US Vitamin E 50% CWS FOB Illinois prices started the month softer after a weak January, with declines and downward pressure into early February. In early January, buying held steady with a neutral tone, but in late January, imported volumes weighed on the spot market. The move extended a multi-week bearish trend as distributors absorbed cargoes and traders intensified competitive selling, leaving prices under sustained pressure according to weekly data. Demand was mixed across end-markets; dietary-supplement and food-and-beverage demand provided support, sustaining active order books for supplement and food applications, while feed-grade and nutraceutical buyers pursued cautious, hand-to-mouth purchasing, keeping downstream uptake subdued. Cosmetic-grade sampling showed a modest pickup but did not translate into tighter spot conditions. Distributor pipelines grew under pressure as arrivals increased competition and prompted faster discounting. Supply-side indicators remained balanced; synthesis yields steady and no notable plant outages, supporting limited cost-driven production changes. The near-term outlook points to further softening unless procurement firming or supply disruptions emerge.
US Vitamin E 50% CWS FOB Illinois prices entered the new month on a softer note after a weak January 2026 performance, with month-on-month prices down by 2.4% and further downward pressure evident into early February. Early January saw relatively steady buying interest and neutral market tone, but by late January, a fresh wave of import volumes began to weigh on the Vitamin E spot market. The move extended a multi-week bearish trend, as distributors worked through incoming Latin-American cargoes and traders stepped up competitive selling, leaving Vitamin E prices under sustained pressure according to weekly assessment data.
Demand fundamentals were mixed across end-markets. Dietary-supplement and food & beverage sectors remained the key sources of support, with robust US pull for Vitamin E for supplement and food applications keeping order books active. In contrast, feed-grade and nutraceutical buyers adopted hand-to-mouth purchasing, which kept downstream offtake subdued. Cosmetic-grade sampling showed a modest pickup for Vitamin E, but it has not translated into broader spot tightness. Distributor pipelines, meanwhile, became a pressure point as fresh cargo arrivals heightened competitive selling and eroded spot inquiries, prompting a surge in discounting to accelerate turnover.
On the supply side, Vitamin E producers maintained cautious run rates while synthesis yields remained steady, so there was no immediate upstream cost impetus to force curtailments. Logistics and inventory dynamics were more influential; recent Latin-American shipments discharged smoothly at key terminals, leaving distributors with comfortable warehouse cover, and encouraging discounting to move volumes. There were no notable plant outages during the period to absorb surplus Vitamin E flows, and overall production profiles remained balanced against the subdued procurement patterns of some downstream buyers.
Weekly assessments show a clear downdraft into the new month, after successive declines through late January. Vitamin E prices fell again in the early-February window. According to the weekly assessment data, the Vitamin E market recorded falling weekly readings as distributors continued to discount to accelerate turnover; the pattern through the close of January and into early February reflected incremental weekly declines rather than a single abrupt shock, extending the broader weakening trend into a twelfth consecutive week of downside pressure for Vitamin E in the US market.
Looking ahead, the near-term outlook is for further softening based on current market trends. Surplus import volumes entering distributor pipelines, comfortable warehouse inventory lengths, and ongoing hand-to-mouth buying by feed-grade and nutraceutical customers are set to keep downward momentum for Vitamin E prices unless downstream procurement firming or unplanned supply interruptions emerge. With steady synthesis yields offering no cost-driven rationale for production cuts, analysts at ChemAnalyst expect the Vitamin E market in the US to remain under pressure in the coming week, though this view is subject to change based on shifts in import flows or a pickup in end-market ordering.
