A Liquid Laundry Detergent Formulation Featuring Alternative Laundry Surfactant Technology and Detergent Ingredients as a Replacement for Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylates
Non-ionic surfactant chemistry is under pressure to evolve, as formulators seek alternatives that match established performance without relying on conventional fatty alcohol ethoxylate (FAEO) technology.
This formulation is a liquid laundry detergent designed to demonstrate an alternative non-ionic surfactant as a complete replacement for FAEO surfactants, maintaining strong cleaning performance on body, cosmetic, and fatty soils, particularly on synthetic fabrics.
This formulation is optimised for enzyme-containing liquid detergents under standard household conditions, and is particularly suited to sportswear, synthetic textiles, and blended fabrics where polyester-based fatty stains are common.
Laundry Detergent Ingredients: Surfactant, Builder, Chelant, and Enzyme Package
The formulation uses an alternative non-ionic surfactant, supported by a structured surfactant system, builder and chelant components, a full enzyme package, and a hydrotrope for system stability.
- Novelty non-ionic surfactant: Selected to deliver non-ionic cleaning action whilst replacing FAEO surfactants entirely. Its chemical structure is designed to perform effectively against fatty soils on synthetic substrates.
- Anionic surfactants: Provide general soil removal across a broad spectrum of stain types. The anionic-nonionic surfactant combination is a recognised design principle in liquid detergents, balancing cleaning across diverse fabric types.
- Soap co-surfactant: Contributes soap-based co-surfactancy to support overall cleaning performance and foam control.
- Builder and chelant system: Included to sequester hardness ions and prevent soil redeposition, particularly relevant where water hardness increases the risk of mineral precipitation.
- Enzyme package: A complete protease, amylase, mannanase, and cellulase system targeting protein-based soils, starch residues, and fibre-bound soils. Enzyme activity is central to effective soil breakdown across the package.
- Hydrotrope: Maintains formulation clarity and stability, ensuring phase compatibility across the surfactant and enzyme systems.
Cleaning Performance on Polyester: Sebum, Lard, and Cosmetic Soil Results
The formulation is designed to deliver excellent cleaning of sebum soils and cosmetic stains, with particularly strong performance on polyester-based fatty stains. It is engineered for broad-spectrum stain removal, supported by the enzyme package.
Performance evaluation demonstrated consistently strong results across a range of fatty and cosmetic soil types:
- 44.6% soil removal on lard/polyester soils
- 25.6% on lard/polyester-cotton soils
- 22.9% removal on lipstick stains
- 6.7% on sebum-with-carbon-black soils
Applications for this Detergent Formulation in Synthetic Fabrics and Sportswear
This formulation is relevant for the following applications:
- Liquid laundry detergents for synthetic textiles: Designed specifically for polyester, polyamide, and blended fabrics where fatty soil adhesion is more pronounced than on natural fibres.
- Enzyme-based laundry systems: Formulated to operate compatibly with protease, amylase, mannanase, and cellulase enzymes under typical household washing conditions.
- Sportswear and activewear detergents: Particularly suited to garments subjected to body oils, sebum, and cosmetic soils, where synthetic fabric content is high.
- FAEO replacement development projects: Serves as a reference formulation for detergent manufacturers evaluating alternative nonionic surfactant technologies in response to regulatory, supply, or sustainability considerations.
Request a Ready-to-use Sample of this Laundry Detergent Formulation
Want to evaluate this formulation in your own development work? Request a ready-to-use sample to test performance before you scale up or get in touch to discuss adapting the concept for your home care and I&I formulations.