Surfactants are present in a wide range of cleaning products, and one of the usual groups is anionic surfactants, which are particularly valued for their foaming ability. There is a multitude of anionic surfactants for use in detergents, although the most commonly used today are the salts of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and ethoxylated sodium lauryl sulfate.
However, new trends have led to a rethinking of the suitability of these surfactants, due to factors such as dangerous or difficult handling, biodegradability, compatibility with skin and fabrics, effectiveness in low temperature washing or transport costs associated with diluted products. For this reason, ingredients developed in the last century such as Alpha-Olefin Sulfonate (INCI: Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate), are once again of interest in the detergency and cosmetic sectors.
Alpha Olefin Sulfonate is an anionic surfactant that has been used successfully for many years in laundry and personal care products, but was gradually replaced by other cheaper products.
Its main benefits in cleaning products are:
– Its great capacity to form stable foams, even in diluted products, in hard water and at low temperatures.
– Good cleaning properties, useful in both detergents and cosmetics.
– Fast biodegradability.
– Good compatibility with the skin.
– Its high water solubility.
All this makes it suitable for liquid or powder detergents and personal hygiene products, and especially for hand dishwashers, laundry detergents, automotive cleaners or bath gels.
AOS can be mixed with other anionic, non-ionic or amphoteric surfactants to obtain optimal formulations in foam formation and cleaning capacity.
AOS is available in two formats:
– 40% solution, with several preservative systems (CMIT/MIT, sodium benzoate, alkaline…)
– Powder.
The liquid format is the most convenient for using in liquid formulations, while the powder is suitable for meeting the demand for compact powder detergents, produced by processes other than spray drying, and also because of the need to reduce the carbon footprint with concentrated products (less impact on transport and packaging materials).
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