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China and Germany are the leading exporters of thioglycolic acid (CAS 68-11-1), accounting for the largest shares of global supply, while the United States, India, and South Korea represent the top importing markets. Imports into the U.S. and India have shown steady growth over the past two years, coinciding with moderate upward pressure on thioglycolic acid prices amid tightening export controls and rising raw material costs in key producing regions.
Thioglycolic Acid: Recent Market Dynamics Report
I. Market Quotation Updates
1. Domestic Market Quotations
- High-Purity Products:
- Shandong Aite Chemical Co., Ltd. (domestically produced, purity ≥99.5%): RMB 30,000/ton, quoted on July 7, 2026; delivery location: Shandong Province; validity period: 7 days; quantity: 100 tons.
- Aite (Zhejiang) Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. (domestically produced, purity 99.9%): RMB 40,000/ton, quoted on July 6, 2026; delivery location: Zhejiang Province.
- Jia’en Chemical (Shandong) Co., Ltd. (purity 99%): RMB 37,000/ton, quoted on July 6, 2026; delivery location: Shandong Province.
- Shandong Junfeng New Materials Co., Ltd. (assay 90%): RMB 50,000/ton, quoted on July 6, 2026; delivery location: Jinan City, Shandong Province.
- Medium- and Low-Purity Products:
- Liaocheng Xinli New Materials Co., Ltd. (purity ≥99.5%): RMB 29,000/ton, quoted on July 6, 2026; delivery location: Shandong Province.
- Shandong Qiangsen Chemical Co., Ltd. (delivery location: Zibo City, Shandong Province): RMB 29,000/ton, quoted on July 6, 2026.
- Shandong Aite Chemical Co., Ltd. (premium grade): RMB 20,000/ton, quoted on July 6, 2026; delivery location: Shandong Province.
- Zhongsu Supply Chain Management (Shandong) Co., Ltd. (delivery location: Jinan City, Shandong Province): RMB 29,000/ton, assay 90%, quoted on July 6, 2026.
2. Regional Price Differences
- As the primary production base, Shandong Province exhibits a wide price range—from RMB 20,000/ton (premium grade) to RMB 50,000/ton (high-purity product).
- Quotations in Zhejiang Province are generally higher; for instance, Aite (Zhejiang) Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. quotes RMB 40,000/ton for its 99.9% purity product.
II. Market Analysis and Assessment
1. Factors Driving Price Fluctuations
- Purity Impact: High-purity products command significantly higher prices than medium- and low-purity alternatives—for example, Shandong Junfeng New Materials Co., Ltd.’s 90% assay product is priced at RMB 50,000/ton, whereas Shandong Aite Chemical Co., Ltd.’s premium-grade product is quoted at only RMB 20,000/ton.
- Supply-Demand Dynamics: Short validity periods on certain quotations (e.g., Shandong Aite’s 7-day validity) reflect tight supply-demand conditions or frequent price volatility.
- Regional Competition: Wide intra-provincial quotation disparities among Shandong-based enterprises likely stem from differences in production technology, cost control capabilities, or brand positioning.
2. Downstream Application Demand
- Hair Care & Cosmetics Sector: Thioglycolic acid serves as the primary active ingredient in cold-perm solutions, exhibiting stable demand. However, elevated pricing for high-purity grades may constrain procurement volumes among small- and medium-sized enterprises.
- Chemical Intermediates Sector: Growth in industries such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) drives increasing demand for thioglycolic acid 2-ethylhexyl ester (TGB), thereby indirectly boosting demand for raw thioglycolic acid.
- Pharmaceutical Sector: High-purity thioglycolic acid is widely employed in drug synthesis; however, its overall volume demand remains relatively modest, limiting its impact on the broader market price structure.
III. Market Outlook
1. Short-Term Price Trend
- High-Purity Products: Prices are expected to remain elevated in the near term, sustained by tight supply-demand fundamentals and rising production costs—significant downward adjustment is unlikely.
- Medium- and Low-Purity Products: Prices may experience minor fluctuations due to intensifying regional competition, but will generally remain stable.
2. Long-Term Market Trends
- Market Size Expansion: The global thioglycolic acid market is projected to grow from RMB 2.048 billion in 2023 to RMB 2.418 billion by 2029, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.4%; China is expected to contribute significantly to this growth.
- Application Expansion: With advancements in emerging sectors—including new energy and advanced materials—the use of thioglycolic acid in high-end chemical intermediates and pharmaceutical synthesis is anticipated to expand, further fueling demand for high-purity grades.
- Environmental Policy Impact: Increasingly stringent environmental regulations in China may raise production costs and exert upward pressure on market prices; however, in the longer term, such policies will promote industry consolidation and technological upgrading.
3. Risk Alerts
- Raw Material Price Volatility: Thioglycolic acid production relies on key feedstocks such as chloroacetic acid and 2-ethylhexanol; fluctuations in their prices may be transmitted downstream to the thioglycolic acid market.
- International Trade Frictions: Evolving global trade dynamics could disrupt imports and exports of thioglycolic acid and its derivatives, potentially causing regional supply-demand imbalances.
- Technological Substitution Risk: Development of novel cold-perm formulations or alternative chemical intermediates may displace thioglycolic acid in certain applications; continuous monitoring of technological developments is therefore essential.
Thioglycolic acid (CAS 68-11-1) is a clear to pale yellow, fuming liquid with a strong, pungent sulfurous odor; it is miscible with water and most organic solvents and has a boiling point of approximately 217 °C at atmospheric pressure. It is classified as a sulfur-containing organic acid and serves primarily as a versatile chemical intermediate. Its principal industrial applications include synthesis of mercaptobenzoic acids, metal chelators, PVC heat stabilizers (e.g., lead and cadmium mercaptides), and thiol-based pharmaceuticals. It is widely employed in the production of agrochemicals, hair-waving agents (as a reducing agent in permanent wave solutions), and polymer modifiers.
Thioglycolic Acid is an organic compound containing both a thiol and a carboxylic acid. Thioglycolic Acid is a precursor to ammonium thioglycolate, a chemical used for permanents. Thioglycolic Acid is used in organic synthesis as a nucleophile in thioglycolysis reactions and is used as a S transfer agent for sulfonyl chloride synthesis.
Thioglycolic acid is a colorless liquid with a strong unpleasant odor like rotten eggs.
This chemical is included in Fine Chemicals. See more about what is Thioglycolic acid and Thioglycolic acid SDS information.
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