In the first half of 2026, the acrylic lotion market exhibited a trend of initial increase followed by a decline. Affected by the events in the Middle East in March, raw material prices rose strongly, driving up lotion prices, with the monthly average exceeding the average over the past five years. The primary driver behind the market downturn since mid-to-late March lies in the sluggish recovery of end-user demand, resulting in limited downstream orders, intensifying market competition, and subsequently driving prices to continue falling. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, market trends will still depend on supply and demand dynamics. Under the scenario of “weak recovery” in downstream demand, market prices may find it difficult to rebound. The seasonal improvement in demand during the “golden September and silver October” may support price stabilization, with the overall trend likely to be stable yet downward.
In the first half of 2026, the market price of acrylic lotion first increased and then decreased
In the first half of 2026, the trends of styrene-acrylic lotion and pure acrylic lotion remained basically consistent. The acrylic acid lotion market as a whole exhibited a trend of first rising and then falling. Overall, the average price of acrylic acid lotion increased compared to the same period last year, with significant fluctuations, and showed distinct differentiation characteristics among different months. From mid-January to mid-March, the price of lotion hit a bottom and rebounded, while from mid-March to June, the overall price trend was downward. From January to June 2026, the average price of styrene-acrylic lotion in the East China market was 6,103 yuan/ton, up 11.0% compared to the same period last year, and the average price of pure acrylic lotion in the East China market was 8,042 yuan/ton, up 7.4% compared to the same period last year.
Influenced by geopolitics in the Middle East, the price of lotion has rebounded from its bottom, with the monthly average price being higher than the average price over the past five years
In the first half of 2026, the styrene-acrylic lotion and pure acrylic lotion experienced a phased bottoming-out rebound, with monthly average prices higher than the average over the past five years. After falling in mid-March, prices have been stagnant and weakening, gradually approaching the lowest value in the past five years. Therefore, the trend of acrylic emulsion in the first half of 2026 can be simply divided into two stages.
In the first stage, from mid-January to mid-March, the price of lotion rebounded from its bottom. During this period, the upward trend in the prices of styrene-acrylic emulsion and pure acrylic emulsion was mainly driven by the boost from raw material supply. After the Spring Festival in February, the main raw materials of styrene-acrylic emulsion and pure acrylic emulsion, including styrene, butyl acrylate, and methyl acrylate, ushered in a “good start” after the holiday. In March, due to the tensions in the Middle East, raw material prices rose sharply, and acrylic emulsion manufacturers faced limited inventory, leading to an increase in quotations from holding parties. Supported by the raw material supply and the boost from the tense situation in the Middle East, the market sentiment improved, and the price of acrylic emulsion rebounded from its bottom.
In the second stage, from mid-March to June, the price of lotion showed an overall downward trend. Overall, the main reason remains weak downstream demand, which continues to provide insufficient support for prices. Manufacturers have to reduce prices to sell, leading to a continuous weakening of prices. During this stage, due to the sustained sluggish demand for lotion at the end-user level, it is difficult for companies to pass on cost pressures through price increases. Before the end of raw material price increases, lotion prices fell ahead of schedule, which made market price fluctuations more reflective of the imbalance between supply and demand.
In the first half of 2026, the main raw materials for acrylic lotion exhibited a trend of first rising and then falling, with the periodic increase driving the price of lotion upwards
Acrylic emulsion is mainly composed of butyl acrylate, styrene, methyl methacrylate, isooctyl acrylate, vinyl acetate, additives, and water. Based on the higher market share of acrylic emulsion, such as styrene-acrylic emulsion and pure acrylic emulsion, the main raw materials of styrene-acrylic emulsion are butyl acrylate and styrene; the main raw materials of pure acrylic emulsion are butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate.
The butyl acrylate market experienced wide fluctuations in the first half of 2026. From January to June 2026, the average price of butyl acrylate in the East China market was 9,127.79 yuan/ton, up 4.6% year-on-year. The market trend was mainly influenced by cost-side fluctuations driven by the evolution of geopolitical situations in the Middle East, coupled with the impact of phased changes in the industry’s supply and demand pattern.
In the first half of 2026, domestic MMA market prices experienced a wide range of increases before stabilizing and then declining. From January to June 2026, the average price of MMA in the East China primary market was 11,866.25 yuan/ton, marking a year-on-year increase of 7.9%. In the first quarter, the domestic MMA market was affected by the geopolitical escalation in the Middle East. The continuous rise in costs and the expected tight supply drove MMA prices to rebound rapidly. In the second quarter, the geopolitical factors in the Middle East weakened, and the market returned to being dominated by supply and demand, with prices falling from high levels.
In the first half of 2026, the styrene market in Jiangsu Province exhibited a trend of surging initially and then experiencing volatile declines. From January to June 2026, the average price of styrene in Jiangsu Province was 8,884.9 yuan/ton, marking a year-on-year increase of 10.6%. The disturbances caused by geopolitical issues had a significant and prolonged impact on styrene prices.
From the perspective of cost transmission, the price changes of acrylic lotion usually follow the changes in raw material prices. In March, the strong rise in raw material prices drove the lotion prices upwards. However, due to the continuous weak demand in recent years, the lotion prices have continued to decline due to insufficient demand, and the rise in raw material prices failed to fully boost the lotion prices upwards.
The price of acrylic lotion exhibits seasonal characteristics, and it is likely to show a trend of stability with a slight downturn in the second half of the year
Acrylic lotion is influenced by cost and the characteristics of downstream demand during peak and off-peak seasons, with prices experiencing certain patterns of increase and decrease depending on seasonal changes. According to past conventions, the peak season for the acrylic lotion industry is concentrated in March and April, as well as September and October, when weather conditions support terminal construction and demand improves, stimulating orders. The expectation of the “golden September and silver October” market peak season in the second half of the year still exists, which may boost prices. However, as a product that is more oriented towards the end-user market, acrylic lotion is significantly influenced by the real estate industry, with a slightly slower recovery rate. Market prices may find it difficult to rebound, and seasonal demand improvement may support price stabilization after a decline.
Based on market analysis, the price trends of styrene-acrylic lotion and pure acrylic lotion show a similar trend of change, with a potential trend of stabilizing and weakening in the second half of the year. From the cost perspective, the three major raw materials provide limited support to prices, and there are no significant fundamental benefits to boost the market. The adjustment in the real estate market has not yet ended, and the recovery of end-user demand still requires time. The supply-demand imbalance remains the dominant factor in the market.
Looking ahead to the market in the second half of the year, despite the potential boost in demand during the traditional peak season of “Golden September and Silver October”, considering the overall weak demand in the industry, it will be difficult for acrylic lotion prices to rebound. Coupled with the unfavorable low temperature weather in the fourth quarter, which is not conducive to outdoor construction, the operating load of end-users may be low, and the demand for lotion enters the off-season. It is expected that lotion prices may still have a stable downward trend. It is estimated that the fluctuation range of styrene-acrylic lotion prices may remain within the range of 4,500-5,600 yuan/ton, and the mainstream price range of pure acrylic lotion will be maintained between 6,300-7,700 yuan/ton, with the high point possibly occurring in July and the low point possibly occurring in December.
Post time: Jul-14-2026