Safety ink has become the key to industrial upgrading. The market size is expected to exceed 8.6 billion in 2025. With the tightening of consumer product safety supervision and the upgrading of anti-counterfeiting demand, safety ink with both security attributes and technical barriers is becoming the focus of the market. According to the data, the market size of China's anti-counterfeiting security ink in 2024 has reached 7.68 billion yuan, and it is expected to increase by 12.7% year-on-year in 2025, breaking through the 8.64 billion yuan mark. Its technological upgrading and application expansion are reshaping the multi-industry security protection pattern.
The core value of safe ink is reflected in the characteristics of "double guarantee": not only to achieve environmental and health safety through strict ingredient control, but also to achieve anti-counterfeiting traceability function by relying on special processes. In terms of safety standards, food packaging ink needs to pass GB 4806.14-2023 and other national standard tests to ensure the zero migration of harmful substances such as heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some high-end products have also passed the U.S. FDA 21CFR175.300 and other international Certification. In terms of anti-counterfeiting technology, mainstream types of inks such as photochange, temperature-changing and fluorescence dominate the market. Among them, ultraviolet fluorescent ink ranks first with a share of 38.5%, and temperature-changing and photo-changing ink account for more than 47%, forming a multi-level anti-counterfeiting system.
From the perspective of application scenarios, safety ink has penetrated the field of high value and strong supervision. The pharmaceutical industry is the core application market. In 2024, about 38% of pharmaceutical packaging enterprises will adopt anti-counterfeiting ink technology, and more than half of the enterprises will choose optical identification high-end products. The demand growth rate of the tobacco and alcohol industry is significant, and the use of anti-counterfeiting ink in that year increased by 12% year-on-year, which is together with the brand application rate of 72% in the luxury industry. Three major markets. In the field of food packaging, water-based safety ink has become the first choice of gravure printing products such as potato chip bags and milk pillow bags with the advantages of "using water as a solvent and no release of harmful substances". It can withstand high temperature sterilization at 121 degrees Celsius and has stable ink performance. In addition, the application of photovariable ink in banknotes, passports and other documents, and the use of magnetic ink in financial bills further highlight its irreplaceability in the field of public security.
There are three new trends in the development of the industry: first, environmental protection has accelerated. In 2024, the proportion of the environmentally friendly anti-counterfeiting ink market has reached 23%, and it is expected to increase to 27% in 2025. Water-based, degradable and other green products have become the focus of enterprise research and development; Second, the integration of technology is deepened, and the Internet of Things, blockchain technology and traceability The combination of ink has given rise to a new model of intelligent anti-counterfeiting. This category is expected to become the fastest growing subdivision field with an annual growth rate of 18.3%. Third, the regional concentration is remarkable. The three major regions of East China, South China and North China together occupy more than 80% of the market share of the country. The Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area have become the core sources of technological innovation. Land.
In terms of market competition, the concentration of the industry continues to improve, and the first five major enterprises in 2024 will occupy a total market share of 52.7%. Shenzhen Rainbow Technology, Guangzhou Huacai New Materials and other enterprises have formed technical barriers in the high-end market with the advantages of independent research and development and cooperation with national institutions. Industry experts pointed out that with the promotion of the National Anti-Counterfeiting Technology Industry Development Plan and the enhancement of consumer safety awareness, safety ink will be upgraded to "more environmentally friendly, more intelligent and more accurate" to protect industrial safety.