Stable Development of Detergents Manufacturing Sector   


1  Constant growth in the
output of detergent products

The average annual growth in the total output of detergent products in China was 11.2% from 2003 to 2006. The total output of detergent products reached 6.1818 million tons in 2006. Of the total, the output of washing powders was 3.3431 million tons, an increase of 13.69% over the previous year; The output of liquid detergents was 2.1183 million tons, a surge of 5.71%; The output of soaps (toilet soaps) was 720 400 tons, an increase of 0.64%.
   Synthetic detergents - washing powders and liquid detergents had a similar growth in recent years. The growth of washing powders was slightly higher than liquid detergents. The output of soaps (toilet soaps) remained stable at around 700 thousand tons a year.

  2  Constant changes in the
proportion of detergent products

With the popularization of washing machines in households, the washing habit of consumers has changed in China. The proportion of washings with machines has increased remarkably. The output and the sales amount of soaps suitable for washing with hands have been maintained stable in recent years whereas that of synthetic detergents grew rapidly.
   The proportion of synthetic detergents in the total output of detergent products is increasing consecutively, while the proportion of soaps (toilet soaps) went down year by year.

     Table 1  Output of Detergent Products in China     (thousand tons)
Year                    2003    2004    2005    2006    
Total of detergents     4496.3 5018.5    5660.1    6181.8
Synthetic detergents    3793.6 4363.5    4944.3    5461.4
   Washing powders      2281.4 2726.4    2940.5    3343.1
   Liquid detergents    1512.2 1637.1    2003.8    2118.3
Soaps (toilet soaps)    702.7   655.0    715.8    720.4
Source: CNCIC

    Table 2  Proportion of Synthetic Detergents and Soaps     (%)
Year                    2003    2004    2005    2006
Synthetic detergents    84.37    86.95    87.35    88.35
Soaps (toilet soaps)    15.63    13.05    12.65    11.65
Source: CNCIC

Table 3  Proportion of Washing Powders and Liquid Detergents  (%)
Year                2003    2004    2005    2006
Washing powders     60.14    62.48    59.47    61.21
Liquid detergents    39.86    37.52    40.53    38.79
Source: CNCIC

   The ratio between washing powders and liquid detergents has been basically maintained at 6 : 4. It shows that after the rapid growth in previous years the growth of liquid detergents has been slowed down in recent years, basically equal to the growth of washing powders.
   In liquid detergents, the proportion is around 45% for personal cleaning products (around 30% for shampoos, around 12% for bath lotions and around 3% for hand fluids), around 40% for tableware detergents, around 6% for clothing liquid detergents and around 9% for other hard surface cleaning agents (including those for industrial uses and public facilities).
   Compared with the status in previous years, the proportion of tableware detergents decreased slightly in recent years and the proportion of personal cleaning products, especially bath lotions and hand fluids, increased rapidly. Another growth point is of household hard surface cleaning agents. Although the output and the sales amount of household hard surface cleaning agents are not big today, its development speed is not ignorable. The proportion of clothing liquid detergents is also increasing constantly, but the growth is small.
   Despite the increase in the variety of detergent products, washing powders will still be major varieties of detergent products for a considerable period of time. Clothing liquid detergents will have a higher proportion but will not overtake washing powders and become leading products.

  3  Rapid growth in the
export of detergent products

The imports and exports of detergent products in China rocketed in recent years. The export amount of soaps was 72 800 tons in 2006, an increase of 32.06% over the previous year and the export value was US$85.48 million, up 46.09%. The export amount of synthetic detergents was 534 thousand tons, an increase of 19.69% and the export value was US$512.22 million, an increase of 18.98%. The import amount of soaps was 11 700 tons in 2006, a drop of 10.67% from the previous year and the import value was US$225 800, an increase of 10.37%. The import amount of synthetic detergents was 326 700 tons, an increase of 9.86% and the import value was US$656.58 million, an increase of 17.2%.
   Both the export amount and the export value of detergent products enjoyed a drastic growth in 2006. It shows that detergent products in China have already held a foothold in the international market. The import amount of soaps is down but the import value goes up. It shows that imported products have a high price and they are mostly high-grade varieties. The growth in the import value of synthetic detergents is higher than the growth of the import amount. It also shows that imported products have a high price and they are mostly high-grade varieties.
   In terms of raw materials, the export amount of anionic surfactants is down but the import amount is up. It shows that the brisk growth of synthetic detergents and various industrial detergents in China has stimulated the demand for raw materials. The growth of demand for non-ionic surfactants is higher than the growth of output. The import amount is therefore maintained at a relatively high level. The export amount of cationic surfactants is increased but the import amount is reduced. It shows that the localization rate of cationic surfactants in China lifted.

  4  Gradual improvement in
the quality of detergent products

Due to the drastic price rise of raw materials in previous years, the cost in producers increased rapidly and the quality of detergent products had a declining trend. With the joint efforts by supervisory departments and the detergent products manufacturing sector, the quality of detergent products has been improved vigorously. According to the sampling survey by the National Quality Supervision Bureau and the quality follow-up survey by China Detergent Industry Association, the rate of qualified products is 100% for bath lotions and hand fluids, 96.7% for toilet soaps and 88.60% for