According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global antifog additives market generated $397.2 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $619.8 million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 4.6% from 2022 to 2031.

Antifog additives are organic compounds and non-ionic surfactantsthat play a crucial part in lowering down the surface tension of water.This, in turn, restricts the water droplet formation on various materials such as plastic films. Moreover, they are extensively utilized in manufacturing of plastic sheets. They have a number of applications in different end-use industries such as agriculture, automobile, food &packaging industry, and others.

Rise in demand for food and agricultural packaging films and surge in demand for coated films in mirrors and protective eyewear led to rise in production activities of antifog additives. This factor is expected to drive the market growth.

However, stringent government regulations related to the usage of additives in the food processing industry restrain the market growth. Furthermore, the generation of hazardous waste during the production of films acts as a restraining factor for the market growth.

Significant rise in the global population, industrialization, urbanization, and consumer demand for vehicles led to surge in demand for antifog additives. These additives are utilized in manufacturing vehicle windows and windscreensas they raise the visibility of mirrors. This factor presents new opportunitiesfor the market growth. Moreover, the expansion of the automobile industry and concernsrelated to passenger safety increased the demand for antifog additives. These factors are expected to drive the global market growth and projected to present new opportunities in the market.

The report offers a detailed segmentation of the global antifog additives market based on type, application, and region. Based on type, the report further segments the market into sorbitan ester, polyglycerol esters, glycerol ester, glycerol monooleate, and others.The glycerol monooleate segment held the highest revenue share in 2021. This is due to the fact that glycerol monooleate-based antifog additives are utilized extensively in the drugformulations.It also helps in lowering down issues related to foaming in the pharmaceutical sector.

Based on application, the report further divides the market into food packaging and agriculture. The agriculture segment accounted for the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2021, holding nearly 67% share of the global market. This is due to factors such as surge in farm income, import-export activities, and improvement in farming practices.Additive films are widely deployed on fruits, vegetables, and other plants to surge the plant productivity and maintain the efficiency in the agriculture sector.

Based on region, the report analyzes the antifog additives market into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR throughout the forecast period, and also held the highest market share in 2021, with more than one-third of the global market. This is attributed to rise of the packaging industry that raises the demand for plastic additives. China is equipped with the second-largest packaging industry across the globe. The country is projected to witness a considerable growth throughout the forecast period, owing to increase in customized packaging for the food industry along with rise in export activities that led to surge in the production capacities of antifog additives.

The report analyzes the key market players operating in the global antifog additives market. The market players analyzed in the research include Ashland Global Holdings Inc., BASF SE, Avient, Clariant AG, ChemPoint, Croda International Plc., Corbion N.V., Eastman Chemical Company, DuPont, Evonik Industries, Emery Oleochemicals, Lipotype, Foreverest Resources Ltd., MerkKGaA, and PCC Chemax Inc.

Key findings of the study:

• The glycerol monooleate segment is projected to witness the largest growth rate in terms of revenue, manifesting a CAGR of 4.3% from 2022 to 2031.
• The agriculture segment is projected to manifest the largest CAGR of 4.5% throughout the forecast period.
• Asia-Pacific held the largest share of 35% in 2021, and is projected to register a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period.

COVID-19 Analysis:

The Covid-19 pandemic hit more than 180 countries and created huge disruptions in daily lives of people and the global economy. The antifog additives market was negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to rise in COVID-19 infection cases, the implementation of lockdown restrictions, and closure of various operations and facilities.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers faced disruptions in operations and supply chain, due to lockdown restrictions implemented by the governments of various countries. However, there were several difficulties in acquiring raw materials, disruptions in material supply chain, and shortages in labor. Furthermore, investments in packaging and agriculture sectors were either postponed or canceled to carry out new operations. In addition, manufacturing companies of several synthetic antifog additives either closed down or shrank their operations to avoid the possibility of infection among the workforce.

The pandemic made a huge negative impact on the chemicals sector as majority of companies in many countries were forced to shut down due to lockdown restrictions and transportation restrictions. This led to decreased production rate of different chemicals, and thereby hampered the production activities of antifog additives. During the first quarter of 2021, surged demand in antifog additive chemicals was experienced across the globe.