Surfactants and detergents

Surfactants serve far more than detergents. They are used in personal care, crop protection formulations, textiles and leather, paints and inks, oil fields, mining, food, pharmaceuticals and emulsion polymerisation. Many are produced from fatty alcohols and fatty acids based on palm kernel, coconut or tallow, or from petrochemical alcohols and alkylbenzene, and the raw material base affects both price and sustainability claims.

Surfactants are usually sold as solutions or pastes with a stated active matter, so compare quotes per kilogram of active content. In your request, state the chemistry, the active matter, the form, the carbon chain distribution, the degree of ethoxylation where relevant and the application. Ask for biodegradability data, aquatic toxicity, the content of 1,4-dioxane in ethoxylated products, and certificates such as RSPO for palm derivatives or ecolabel acceptability if you sell labelled products.