The turnover for the French chemical industry as a whole was up 2.1% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter (after a 5.2% increase over the summer).

Sales levels for Basic Chemicals slowed down, with many product groups within Organic Chemicals registering negative growth, cancelling out the growth experienced in the previous quarter. Turnover for Speciality Chemicals continued to increase for the third consecutive quarter, fuelled by healthy sales figures for Paints and other segments within Chemicals Used in Industry.

Sales for Soaps, Perfumes and Household Products exhibited a more varied performance from quarter to quarter: up 0.9% in Q3; up 6.3% in Q2; and down 0.2% in Q1.