Monday 24 August 2020

The secret of fatty alcohol ethoxylate

 Clean clothes are a symbol of a good household. It is tough to clean clothes, isn't it? Which is why we have so many detergents and washing products available in the market. When it comes to washing products, there is a wide variety available in the market. You can use the one normal one, or you can easily upgrade to the washing machine friendly one. But if you notice fatty alcohol ethoxylate is one of the most common chemicals to be used in detergents.

Why do you think fatty alcohol ethoxylate and fatty alcohol sulphate are used in detergents. Before you understand their role, it is crucial that you understand the function of detergent as a whole. Do you know how does a detergent clean your clothes?

How do detergent work and the role of fatty alcohol sulphate?


Detergents have certain chemicals which allow then to attach to the dirt particles on your dirty clothes. They gather around the dirt particles and separate it from the surface of your cloth which would have been difficult to remove just with water.

The combined action is what makes detergent work. In a detergent, fatty alcohol complexes act as surfactants. These are important for micelle formation, which further contributes to the eliminates of dirt from cloth surface. Fatty alcohol complexes are the base of the detergent industry.

Other applications


Detergents are not the only thing which uses fatty alcohol compounds. In reality, fatty alcohol complexes have applications in many different industries. Their purpose remains the safe- cleansing agent.

Other industries which use fatty alcohol complexes are cosmetics, agriculture, textile, paper and oil industry. The form might be different, but the purpose is very much the same. Another great thing about fatty alcohol complexes is that it is skin safe. Researchers have discovered that fatty alcohol compounds do not induce any mutation, neither are they carcinogenic in nature.

Wednesday 19 August 2020

Foam Booster Ingredients and Zwitterions for Personal Care

 The well-dressed fashionable man dictates the rules of society. And, his supreme power comes from the use of superior agents for his care. These are his shampoo, toothpaste, and bath soap. The common thing about all these products is the way they foam. This happens due to the foam booster ingredients they add to the product. Foam boosters are zwitterionic.

Two-Natured Action

To understand the action, one must know how the foam booster ingredients such as zwitterion work. The zwitterion has two functional groups, one with a positive charge and the other negatively charged. In an amino acid, the basic group H2N gets linked to the carbon atom (valency 4) which is then linked to three other atoms or atomic groups. These include a hydrogen atom, an amine group, and an acidic group COOH.

Breaking the Surface Tension

The intermolecular forces between the surfactant and water are low. This results in lowering the surface tension making it easy for the detergent to remove the dirt. The action of surfactants in sunscreen lotions are different. In the formulation of sunscreen lotion, the main action is to block the harmful rays of the sun. There is no cleaning action needed. The sun protection ingredients are either oil in water or water in oil emulsions.

Observe Safety Always

While preparing the formulation of sunscreen lotion one should make sure the ingredients are safe. Users may inhale the vapours of the sunscreen or even ingest the lotion applied to the lips. If they contain harmful compounds, they could cause damage to the internal organs.

Active Ingredients in Sunscreen Creams

Chemical UV filters are the active ingredients in sunscreen lotions. The other ingredients include lubricants, thickening, and emulsifying agents, and perfume. Preservatives, colour, and absorbing agents like zinc oxide are present. The particle size will determine the completeness of dispersion.