposition that provideshydrophilicity to textile fibre materials.

HAPPI, Household & Personal Products Industry, Jan2005, 42 (1), 32

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