CLEVELAND - Demand in the United States for color pigments, including inorganic, organic and specialty types, is forecast to increase 5.2 percent per year to $3.4 billion in 2009, driven by above-average gains in high-performance organic pigments and various specialty types. These and other trends are presented in "Pigments: Inorganic, Organic & Specialty," a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industrial market research firm.
Specialty pigments, such as pearlescent types, are projected to achieve the most rapid gains through 2009. Opportunities will arise from increased requirements for unique and novel eye-catching optical effects by manufacturers of such products as paint and coatings, printing inks, plastics, leather, and cosmetics. Certain luminescent pigments (e.g., phosphorescent) will also achieve favorable gains, due to their use in anti-forgery, anti-counterfeiting and other security applications.