Colorants Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application(Plastic, Textile, Food, Personal Care, Printing, Paints & Coatings), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America, MEA), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global colorants market size was estimated at 2,025 kilo tons in 2015. It is expected to witness significant growth on account of increasing demand for dyes and pigments from various applications majorly including plastics, textiles, and food & beverage.

Natural colorants are derived from agricultural, biological, or mineral sources, and caramel is derived from natural carbohydrate sources including corn, wheat, and sugar. This sector has experienced immense growth in various countries including the U.S., China, Canada, Germany, and India over the past few years owing to the increasing consumer awareness towards natural ingredients.

U.S. colorants market revenue by application, 2014 - 2025 (USD Million)

Increasing consumer awareness about attractive product packaging and growing fashionable clothing trends in the U.S. are expected to drive the coloring agent demand in various applications such as food, cosmetics, and textile. The North America regional market is dominated by the U.S. owing to the significant demand for pigment and dye, which is driven by several factors including technological development and increasing demand in the paints market.

European market dominated global dyestuff consumption with Germany being the leader over the past decade. The use of a diverse range of colors in cosmetic and plastic industries for textures, formats, applicators, and packages has increased their acceptance amongst various consumer age groups. European regulatory authorities including the European Commission and REACH are providing immense expansion scope for the natural colorants market to grow steadily.

Dyes and pigments are the natural or synthetic colorants, which offer hiding power, color, and specific physical attributes to a final product. In addition to color, they may also add corrosion resistance and durability to products. Color additives are major components of several finished products, making them appealing, attractive, and appetizing for their consumers.

Application Insights

The textile emerged as the leading application sector and is projected to grow at CAGR of over 3.5% over the forecast period mainly owing to the increase in consumer spending on clothing and garments. Moreover, the growing demand for eco-friendly products is enhancing the use of dyes in the textile industry, and this has led to an increase in the overall sales of coloring agents. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness a high demand for dyes on account of the changing consumer preference toward new and innovative textile shades.

Increasing use of pigments in beverages such as cold drinks & juices and confectioneries such as sweets, chocolates, and ice creams is also expected to propel the product demand and estimated to exceed 250 kilo tons over 2025. Rising consumption of annatto, carmine, and caramel in food & beverages and personal care applications on account of their environment-friendly feature is anticipated to provide immense potential for market expansion.

The printing application segment was valued over USD 1.8 billion in 2015, owing to the high utilization of ink and printing colors in various applications such as paper, metals, glass, plastics, fabrics, wall coverings, and ceramics. Furthermore, inkjet colorants are used in several applications like paints & coatings, textile, construction, plastics, leather, and paper on account of their inherent features such as light and water fastness and resilience towards heat & bleeding.

Global colorants market share by application, 2015 (USD Million)

Colorants are major components of many products, making them appealing and informative. This provides a unique code for consumers to associate products with their respective functions. This trend is largely adopted in medicine dosages, candy flavors, and packaging. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) acts as a medium that assures the pigments are safely and appropriately used and such regulations have to be followed by the industry players exporting to the North American market.

Regional Insight

Europe emerged as the dominant consumer while accounting for over 35% of the revenue in 2015. Increasing preference for naturally derived color additives coupled with the favorable regulatory scenario is expected to steer colorants demand in food, personal care, and textile segment over the forecast period.

The demand for these dyes and pigments in North America was over 550 kilo tons and is expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Growing printing inks and architectural coatings demand in North America is anticipated to contribute towards market growth over the next nine years.

The Asia-Pacific market was valued at over 5,500 million in 2015. Key drivers for market growth in this region are the increasing per capita utilization of color additives in promising economies coupled with the rising demand for pigments from various end-user industries such as textile, paper, plastic, and coating. India and China are the dominant markets contributing to the growth of the Asia Pacific colorants industry.

Colorants Market Share Insight

The key players in the colorants market include Chr. Hansen Holding, Sethness Products Company, Sensient Technologies Corporation, Jagson Colorchem Limited, PolyOne, Penn Color, Clariant International, Lanxess AG, GNT Group, Symrise AG, San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc., DD Williamson, T.H. Glennon, Pylam Products, Teknor Apex Company, and ROHA JTT Group. The colorant manufacturers are engaged in maintaining their supply and production capacities to cater to the growing demand by collaborating with suppliers across the globe.

Recent Developments

• In March 2023, Penn Color Inc. announced the launch of its new Astrad™ portfolio of dispersions at the European Coatings Show in Germany. The product portfolio of water-based, solvent-based, and UV dispersions includes four different series: Astrad-WB, Astrad-UV, Astrad-IS and Astrad-AUTO.

• In July 2021, Clariant announced the opening of a new collaborative innovation center to help the North American paints and coatings industry handle the challenges of new trends, rising performance standards, and sustainability criteria.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts volume and revenue growth at regional & country levels and provides an analysis of the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global colorants market on the basis of product, end-use industries, and region:

• Application Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Plastics

    • Benzimidazolone

    • Pyrazolone

    • Phthalocyanine

    • Quinacridone

    • Titanium Dioxide

    • Chromium

    • Cadmium

    • Others

  • Textile

    • Disperse

    • Acid

    • Direct

    • Basic

    • Reactive

    • Sulfur

    • Vat

    • Organic pigments

    • Inorganic pigments

    • Other

  • Food & Beverages

    • Annatto

    • Anthraquinone

    • Anthocyanin

    • Caramels

    • Carotenoid

    • Curcumin

    • Lutein

    • Allura Red

    • Tartrazine

    • Titanium Dioxide

    • Others

  • Personal Care

    • Annatto

    • Caramel

    • Carmine

    • Carotenoids

    • Henna

    • Iron Oxide

    • Chromium

    • Titanium Dioxide

    • Zinc Oxide

    • Others

  • Printing

    • Azo

    • Benzimidazolone

    • Quinacridone

    • Phthalocyanine

    • Iron

    • Titanium Dioxide

    • Others

  • Paints & Coatings

    • Benzimidazolone

    • Quinacridone

    • Phthalocyanine

    • Iron Oxide

    • Chromium

    • Titanium Dioxide

    • Zinc oxide

    • Others

  • Other applications

• Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • The U.K.

    • France

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

    • India

  • Central & South America

  • Middle East & Africa