The cleaning preparation part is the only part where most of the chemical production is directly consumer-oriented. This segment includes chemical companies that produce soaps, detergents, and cleaning agents. Cosmetics and toiletries, including perfumes, lotions and toothpaste, are also produced in this area. Homes and businesses use these chemical products in many ways to clean everything from babies to bridges.

The "Other Chemicals" product sector includes manufacturers of explosives, inks, films, toners, matches and other miscellaneous chemicals. These chemical products are used by consumers or in the manufacture of other products.

Chemicals are generally divided into two categories: basic chemicals and specialty chemicals. Basic chemical manufacturers produce large quantities of basic and relatively inexpensive compounds in large factories, usually specializing in the manufacture of one chemical. Most basic chemicals are used in other industries to produce highly refined chemicals for daily consumer goods. In contrast, specialty chemical manufacturers produce fewer more expensive chemicals and are used less frequently. Manufacturers of specialty chemicals usually supply larger chemical companies on a contract basis. Many traditional chemical manufacturers are divided into two separate entities, one focusing on basic chemicals and the other focusing on specialty chemicals.

Workers in the chemical industry sector have varying degrees of participation in production activities, administration and management, and research and development. Industries that produce products such as cosmetics or paints that are ready to be sold to end consumers have hired more administrative and marketing staff. Those industries that mainly sell products to industrial customers usually employ a larger proportion of precision production workers and a lower proportion of unskilled labor.

Recent progress. Nanotechnology will continue to benefit all manufacturing industries. The application advantage of nanotechnology is far from reaching its limit, but the research and development of nanotechnology is expensive and time-consuming. In the chemical manufacturing industry, the development of nanotechnology will help save the energy needed to produce chemicals, reduce the amount of waste, and make the manufacturing process more efficient.

Some places are implementing or considering restricting the use of plastic bags, which are products of the chemical manufacturing industry. Whether the result is a ban on plastic bags or a tax on plastic bags, the demand for plastic bags will be negatively affected. In addition, many grocery stores offer discounts on reusable plastic bags for customers who do not use plastic bags.