Cationic Starch Market Report 2025

This Cationic Starch market report covers market characteristics, size & growth, segmentation, regional & country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market’s historic and forecast market growth by geography.

The cationic starch market size has grown steadily in recent years. It will grow from $1.73 billion in 2024 to $1.81 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to paper industry demand, food and beverage sector, textile industry usage, adhesives and binders, oil and gas drilling.

The cationic starch market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2.16 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to biodegradability and sustainability, pharmaceutical and medical applications, growing textile innovations, increased food industry applications, bioplastic development,. Major trends in the forecast period include clean label food products, pharmaceutical and medical advances, textile innovation, gluten-free baking, construction materials.

An anticipated rise in paper manufacturing is set to drive the growth of the cationic starch market. The continuous demand for education and literacy, along with the expansion of organized retail, eCommerce, FMCG, and the pharma/healthcare sectors, alongside the push for quality packaging and the ban on plastic, has stimulated paper manufacturing activities worldwide. This increase in paper production is likely to enhance the use of cationic starch, which plays a crucial role in the production of fine papers, packaging board, carton board, corrugated papers, and both coated and uncoated wood-containing publication papers. Cationic starch also functions as a natural coating binder, enhancing printability and surface properties, while serving as carriers for optical brightening agents (OBAs). For example, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, a regional commission of the United Nations based in Switzerland, the production of sanitary and household papers increased by 1.1% in 2022, reaching 8.1 million tonnes compared to the previous year. Thus, the growth in paper production and manufacturing is projected to drive the demand for cationic starch throughout the forecast period.

The burgeoning textile industry is set to contribute significantly to the growth of the cationic starch market. This sector, encompassing the production, manufacturing, and processing of textiles and textile products, values cationic starch for its role as a sizing agent. Cationic starch enhances the strength, adhesion, compatibility, smoothness, and overall quality of textiles. The textile and apparel exports in the United States, totaling $34 billion in 2022, up from $28.4 billion in 2021, underscore the expanding textile industry's impact on the cationic starch market.

Key players in the cationic starch market are concentrating on innovation, such as the development of plant-based alternatives that replace milk protein and fat in plant-based dairy applications. A plant-based alternative is a product primarily made from ingredients derived from plants, designed to replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of animal-based products. For example, in April 2022, Royal Avebe, a starch manufacturer based in the Netherlands, introduced Etenia ES, specifically formulated for creamy dairy products. This new multifunctional texturizing potato solution has been launched for creamy dairy applications, addressing the demand for clean-label, delicious, and guilt-free choices. This innovative ingredient effectively substitutes milk protein and fat while improving texture and stability, making it highly compatible with existing dairy production processes. It dissolves easily and has a neutral taste, ensuring that the final products retain their original flavor integrity.

To enhance market revenues, major players in the cationic starch sector are directing their efforts towards developing innovative products, notably bio-based cationic starches. These starches represent a category of modified starch products derived from natural and renewable sources, subjected to a chemical modification process that introduces a positive charge (cationic charge) to their molecular structure. An illustrative instance is Scott Bader Company Limited, a UK-based cationic starch manufacturer, which unveiled two novel bio-based cationic starch additives for personal care in June 2022 - Texique CS-32 and Texique CS-P. These solutions are aqueous formulations of naturally occurring cationic polysaccharides derived from non-genetically modified food-grade potato starch. Texique CS-P, a modified film-forming cationic starch derivative, enhances wet and dry combability, detangles hair effectively, imparts shine, and moisturizes hair for a smooth and natural feel. Preserved with phenoxyethanol and sodium benzoate, Texique CS-32 is another naturally occurring cationic polysaccharide, seamlessly incorporable into transparent formulations.

In October 2022, AKV Langholt, a food production company based in Denmark, acquired Cargill’s 50% stake in their joint venture, Cargill-AKV I/S, for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition is intended to enhance its market position within the food production industry, especially in the starch and potato product sectors where the joint venture previously operated. Cargill is a food and beverage manufacturing company based in the United States.

Major companies operating in the cationic starch market include Roquette Frères S.A., Tate & Lyle PLC, Ingredion Incorporated, Western Polymer Corporation, Galam Ltd., Cargill Incorporated, Santosh Starch Products Limited, Sunar Misir Ent. Tes. San. Tic. A.S., Starch Asia Company Limited, Saurashtra Gum and Chemicals Private Limited, Visco Starch, Banpong Tapioca Flour Industrial Co Ltd., Global Bio-Chem Technology Group Company Limited, Guangxi Mingli Group Co Ltd., Hubei Corn Resources Development Co Ltd., Liaocheng Yonchic Import & Export Co Ltd., Luzhou Bio-chem Technology Limited, Qingdao Cbh Co Ltd., Shandong Fuyang Biotechnology Co Ltd., Zhucheng Xingmao Corn Developing Co Ltd., Honest Derivatives Pvt. Ltd., Chemigate Oy, Solam AB, Südstärke GmbH, Dezhou Runde Starch Co. Ltd., Nantong Yunfeng Starch Co. Ltd., Papermate Science Technology Co. Ltd., Grain Processing Corporation, Chemstar Products Company.

Cationic starch is a modified starch created by reacting a reactive chemical with a slurry of partially swollen starch granules. This versatile substance serves various purposes, acting as wet-end additives, rheology modifiers, paper binders, thickening agents, flocculants, emulsion stabilizers, and coating agents. Its applications aim to enhance tear strength, bind particles together on base materials, and increase fiber and filler retention.

The primary types of cationic starch include corn cationic starch, tapioca cationic starch, potato cationic starch, and wheat & other cationic starch. Corn cationic starch involves the preparation of derivatives with a high degree of substitution in an alkaline solution. This type of starch exhibits both organic and conventional properties and finds extensive use in wet-end additives in papermaking, contributing to increased thickness. Cationic starches, including corn cationic starch, play crucial roles in various industries such as paper-making, textiles, mining, and sewage treatment.

The cationic starch market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides cationic starch market statistics, including cationic starch industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a cationic starch market share, detailed cationic starch market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the cationic starch industry. This cationic starch market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

North America was the largest region in the cationic starch market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the cationic starch market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.

The countries covered in the cationic starch market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA.

The cationic starch market consists of sales of cross-linked starch products, high-charge cationic starches, modified starch. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

This product will be delivered within 3-5 business days.