01 Rising Demand for Food-Grade Lubricants Lubricants are crucial for ensuring that machines and equipment used in the food and beverage industry work well. Since lubricants are used in the food and beverage industries, they might accidentally come into contact with the foods and beverages of processors. Hence, they should be non-toxic and should neither influence the taste nor smell of these products. Food-grade silicone lubricants are used in machine parts and other equipment, like plastic gears, conveyor belts, rollers, rubber gaskets, and chain plastic bushings. In addition, the demand for food-grade silicone lubricants is high because they work well at high temperatures and do not wash out. They can also be applied to plastics, as they do not cause degradation.The NSF, FDA, USP, and WRAS should certify as H1-grade all lubricants used in the food and beverage industry. Hence, they can work in high temperatures, not get washed out, and can even be applied to plastic parts. Due to public health and environmental protection factors, heat-transfer fluids are highly regulated in the food and beverages industry, thus driving the market’s growth.
02 High Demand for EVs Rapid industrialization and industry 4.0 have led to considerable developments in the electrical and electronic industries in recent years. The electronics sector is divided into electric utilities and general hardware. In addition, an increase in EV adoption will influence the silicone lubricants market, as the automotive industry is one of the major end-use industries for silicone lubricants. When making silicone lubricants for EVs, it is essential to consider how well they work and how much electrical current and electromagnetic fields are in the electric modules, sensors, and circuits.In the electrical and electronic industries, silicone lubricants are used in various applications, such as the protection of battery terminals, the potting of small electronic components, and screw thread lubrication to prevent sticking and corrosion. Many lubricant manufacturers, such as Shin-Etsu Chemicals Co. Ltd. (Japan), 3M (US), and Dow (US), have launched a new range of silicon lubricants that are compatible with EVs. Therefore, an increase in the EV market will increase the demand for silicone lubricants.
01 High Cost of Silicone Lubricants Silicone lubricants mainly consist of silicone as a raw material along with additives. Though silicone is the second-most abundant element in the earth's crust, it is expensive due to various factors, such as the high energy cost associated with manufacturing. The process involves the conversion of sand to high-purity silica, which further includes the refinement of silica before the chemical reactions that polymerize silicone. In addition, many expensive components are used during silicone manufacturing, which further increases the overall manufacturing costs due to high maintenance, thus hampering the market growth.
01 Increased Demand from the Pharmaceutical Industry Factors such as emerging new technologies, cost-effectiveness, and an increase in efficient manufacturing approaches have led to a transformation in the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical companies are investing highly in research and development as the discovery of new drugs is vital for the continued growth of pharmaceutical companies. Countries like the US, China, and India are investing in the pharmaceutical sector. In India, factors such as the low cost of production and a boost in R&D activities in the pharma sector have led to competitive exports. In the US, the pharmaceutical industry is highly driven by the ongoing global vaccination rollouts and high demand for essential and nonessential medical treatments. Thus, growth in the pharmaceutical industry would increase the demand for silicone lubricants in the market.
June 2026 Dow announced an investment of approximately USD 100 million to expand its global specialty silicones manufacturing and innovation capabilities across the U.S., China, and Japan. The expansion strengthens production of advanced silicone materials used in industrial applications, including silicone-based lubricants, while improving supply chain resilience and accelerating commercialization.
May 2026 Univar Solutions expanded its long-standing strategic distribution partnership with Dow to distribute Dow silicone additives across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). The agreement broadens market access for high-performance silicone technologies used in lubricants, plastics, and industrial formulations.
December 2025 Wacker Chemie AG and its joint venture partner SICO Performance Material inaugurated a new Application Development Center in Jining, China. The facility supports the development of organofunctional silicones and silanes for industrial applications, including lubricant formulations and specialty silicone products.
September 2025 Dow launched DOWSIL™ EG-4175 Silicone Gel, a high-performance silicone material designed for power electronics in electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. The launch expands Dow's specialty silicone portfolio and strengthens its advanced materials offering for high-performance lubrication and thermal management applications.