Page 175 - CW E-Magazine (27-2-2024)

Special Report Special Report

Essential oils – global markets, trade and regulatory $7,000 Table 2: Disaggregation of trade in
South America Oceania North America EOs, $ mn
trends Europe Asia Africa Value
$6,000 EOs of orange $516
ssential oils (EOs) are obtained Chinese and Indian medicine sys- duction nor export statistics are recor- EOs of citrus $499
from various plant sources and tems(1). ded for some of the highest volume oils, fruits, nes
Efrom different plant parts, in- while the rest are often buried in codes $5,000 EOs of lemon $441
cluding fl owers, seeds, roots, leaves, There is a large variety in the types encompassing a range of products.
herbs, peels, bark, nuts and woods. In of EOs used in food. In total, over 100 Therefore, global production publica- $4,000 EOs of pepper- $197
many cases, EO producers use waste EOs are offered on the market; for tions must be treated with caution, mint
materials or grades of products which example: geranium oil (fl owers), cumin as the information generally ignores EOs of other $322
related industries do not value as much. oil (seeds), angelica oil (roots), carda- domestic consumption and is frequently $3,000 mints
Citrus peels, for example, are waste mom oil (seeds), parsley oil (seeds or based on data from only a few coun- Resinoids $80
material from the juice industry and herbs), peppermint oil (leaves), orange tries. In reality, a wide range of coun- $2,000 EOs, nes $2,630
many herb oils are made from excess oil (peels), cinnamon oil (bark and tries from every continent are involved EOs, terpenic by- $1,365
materials which cannot be sold on the leaves), nutmeg oil (nuts) and sandal- as EO producers. products, etc.,nes
fresh market. wood oil (woods). $1,000
Worldwide EOs production was Total $6,050
EOs are complex mixtures which do EOs can also be used in cosmetics estimated in 2017 at about150-kt, $0 The top three EO crops (orange,
not easily dissolve in water. They can and aromatherapy. They are used as a valued at about $6-bn, and was expected 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 mint, and lemon), represent more than
contain over 100 discrete chemical sub- fragrance in perfumes, soaps, deter- to touch 370-kt, valued at more than two-thirds of the total EO crop produc-
stances. EOs include concretes (fl ower gents, and candles. Medicinal purposes $10-bn, by 2020(2). Fig. 1: Trends in exports of EOs by region, $mn tion. A number of EOs are produced on
‘concretes’ – hexane extractives), include treatment of stress, insomnia, The major producers of EOs across all possess major natural aromatic plant small farms or collected from forests
absolutes, resinoids, distillates, etc. depression, and anxiety. While research According to a report by Markets the world are China and India, followed materials, while Argentina, Paraguay, and include: patchouli, litsea, citronella,
on their effectiveness is ongoing, many AndMarkets (2021), a provider of B2B by Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Uruguay, Guatemala, and Haiti also eucalyptus globulus, clove leaf (1,000-
Production people swear by their therapeutic bene- market intelligence, the size of the Major EO producing countries in Africa make sizeable contributions to sector 10,000 tonnes production range), as
Distillation, selective solvent fi ts and continue to incorporate them global EOs market is presently around include Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and productions. well as vetiver, geranium, ylang ylang,
extraction, and mechanical expression into their daily routines. $10.3-bn and projected to reach $16.0-bn Algeria; the Ivory Coast, South Africa, nutmeg, lavender (50-400 tonnes).
are the three basic methods employed by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 9.3% Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Apart from the above mentioned
for EO isolation with improvements or Global markets in value terms. In terms of quantity, the Ethiopia play minor roles. The North countries, there are others of less impor- Demand comes principally from
modifi cations. Estimation of EO world production current market is considered to be about American continent is also a major EO tance, such as France, Germany, Taiwan, food & beverage (35%), fragrances,
and trade is fraught with diffi culties. In 253-kt and estimated to reach 345-kt by producer. The US, Canada, and Mexico Japan, Jamaica, and the Philippines. cosmetics and aromatherapy (29%),
‘Green technologies’ developed many countries, neither domestic pro- 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.4%.
recently such as supercritical carbon Table 1: Trends in exports of EOs, $mn
dioxide (CO ) fl uid extraction and
2
solid-phase microextraction are gaining Africa Asia Europe North Oceania South Total
in use. However, the simple and cost- America America
effective method of hydro-distillation 2011 $172 $1,279 $1,180 $643 $60 $495 $3,828
remains the primary, most used isola- 2012 $125 $1,390 $1,067 $658 $52 $466 $3,759
tion method.
2013 $158 $1,553 $1,239 $684 $66 $438 $4,138
Uses 2014 $181 $1,547 $1,440 $800 $66 $399 $4,432
The use of EOs dates back thou- 2015 $176 $1,770 $1,441 $861 $71 $555 $4,875
sands of years, with evidence from 2016 $210 $1,510 $1,474 $931 $77 $610 $4,813
ancient civilizations such as Egypt,
Greece, and Rome. The ancient Egypt- 2017 $260 $1,700 $1,745 $1,072 $101 $708 $5,586
ians used EOs in religious ceremonies 2018 $323 $1,932 $1,932 $1,123 $92 $737 $6,139
and for medical purposes, while the 2019 $296 $2,596 $1,713 $1,036 $81 $595 $6,318
Greeks and Romans used them for 2020 $290 $1,634 $1,809 $1,057 $95 $551 $5,435
their fragrant properties. EOs also
play an important role in traditional 2021 $304 $2,025 $1,976 $1,134 $101 $509 $6,050 Fig. 2: Trade in EOs by region, 2021 [$6,050-mn]

174 Chemical Weekly February 27, 2024 Chemical Weekly February 27, 2024 175

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