Material selection in coatings is increasingly driven by digital behavior. SpecialChem's Master Catalog of coating ingredients, which gathers nearly 89,000 commercial grades from over 1700 suppliers, saw strong selection activity from formulators and product developers worldwide. Throughout 2025, 1.2 million product searches were recorded, generating clear, measurable signals of ingredient demand across all major categories.
👉 Let’s review which coating ingredient categories drove the most interest and how they compare to a year ago.
Why this ranking matters
This ranking is built on actual digital behavior from 1.2 million ingredient searches performed by coatings professionals on the platform in 2025. Unlike survey-based industry reports, it reflects where formulators, product developers, and R&D teams are directing their attention at the time of material selection.
For suppliers and ingredient producers, it provides:
Top categories
- Top 20 Coating additives
- Top 8 Coating pigments & fillers
- Top 10 Coating monomers
- Top 20 Coating resins
Top 20 coating additives
Coating additives continue to represent the most actively searched ingredient category on the platform. Rheology modifiers, crosslinkers, and dispersants collectively account for a significant share of formulator search activity, reflecting the enduring complexity of waterborne system optimization and VOC compliance requirements.
- Rheology Modifiers & Thickeners
- Crosslinking, Coupling & Curing Agents
- Dispersing Agents
- Wetting Agents & Wet Edge Enhancers
- Biocides
- Fillers & Fibers
- Surface Conditioners & Surface Modifiers
- Defoamers & Anti-foaming Agents
- Flow & Levelling Agents +1
- Solvents -1
- Waxes +1
- Adhesion Promoters / Bonding Agents +2
- Catalysts / Accelerators / Initiators -2
- Scratch, Scrub & Mar Resistance Agents -1
- Emulsifiers
- Corrosion Inhibitors
- Anti-blocking Agents +2
- Abrasion Resistance Agents
- Photoinitiators +1
- Film Forming / Coalescing Agents -3
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Back to category selection
Top 8 coating pigments & fillers
Pigment and filler searches reflect both sustained demand in decorative and protective coatings and evolving interest in functional pigments, particularly anti-corrosive grades, as formulators address durability and sustainability targets simultaneously.
- Color Pigments & Dyes
- Special Effect Pigments
- Carbon Black
- Titanium dioxide
- Anti-corrosives
- Conductives
- Extenders
- Functional Pigments
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Top 10 coating monomers
Monomer searches reveal the upstream formulation decisions shaping resin and binder performance. Polyol-based and isocyanate monomers dominate, consistent with ongoing activity in PU-based systems across industrial protective, wood, and automotive applications.
- Polyols
- Acrylates / Methacrylates Monomers +1
- Isocyanates -1
- Acrylates & Methacrylates Oligomers
- Diols
- Carbonates +4
- Triols +5
- Diamines -2
- Vinylics -1
- Diacids -3
Top 20 coating resins
Resin searches remain anchored by acrylics, polyurethanes, and epoxies - the three categories that collectively define the majority of waterborne, solventborne, and UV-curable formulation work on the platform. Alkyd systems retain strong relevance, particularly in decorative and industrial maintenance segments.
- Acrylics & Acrylic Copolymers
- Polyurethanes (PU)
- Epoxies
- Vinyls +1
- Alkyd Resins -1
- Polyesters
- Natural Resins
- Styrenes +4
- Silicones & Silazanes -1
- Sol-gel Resins +5
- Polyamides (PA)
- Amino Resins -3
- Ethylene Co-terpolymers - Solids (EVA, EMA)
- Polyolefins +2
- Chlorinated Rubbers +6
- Hydrocarbon Resins -6
- Phenol Formaldehydes (PF) -3
- Silicates +2
- Amides +4
- Fluoropolymers -3