Surfactant market Household products

Alcohol sulfates (AS) are usually manufactured by the reaction of a primary alcohol with sulfur trioxide or chlorosulfonic acid followed by neutralization with a base. These are high foam surfactants but they are sensitive to water hardness and higher levels of phosphates are required. This latter requirement has harmed the market for this type of detergent, but they are 2% of production for the major household surfactant market. Sodium lauryl sulfate (R = Cn) is a constituent of shampoos to take advantage of its high-foaming properties. 

They have high foam for shampoos and are kind to the skin. They are also used in light duty products such as dishwashing detergents. It is the least sensitive of the anionics to water hardness and therefore has benefited in the trend away from phosphates. They have 25% of the production for the major household surfactant market. 

LAS detergents made from the chlorination route have lower amounts of 2-phenyl product. Use of the a-olefms gives greater 2-phenyl content, which in turn changes the surfactant action somewhat. LAS detergents for many years had the highest percentage of the market, but now they own 19% of production for the major household surfactant market. 

Fabric Softening. The single largest market for quaternary ammonium compounds is as fabric softeners. The use of quaternary surfactants as fabric softeners and static control agents can be broken down into three main household product types rinse cycle softeners tumble dryer sheets and detergents containing softeners, also known as softergents. 

In the late 1940s cationic surfactants were widely used as finishing agents in commercial laundries. The multifarious benefits they delivered — improvement in feel, pleasant scent, and static control — attracted much interest for developing a new line of household products. The first cationic-based liquid rinse products for domestic use appeared in local markets in the U.S. in 1955, and were nationally launched in 1957 [4],... 

Branna, T., Surfactant market update, Household and Personal Products Industry (HAPPI), 40, 67, 2003. 

Surfactants are consumed in various industrial applications directly or indirectly connected to our daily lives. Market shares of surfactants in the United States in 1997 are shown in Figure 1. Consumption of household cleansing products, personal care products, and industrial and institutional (I I) cleansing products exceeds more than 60% of the 5.14 billion pounds of surfactants produced in the United States in 1997 [1]. In Japan, I I consumption exceeds over 50% of total production [2]. Anionic surfactants are the most common type utilized for every application because of their highly effective detergency and relatively lower cost. Thus anionic surfactants dominate household cleaning products. 

In 1932 the first household detergent based on synthetic surfactants was brought into the market under the name FEWA (Feinwaschmittel). The product was produced from fatty alcohol sulfate by Bohme Fettchemie in Chemnitz. The shortage of the necessary natural raw materials caused by World War II led to the development of products based on more readily available raw materials [2],... 

Household ammonia, liquid window cleaners, liquid all-purpose cleaners and various other household cleaning products constitute this small market for ammonia. Ammonia is also used in the manufacture of ammonium salts of alcohol, ether and sulfates. These compounds are widely used as surfactants in detergents that are in liquid dishwashing formulations57. 

In the USA, this surfactant is a well established product used in many household and industrial formulations. In particular, in light-duty liquid detergents the water solubility and soil removal ability of a-olefinesulfonates are excellent. In addition, o -olefinesulfonates are compatible with many other surfactants on the market, including alkyl sulfates, alkylbenzene sulfonates and alcohol ethoxylates. Therefore, o -olefinesulfonates can be used to obtain synergistic effects in binary or ternary mixtures. 

Sold as bleach cleaners, a genuine new generation of hypochlorite-based products appeared in 1993 on the European household market. They have been introduced in different fragranced versions (eucalyptus type, lemon, lavender) and sold as gel or 2-in-1 products which clean and disinfect. The typical surfactant level may range up to 3% (where amine oxide and soap are quite often used) combined with a sodium hypochlorite content up to about 2%. 

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