Coalescing Agent Market - Forecasts from 2024 to 2029

The coalescing agent market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.87% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The coalescing agent market entails the synthesis and marketing of those chemicals upon which polymer films in paints, coating, adhesive, and sealant systems are based. These agents are added in a coating formulation to enhance the film formation process by lowering the amount of temperature needed in the process. They also improve properties such as scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, mechanical look, and appearance.

The global coalescing agents market is expected to rise due to the improvements in coatings' performance needed in the construction, automotive, and marine sectors and the industry's shift towards sustainable and low-VOC products.

• Increasing Demand from the Paints and Coatings Segment: This has been so because coalescing agents have found usage as an additive in the paints and coatings industry. The coalescing agents also assist in enhancing the film formation process by lowering the minimum FFBT, with better properties of films such as scratching, abrasive, mechanical, and visual resistance. Factors like increasing demand for high-performance coatings, especially in end-use segments like construction and automotive, are the factors fostering the coalescing agent industry's growth.
• Rising Focus on Eco-Friendly Products: The focus on the green chemistry concept is widespread, and the trend towards using minimum volatile organic compounds (VOCs) coalescing agents is continuously ascending. High costs associated with government-set required standards and the desire to decrease the level of coatings' negative effect on the environment contributed to researchers' focused efforts on finding ecologically safe coalescing agents. This change in trend towards green chemistry is expected to present several new opportunities for the development of the coalescing agent market in the future years.
• Rapid Urbanization and Industrialization in Emerging Economies: The Asia Pacific region would lead the global market of the coalescing agent due to population increase, industrialization, and urbanization in nations such as China and India. Increased consumption of coalescing agents in adhesive and sealant, ink and paints and coatings, and other industries due to changing lifestyles and rising per capita income in the region is another factor that fuels the market.

COALESCING AGENT MARKET DRIVERS:

• The Hydrophilic segment will likely be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period.

Out of the two main segments of coalescing agents, the hydrophilic coalescing agent segment is assumed to grow at the highest rate during the time span of the forecast period. This is envisaged by the increasing market demand for environment-friendly and low-VOC coalescing agents. These are differentiated into water-soluble hydrophilic coalescing agents and those are low water-soluble agents. Out of the various types of hydrophilic coalescing agents, the low water-soluble ones are preferred due to their high efficiency, low water solubility, and favorable chance of penetrating through porous substrates.

The increasing concern in environmental consciousness has heaped on the need to produce and develop sustainable coatings, and therefore, hydrophilic coalescing agents have been on the rise. Crackdowns on stringent government regulations on the uses of traditional solvents and toxic incorporations have necessitated manufacturers to explore the development of hydrophilic coalescing agents.

It is important to note that these coalescing agents are environment-friendly and contribute to the enhancement of the film formation process by lowering the minimum film formation temperature. Hence, it improves the film characteristics such as scratch-resistant, abrasion-resistant, mechanical, and aesthetics of the film. This makes them a preferred choice in end uses such as paints & coating, adhesives & sealants, and personal care products. In addition, the increased rates of industry application for superior quality coatings in construction and automotive buildings, as well as marine industries, will also spur the segment for hydrophilic coalescing agents. These agents help in increasing the general quality and the life span of coatings, hence making them more popular in these applications.

• The Adhesives & Sealants segment will likely be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period.

The adhesives and sealants segment is poised to grow as the fastest-growing application segment of coalescing agents in the market until 2021.

Coalescing agents enhance the formulation of adhesives and sealants because they affect the film-forming process and the general efficiency of the final products. They help sinter the particles of the polymer material to form a coherent film and improve the adhesion and sealing characteristics.

The increasing usage of coalescing agents, especially in high-performance adhesives and sealants, due to growing end-use industries applications is another driver. Formerly used mostly in manufacturing processes, bonding, sealing, and durability have become increasingly important in industries like construction, automotive, packing, and electronics. In the construction industry, the increasing market for energy-savvy and environment-friendly building materials has created the demand for coalescing agents that enhance adhesives and sealants performance in such areas as insulation, roofing, and flooring. Likewise, the automotive segment, where the flexing of light and durable materials dominates, is a major factor in using coalescing agents in adhesives and sealants used in vehicle assembly and repairs.

Moreover, advancements in the electronics industry and the everyday increase in the miniaturization of electronic parts and devices require bonding in the adhesives and sealants that coalescing agents highly facilitate. Such agents enhance the ability to stick well and to seal to create perfect interfaces necessary in electronic elements and gadgets. The trend towards sustainability and the creation of bio-based adhesives and sealants stimulates the demand for coalescing agents, allowing for developing low-VOC and environment-friendly products. Government policies targeting the decrease of such products' impact on the climate further enhance demand for coalescing agents in the adhesives and sealants segment.

COALESCING AGENT MARKET GEOGRAPHICAL OUTLOOK

• The Asia Pacific region will dominate the coalescing agent market during the forecast period.

Currently, geography-wise, the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to capture the largest and the highest growth rate for coalescing agents, especially China and India. This has been attributed to industrialization, urbanization, and the expansion of the construction and automotive industries in the region. Consumer-driven factors such as population growth, increasing disposal income per capita, and changes in lifestyle in the Asia Pacific region also favor the paints, coating, adhesives, and sealants consumption in several end-user industries. These coalescing agents also have a significant role in enhancing the formulation of such products since they enhance the formation of the 'film' and shape the overall characteristics of the final products.

The construction industry is considered as one of the prominent industries of the Asia Pacific coalescing agent market. The area is experiencing growth in construction projects of infrastructure and new houses and commercial complexes, and the increasing need to adopt energy-related construction materials. Coalescing agents find their main application in paints and coatings for such end uses as they provide improvements in the film's durability, scratch resistance, as well as aesthetics. Besides, the constantly expanding automotive industry, especially in China and India, also drives the demand for coalescing agents. These agents are employed in the preparation of coatings, bonding, and sealing systems for the automotive industry as the improvement in the properties of film is considered a valuable characteristic. The rising global environmental consciousness and the area's trend toward manufacturing environmentally sensitive products such as low-VOC paint, coatings, adhesives, and sealants are factors that are stimulating the demand for coalescing agents. The constraints prompted by regional authorities to enact more stringent measures towards the management of such products' adverse effects on the environment, which has again boosted the use of coalescing agents.

In conclusion, the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to dominate the global coalescing agent market because of its increasing industrialization, population growth, and construction and automotive industries, which are complemented by the increasing need to use high-performance and environmentally friendly coatings, adhesives, and sealants.

The coalescing agent market key developments:

• As of June 2023, Henkel Adhesive Technologies introduced the facilities of the new adhesive manufacturing plant at the Yantai Chemical Industry Park of Shandong province. The new plant, which is to be named Kunpeng, is expected to be worth about CNY 870 million (USD 121. 74 million). Thus, it is expected that this shall lead to enhanced market growth.

The coalescing agent market is segmented and analyzed as follows:

By Type

• Hydrophilic
• Hydrophobic

By Application

• Adhesives & Sealants
• Paints & Coatings
• Inks
• Personal Care
• Other Applications (Decoloring, Polymer, etc.)

By Geography

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Others
• Europe
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Rest of Middle East and Africa
• Asia-Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Rest of Asia-Pacific