Green Solutions: Ceresana Study on the European Market for Bio-Based Solvents

KONSTANZ, Germany - April 27, 2026 - PRLog -- Sometimes, water is simply not enough: Stronger solvents are often needed to dilute paints, remove dirt, or extract active ingredients for medicines. Unfortunately, xylene, toluene, and other petrochemical products are not only highly effective but can also be highly toxic. In beauty and care products in particular, more environmentally friendly and healthier alternatives that are at least partially made from renewable raw materials are increasingly being used. Ceresana forecasts that European sales of these products will grow to more than EUR 2.2 billion by 2034.

Sustainable Solutions for the Bioeconomy

Solvents are among the most economically important chemicals. They are required in many industrial sectors and different application areas. Among other applications, bio-based solvents that are harmless and ideally also biodegradable are needed for bio-based cleaning agents or bio-based paints. The ingredients for natural and organic cosmetics, for example, should meet the international standard ISO 16128. The largest consumers also include manufacturers of printing inks, adhesives, and pharmaceutical products. The food industry uses solvents, for example, to decaffeinate coffee, to dilute flavors, or to degrease surfaces. Solvents are also used for chemical manufacturing processes, cooling circuits, and de-icing agents. The market growth of green solvents is driven by stricter environmental regulations and ESG requirements.

New Uses for Organic Waste

Alcohols are by far the best-selling type of bio-solvent. For example, ethylene glycol, a bivalent alcohol or diol, can be obtained from fructose or cellulose. Glycerol is a triol that can be produced from used cooking oil or other natural fats, but is also produced in large quantities in the manufacture of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters, FAME). The possibility of utilizing biomass residues that were previously hardly used is generally an advantage of bio-based products. For example, ethyl acetate, one of the most important solvents for plastics and adhesives, can be fermented from whey or molasses, i.e. from waste products from dairy processing or the sugar industry. D-limonene for the paint industry can be obtained from orange peel. Furthermore, a by-product of paper production is used as an organic solvent for household cleaners and perfumes or for the extraction of food additives: Alpha-pinene, a terpene from coniferous tree oils. Another promising starting material for various bio-solvents is the platform chemical furfural, which can be produced from corn cobs or sugar cane bagasse, for example.

Further Information: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/biobased-solvents-market-...