Soaps & Detergents - Ingredients

Along with surface active agents, which are prime ingredient in a soap / detergent, soaps and detergents are made using a variety of ingredients that are added in these products to give them specific properties and characteristics. Soaps & detergents are cleansing products that may include bar soaps and liquid gels for cleaning the hands, face or body; detergent powders or cakes for laundry cleaning purposes; household cleansers for cleaning household items, such as furniture, glass, plastic items, etc.; and dish cleaning products for washing kitchen utensils and dishes.

Essential to public and personal health, soaps and detergents contribute to a good personal hygiene; reduce the presence of germs, which cause infectious diseases; extend the useful life of tableware, clothes, linens, surfaces and furnishings; and make our homes and surrounding more pleasant.

Properties & Functions

These different ingredients impart different properties and functions in soaps and detergents and their addition or usage depends on the action or characteristics desired in the end product. For example, toilet soaps may contain antimicrobial agents to kill or inhibit bacteria, which can cause odor or disease. Some personal cleaning products may be made using abrasives for removing stubborn greasy dirt.

Glycerin is added as an emollient and texture enhancer in personal cleaning products. Sorbitol is another emollient, which is used along with glycerin to help make glycerin soaps more transparent. For making an opaque toilet soap, titanium dioxide can be added to it.

Bleaches, detergent boosters, fillers and builders, are laundry cleaning aids, which are added to enhance the effectiveness of laundry detergents and provide special attributes and functions. The laundry cleaning aids brighten and whiten fabrics and help remove the stubborn stains. These aids also convert the soils into colorless, soluble particles, which can be removed by detergents and are carried away in the wash water.
Types Important ingredients that are used in making soaps and detergents are -

• Fats
• Alkalies
• Glycerin
• Surfactants or Surface Active Agents
• Detergent Builders
• Detergent Boosters
• Detergent Fillers
• Rinse Agents
• Film Removers
• Lime & Rust Removers
• Emulsifiers
• Dry Cleaning Fluid
• Conditioning Agent
• Bleaches & Compounds
• Ammonia