The CPID Database – Identifies Hundreds of Personal Care and Other Retail Products and the Chemicals They Contain

A database called Consumer Product Information Database (CPID) contains brand names, manufacturers, and other details on hundreds of thousands of personal care, home maintenance, and other types of retail products.  Click here to access this database.  This database, maintained by DeLima Associates, seems to be an excellent source of information for companies on their United States competitors’ products.  A primary purpose of the database is to identify chemicals contained in products and also known health affects of the chemicals contained in the products.

For a listing of personal care products, at the home page, click product type along the top bar menu.  Then select personal care in the left drop down menu.  In the next drop down menu to the right, select one of the personal care categories, such as personal cleanliness.  This will provide is list of products that US manufacturers market as providing personal cleanliness.  On the list that is generated, click on the product name of interest to find details on that product.  Details include: manufacturer and the product’s chemical ingredients.

Personal care is one of 10 product types.  Other product types include: automotive; commercial/institutional; hobby/craft; home inside; home maintenance; home office; landscaping/yard; pesticides; and pet care.   Each product type is further divided into categories. As mentioned above, for the personal care product type, one category is personal cleanliness.  Some other personal care categories are:  bath/shower; oral hygiene; and shaving cream.  

The database can be searched by a specific product name to find detailed information (e.g. manufacturer and chemical ingredients) for that product.

This consumer product database strikes me as immense and useful in terms of the details provided on thousands of retail products containing chemicals.   The database should be useful in providing a company details on the products marketed by the company’s competitors.

Increasing Use of UV LEDs

In recent years, as the technology of ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) has improved, the use of UV LEDs has significantly increased.  An extensive search of the Internet has found references to UV LEDs used in the following applications:

Back light

Chemical synthesis

Cosmetics sterilization

Counterfeit money detection

Curing of coatings, inks, and adhesives

Disinfection and purification

Forensic applications

Instrumental chemical analysis

Medical therapies

Optical sensing

Plant growth

However, also found are stated problems that are hindering even further UV LED uses.    Problems stated include:

Costs

Insufficient photo-initiators in the right UV ranges

Lack of diodes generating needed wavelengths

Lack of heat

Optics

Oxygen inhibition

Slow curing rates compared to mercury lamps

Lack of standardization guidelines

Suitable substrates

Thermal management

The 2013 market for UV LED products is estimated to be in the range of $40 to $50 million. This estimate is provided by producers of market research reports, which can be purchased.  The same reports estimate the sales compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of these products to be in the 30 to 43% range over the period 2013 to 2018.   So, if in 2013 sales is $45 million and the CAGR is 36.5%, in 2018, UV LED products will have sales of about $213 million.

On the basis of the above referenced Internet searching, it seems to me that two critical technologies where development work is still going on and where successes are crucial to increasing use of UV LEDs are:

1.  Enhancing the chemistries that are triggered by the UV, e.g. better photo-initiators; and

2.  More efficient and effective light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Some chemical companies doing photo-initiator, and related research, are: Bayer Material Science; DSM; Arkema; BASF; Cytec; Mitsui; and Evonik.

And some companies doing R&D to enhance UV LEDs are: Nitride Semiconductor; Semileds; Nichia; Seoul Semiconductor; and Sensor Electronic Technology

Although the current market percentage for UV LED products is relatively small compared to products using non-LED generated UV, this parentage is likely to significantly increase in future years due to the many advantages that generating UV radiation using LEDs offer.  Some advantages identified during Internet searching include:

Concentrated radiation

Longer life times compared to mercury lamps

Faster warm-up and cool-down times

Narrower power distribution

Lower heat generation compared to mercury lamps

Lower energy use compared to mercury lamps

Improved environmental affects, e.g. no mercury vapor, ozone,
and organic vapors

Consistent, predictable radiation output over time

Smaller wavelength generation range

More control over UV radiation generation compared to mercury lamps

Smaller, more compact associated equipment leading to more efficient processing
Lower maintenance compared to mercury lamps

Epoxy Resin Market and Annual Report Data

Epoxy resin market data reported on the Internet by various market research companies suggest that an epoxy resin global use in 2012 was approximately 2.5 million metric tons.  And the 2013 global sales value was approximately $6.3 billion.  A check on these amounts is the price per metric ton ($6.3 billion/2.5 million metric ton = $2,520/metric ton).  This $/metric ton amount is reasonably correct for the period, which helps to reassure that the market research companies’ reported data is reasonably correct.

The same market research company information predicts that the compound annual growth rate over the next five years will be highest in Asia (except Japan) and in the 5 to 7% range, and low in the United States and Europe, in the 1 to 2% range.  Also, greater than 50% of epoxy resin sales will be in Asian countries.

A review of recent annual reports for some of the companies in these regions, known to be major producers of epoxy resins, support the growth rates given above.  For example, the US company Momentive, in its annual report, stated that sustained over-capacity in the epoxy resin market has significantly lowered the company’s epoxy resin sales, and this was expected to continue through 2014.   Huntsman’s epoxy resin sales were down about 4% from 2012 to 2013.   And, Dow is reporting that it is trying to sell some, or all (it is not clear), of its epoxy business, which includes epoxy resins.

On the other hand, two major Asian epoxy resin producers, the Taiwanese company Nan Ya and the Korean company Kumho, are expanding their epoxy resin production capacities.

Please contact me if you wish more on the above or similar research and analysis on other chemical sales.

Chemical and Material Shortage Alert – November 2014

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and material shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is November 2014.

Section I below lists those chemicals and materials that were on the previous Chemical and Material Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply. Click here to read the October 2014 Chemical and Material Shortage Alert list.

Section II lists the new chemicals and materials (not on the October alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.   Chemicals and materials identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in short supply status are not listed.

Section I.   Chemicals and materials that continue from October to be reported as in short supply are: none

Section II.   Shortages Reported in November not found on the Previous Month’s List

Cement: Michigan; supply not keeping up with demand

Silver: global; supply not keeping up with demand

Gold: global; supply not keeping up with demand

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as: 

1.  Mining not keeping up with demand: none

2.  Production not keeping up with demand: none

3.  Government regulations: none

4.  Sources no longer available:  none

5.  Insufficient imports:  none

6.  Supply not keeping up with demand:  cement; silver; gold