Rheology Modifiers Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Rheology Modifiers Market is projected to expand from a valuation of USD 8.83 Billion in 2025 to USD 11.32 Billion by 2031, registering a compound annual growth rate of 4.23%. Rheology modifiers are essential chemical additives engineered to adjust the viscosity and flow properties of fluids, ensuring necessary stability and control during application.

The market is primarily propelled by rising demand within the automotive and construction sectors, where these agents are critical for optimizing the performance of adhesives, coatings, and paints. Furthermore, the growing personal care industry contributes to this expansion as manufacturers increasingly use these ingredients to create specific product textures. To highlight the magnitude of this demand, the American Coatings Association valued the global paint and coatings industry at $202 billion in 2025, emphasizing the importance of this key end-use segment.

However, the market confronts a substantial hurdle regarding the instability of raw material prices. The fluctuating costs of crude oil and feedstock chemicals introduce uncertainty into production expenditures, which can squeeze profit margins and disrupt supply chain logistics. This economic volatility necessitates frequent price corrections, a practice that may discourage cost-conscious buyers and hamper overall market development. Consequently, managing these unpredictable economic factors remains a critical challenge for industry stakeholders aiming to maintain consistent growth and supply stability.

Market Drivers

The surging requirement for superior paints and coatings acts as a primary engine for the Global Rheology Modifiers Market. These additives are vital for ensuring proper leveling, preventing sagging, and keeping pigments suspended within industrial and architectural formulations. As construction projects persist and industrial production stabilizes, major coating manufacturers depend heavily on rheology modifiers to adhere to rigorous application specifications. This dependence is reflected in the strong financial results of key market players who sustain high revenues despite economic shifts. For instance, AkzoNobel’s 'Q3 2025 Report' from October 2025 noted an organic sales increase of 1% and a solid quarterly revenue of 2.55 billion euros, demonstrating the immense scale of coating usage that fuels the demand for viscosity control agents.

Concurrently, the growth of the cosmetics and personal care sector is widening the utility of rheology modifiers beyond industrial applications. Formulators are increasingly adopting these ingredients to design distinct textures, stabilize emulsions, and improve the sensory feel of hair and skin care items. This industry shows continued strength and steady growth, requiring a reliable flow of specialized thickeners. According to the American Chemistry Council's '2025 Mid-Year Situation & Outlook' released in June 2025, the production of consumer chemicals - which includes personal care items - was forecasted to stabilize with a 0.8% increase for the year. This demand is further supported by a recovering upstream supply chain; the same American Chemistry Council report predicted that global chemical production would grow by 1.9% in 2025, securing the necessary feedstock for additive manufacturing.

Market Challenges

The unpredictability of raw material costs poses a significant barrier to the stability and growth of the Global Rheology Modifiers Market. Since the manufacturing of these additives is deeply tethered to petrochemical feedstocks and crude oil, producers are extremely sensitive to shifts in global energy prices. Abrupt increases in feedstock costs can immediately derail production budgets, resulting in erratic operational expenses that are challenging to manage without drastically reducing profit margins. This volatility complicates the ability of suppliers to provide stable pricing structures, thereby causing inefficiencies and friction within supply chain management.

Such economic instability compels manufacturers to adjust prices frequently, which can discourage price-sensitive customers in the automotive and construction sectors from entering into long-term contracts. To highlight the intensity of this upstream pressure, the American Chemistry Council reported in 2024 that input and raw material costs for chemical producers rose for three consecutive quarters, indicating a prolonged period of high production costs. This persistent fluctuation hinders investment and financial planning, ultimately obstructing the market's broader expansion as manufacturers are forced to focus on short-term cost recuperation rather than strategic growth.

Market Trends

The shift toward renewable and bio-based rheology modifiers is fundamentally transforming the market as producers seek to reduce their dependence on fossil-fuel-derived feedstocks. Motivated by rigorous environmental standards and consumer preference for clean-label products, suppliers are actively boosting the bio-carbon levels in their additive offerings to provide sustainable substitutes for synthetic thickeners. This strategic shift is visible in the sourcing practices of major specialty chemical companies, which are increasingly incorporating plant-based inputs. For example, Croda International PLC’s 'Sustainability Impact Report 2024', published in March 2025, stated that 56% of its organic raw materials were bio-based, underscoring the significant extent to which renewable resources are displacing petrochemical derivatives in ingredient production.

At the same time, the rapid transition to low-VOC and water-borne formulations is serving as a major driver for innovation in viscosity control solutions. As architectural and industrial industries move away from solvent-based systems to comply with emission regulations, there is a growing demand for advanced associative thickeners that can stabilize water-based matrices while preserving exact leveling and flow characteristics. This trend is altering commercial strategies, with leading formulators depending more on eco-efficient products to spur revenue growth. Illustrating this shift, PPG’s '2024 Sustainability Report' from May 2025 disclosed that 41% of its total sales came from sustainably advantaged products, highlighting the market's heavy reliance on next-generation chemistries that enable environmentally responsible coating applications.

Key Players Profiled in the Rheology Modifiers Market

• BASF SE
• The Dow Chemical Company
• The Lubrizol Corporation
• Clariant International Ltd.
• Arkema SA
• Croda International PLC
• Ashland Inc.
• Akzo Nobel N.V.
• ELEMENTIS PLC
• RheoSense, Inc.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Rheology Modifiers Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Rheology Modifiers Market, by Type:

• Organic
• Inorganic

Rheology Modifiers Market, by Application:

• Paints & Coatings
• Cosmetics & Personal Care
• Adhesives & Sealants
• Pharmaceuticals
• Home Care
• Oil & Gas
• Construction
• Inks
• Others

Rheology Modifiers Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Rheology Modifiers Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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