Pharma and Nutrition | Market report preview 04.2023

THE MOST UPDATED FINANCIAL PUBLICATION ON THE WORLD OF CHEMISTRY
MARKET REPORT
PHARMA & NUTRITION
APRIL 2023

What’s going on in the market?
VANILLIN/ETHYL VANILLIN
Vanillin and ethyl vanillin was over stocked and over
produced last year therefore the price reached a historical
low point for the first quarter of this year. But we see
that the request on the market is stable, the old stock is
consumed in the meanwhile. We expect no further down
trend in next quarter.
VITAMIN C/SODIUM ASCORBATE
At present, the market of Vitamin C is still at the lowest
level in recent years, this low price has lasted for several
months.
Manufacturers predict that the price this year is likely to
maintain this level, and there is almost no possibility to
reduce.
VITAMIN B3 (NICOTINAMIDE/NIACIN)
Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is an organic compound
and a form of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. The
amide derivative is nicotinamide (niacinamide). Production
prices of Vitamin B3 have increased in the previous months
by 20%. In the coming months slight increases and prices
fluctuation are foreseen.
VITAMIN B5 (CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE)
In 2022 the price has simply skyrocketed and tripled to 100
USD/kg. From the end of 2022 Chinese factories increased
output and quotations decreased strongly after Chinese
New Year. Additional price reductions are foreseen for 2nd
semester.
XANTHAN GUM
Price is currently stable, but with a trend to increase
further, mainly because the price of raw material (corn)
is rising. The market is tight and at present availability is
in 2-3 months.
The demand is very high because XANTHAN GUM
is widely used in different application (food, cosmetic
and industrial) and in China we only have 3-4 reliable
suppliers.
Following the NOTIFICATION 2021.4381 of ethylene
oxide in xanthan gum E415 for food application, the
customs clearance is subject to the obtaining of the
“improved sanitary certificate” so that all the operations
are really very strict and only few producers can meet
these parameters.
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ECONOMIC INSIGHTS
In partnership with USI, Università della Svizzera Italiana
Persisting bottlenecks affecting global
value chains together with rising energy
prices contributed to an increase
in average price levels. Moreover,
economic uncertainties related to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine have
exacerbated the precariousness of a
stable recovery triggering global ripple
effects through commodity markets,
trade, financial flows, and displaced
people. In the last quarter of 2022, the
average inflation rate among OECD
countries was 1.52% relative to the
previous quarter, and 10.13% relative
to the previous year. Switzerland
and China stand out as (relatively)
low inflation countries. The OECD
economic outlook expects annual
inflation to decrease sharply in the
coming quarters, due to the tightening
of monetary policy by the ECB
and the Fed. The OECD economic
outlook expects annual inflation of
OECD countries to gradually decline
throughout 2023, reaching 5.5%
towards the end of the year, and to
decrease to 5% by the end of 2024.
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