Color care detergent composition

Abstract

The need for detergent compositions that not only provide reduced dye transfer to co-washed fabrics, but also reduced dye fading during laundering, is met by formulating the detergent composition with a combination of branched nonionic surfactants and dye transfer inhibiting (DTI) polymers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] A laundry detergent composition, particularly a liquid laundry detergent composition or a unit dose article that provides improved care for colored fabrics.

Background Art

[0002] Laundry detergent compositions are formulated to provide good washing to fabrics in order to keep white fabrics white and colored fabrics bright. Laundry detergent compositions are also typically formulated to remove stains and dirt. However, in addition to removing dirt, laundry detergent compositions are known to also remove dyes from colored fabrics and cause color fading of the colored fabrics. Furthermore, these removed dyes can migrate onto other fabrics during the washing process, causing unwanted fabric discoloration.

[0003] To limit such migration of dyes to co-washed fabrics, dye transfer inhibition (DTI) polymers are often incorporated into detergent compositions commercially available for washing colored fabrics. Typical dye transfer inhibitors are typically based on polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone homopolymer (PVP), polyvinylimidazole (PVI), polyvinylpyrrolidone / polyvinylimidazole copolymer (PVP / PVI), poly-4-vinylpyridine N-oxide (PVNO), and poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-co-poly(vinylpyridine-N-oxide) (PVP / PVNO) polymers, which typically contain relatively high concentrations of vinylpyrrolidone ("VP"). However, such DTI polymers reduce migration to co-washed fabrics but do not prevent dye bleed from fabrics that causes dye fading. In fact, during washing, many fabric dyes are partitioned between the fabric and the wash liquor, and furthermore, it has been found that the capture of dyes in the wash liquor by DTI polymers increases the amount of dye distributed in the wash liquor. Therefore, it has also been found that DTI polymers prevent migration to co-washed fabrics during washing but increase dye fading.

[0004] Thus, there is still a need for a detergent composition that reduces the reattachment of dyes to fabrics being washed simultaneously and also reduces the fading of dyes during washing.

[0005] WO 2010 / 025116 (A1) relates to a stable color maintenance and / or restoration composition comprising at least one cationic polymer and an anionic surfactant, and a method for providing the same. WO 2013 / 070560 (A1) relates to a surface treatment composition comprising a specific cationic polymer(s), an anionic surfactant, one or more shielding salts, and a hydrophobic association breaker, the surface treatment composition comprising at least 6% by weight of a cationic polymer, at least 6% by weight of an anionic surfactant, and at least 4% by weight of a shielding salt, the weight ratio of anionic surfactant to cationic polymer being from 0.5:1 to 4:1, and the weight ratio of shielding salt to cationic polymer may be from 0.3:1 to 3:1.

[0006] US Application No. 2019 / 0390142 (A1) relates to a fabric care composition comprising a graft copolymer that may comprise (a) a polyalkylene oxide such as polyethylene oxide (PEG), (b) N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP), and (c) a vinyl ester such as vinyl acetate. Methods and uses related to such compositions and / or graft copolymers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention relates to a laundry detergent composition comprising a surfactant system and a dye transfer inhibition (DTI) polymer, wherein the surfactant system comprises a branched-chain nonionic surfactant, the dye transfer inhibition polymer is a graft copolymer, the graft copolymer has a number average molecular weight of 1000 to 20,000 Daltons, and the graft copolymer comprises a polyalkylene oxide based on ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or butylene oxide, N-vinylpyrrolidone, and a vinyl ester derived from a saturated monocarboxylic acid containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms and / or a methyl or ethyl ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, and the weight ratio of (a):(b) is 1:0.1 to 1:2, the amount by weight of (a) is greater than the amount of (c), and the branched-chain nonionic surfactant is a) Formula I: R1-CH(R2)-O-(PO)x(EO)y(PO)z-H In Formula I, R1 is a C4-C14 alkyl chain, preferably a C4-C8 alkyl chain, more preferably a C6 alkyl chain; R2 is a C1-C7 alkyl chain, preferably a C1-C5 alkyl chain, more preferably a C3 alkyl chain; x is 0 to 10, preferably 0 to 5, more preferably 0 to 3; y is 5 to 20, preferably 6 to 15, more preferably 7 to 12; z is 0 to 20, preferably 0 to 5, more preferably 0 to 3; EO represents ethoxylation and PO represents propoxylation. b) Formula II: R1-CH(R2)CH2-O-(PO)x(EO)y(PO)z-H In Formula II, R1 is a C3-C13 alkyl chain, preferably a C3-C7 alkyl chain, more preferably a C5 alkyl chain; R2 is a C1-C7 alkyl chain, preferably a C1-C5 alkyl chain, more preferably a C3 alkyl chain; x is 0 to 10, preferably 0 to 5, more preferably 0 to 3; y is 5 to 20, preferably 6 to 15, more preferably 7 to 12; z is 0 to 20, preferably 0 to 5, more preferably 0 to 3; EO represents ethoxylation and PO represents propoxylation, and is selected from the above.

[0009] The present invention further relates to the use of a laundry detergent composition comprising a combination of at least one branched-chain nonionic surfactant and a migration inhibitor polymer for improving color protection during washing, preferably for reducing dye redeposition during washing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It has been found that the detergent composition of the present invention reduces dye fading during washing.

[0011] Unless otherwise noted, all component or composition levels are with respect to the active portion of that component or composition, excluding impurities that may be present in commercial sources of such components or compositions, such as residual solvents or by-products.

[0012] All percentages and ratios are calculated on a weight basis, unless otherwise indicated. All percentages and ratios are calculated based on the total composition, unless otherwise indicated.

[0013] Unless otherwise specified, all measurements are carried out at 25 °C.

[0014] As used herein, articles such as "a" and "an" are understood to mean one or more of what is claimed or described when used in the claims.

[0015] Laundry detergent composition: The laundry detergent composition may be in any suitable form such as liquid, paste, granule, solid, powder, etc., or may be combined with a carrier such as a substrate. Preferred laundry detergent compositions are either liquid or granule, with liquid being most preferred.

[0016] As used herein, "liquid detergent composition" refers to a fluid, preferably a liquid detergent composition that can wet and clean fabrics, such as clothes, in a household washing machine. As used herein, "laundry detergent composition" refers to a composition suitable for washing clothes. The composition may contain a solid or gas in a suitably subdivided form, but excludes product forms that are non-liquid as a whole, such as tablets or granules. Liquid laundry detergent compositions exclude any solid additives, but, if present, include any foam and preferably have a density in the range of 0.9 to 1.3 grams per cubic centimeter, more specifically 1.00 to 1.10 grams per cubic centimeter.

[0017] The composition can be an aqueous liquid laundry detergent composition. In such an aqueous liquid laundry detergent composition, the water content can be present at a level of 5.0 wt% to 95 wt%, preferably 25 wt% to 90 wt%, more preferably 50 wt% to 85 wt% of the liquid laundry detergent composition.

[0018] The pH range of the detergent composition is 6.0 to 8.9, preferably 7 to 8.8.

[0019] The detergent composition can also be encapsulated in a water-soluble film to form a unit-dose article. Such a unit-dose article contains the detergent composition of the present invention, the detergent composition contains less than 20 wt%, preferably less than 15 wt%, more preferably less than 10 wt% water, and the detergent composition is encapsulated in a water-soluble or water-dispersible film. Such unit-dose articles can be formed using any means known in the art. Suitable unit-dose articles can contain one compartment, which contains the liquid laundry detergent composition. Alternatively, the unit-dose article can be a multi-compartment unit-dose article in which at least one compartment contains the liquid laundry detergent composition.

[0020] Migrating dye inhibitor polymer: The detergent composition contains one or more migration-inhibiting polymers. The migration-inhibiting polymer includes a graft copolymer. The graft copolymer can be present at a level of 0.05 wt% to 15 wt%, or 0.1 wt% to 3.0 wt%, and / or 0.2 wt% to 1.0 wt% of the detergent composition.

[0021] Migration-inhibiting polymers are known in the art as being for reducing or preventing migration during the washing process. However, during washing, many fabric dyes are distributed between the fabric and the wash liquor, and it has been found that using a DTI polymer to capture the dye in the wash liquor increases dye removal from the fabric and results in increased dye fading.

[0022] The migration-inhibiting polymer used herein is a graft copolymer, and this graft copolymer has (a) a number average molecular weight of 1000 to 20,000 daltons and is a polyalkylene oxide based on ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or butylene oxide, (b) N-vinylpyrrolidone, and (c) a vinyl ester derived from a saturated monocarboxylic acid containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and the weight ratio of (a):(b) is 1:0.1 to 1:2, preferably 1:0.3 to 1:1, and the amount by weight of (a) is greater than the amount of (c).

[0023] (a):(c) The weight ratio is 1.0:0.1 to 1.0:0.99 or 1.0:0.3 to 1.0:0.9. If the ratio of polyalkylene oxide to N-vinylpyrrolidone is too low, the polymer may have a negative interaction with other composition components and / or may result in a negative feel on the fabric and a reduction in the washing effect.

[0024] (b):(c) The weight ratio can be from about 1.0:0.1 to about 1.0:5.0, or up to about 1.0:4.0. Without wishing to be bound by theory, too high a ratio of N-vinylpyrrolidone to vinyl ester may lead to more adhesion and may cause a negative feel on the treated fabric. Furthermore, a negative interaction with components such as optical brighteners may occur.

[0025] (a) The amount by weight of the polymer is greater than the amount of (c). The polymer may contain at least 50% by weight, preferably at least 60% by weight, more preferably at least 75% by weight of (a) polyalkylene oxide. Without wishing to be bound by theory, particularly in relation to component (a), relatively high concentrations of component (c) (e.g., vinyl acetate) may result in a decrease in the level dye transfer inhibition performance and / or a relatively high hydrophobicity, which may lead to problems with formulation and / or stability.

[0026] The order of addition of monomers (b) and (c) in the graft polymerization is not important.

[0027] The graft copolymer has a number average molecular weight of (a) 1000 to 20000 Da, or up to 15000 Da, or up to 12000 Da, or up to 10000 Da, and is grafted with a polyalkylene oxide based on ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, or butylene oxide, preferably ethylene oxide, (b) N-vinylpyrrolidone and further (c) a vinyl ester derived from a saturated monocarboxylic acid containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, preferably vinyl acetate or a derivative thereof, and / or can be obtained thereby.

[0028] Suitable polyalkylene oxides can be based on homopolymers or copolymers, with homopolymers being preferred. The polyalkylene oxide can be a homopolymer of ethylene oxide or based on an ethylene oxide copolymer having an ethylene oxide content of 40 to 99 mol%. Suitable comonomers for such copolymers can include propylene oxide, n-butylene oxide, and / or isobutylene oxide. Suitable copolymers can include copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, copolymers of ethylene oxide and butylene oxide, and / or copolymers of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, and at least one butylene oxide. The copolymer can include an ethylene oxide content of 40 to 99 mol%, a propylene oxide content of 1.0 to 60 mol%, and a butylene oxide content of 1.0 to 30 mol%. The graft base can be linear (straight-chain) or branched-chain, for example, a branched-chain homopolymer and / or a branched-chain copolymer.

[0029] The branched-chain copolymer can be prepared by adding ethylene oxide, which may or may not contain propylene oxide and / or butylene oxide, to a polyhydric low molecular weight alcohol, such as trimethylolpropane, pentose, or hexose.

[0030] The alkylene oxide units may be randomly distributed in the polymer or present internally as blocks.

[0031] The polyalkylene oxide of component (a) may be the corresponding polyalkylene glycol in free form (i.e., having OH end groups), or one or both end groups may be protected. Suitable end groups can be, for example, C1-C25-alkyl groups, phenyl groups, and C1-C14-alkylphenyl groups. The end group can be a C1-alkyl (e.g., methyl) group. Suitable materials for the graft base are PEG300, PEG1000, PEG2000, PEG4000, PEG6000, PEG8000, PEG10000, PEG12000, and / or PEG20000 of polyethylene glycol, and / or MPEG2000, MPEG4000, MPEG6000, MPEG8000, and MEG10000 of monomethoxypolyethylene glycol commercially available under the trade name PLURIOL from BASF.

[0032] Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is considered that when the molecular weight of component (a) (e.g., polyethylene glycol) is relatively low, the performance of migration inhibition may decrease. Additionally or alternatively, when the molecular weight is too high, the polymer may not remain suspended in the solution and / or may adhere to the treated fabric.

[0033] The graft copolymers of the present disclosure can be characterized by a relatively low degree of branching (i.e., degree of grafting). In the graft copolymers of the present disclosure, the average number of graft sites can be 1.0 or less, or 0.8 or less, or 0.6 or less, or 0.5 or less, or 0.4 or less per 50 alkylene oxide groups, such as ethylene oxide groups. The graft copolymer can, on average, contain at least 0.05 or at least 0.1 graft site per 50 alkylene oxide groups, such as ethylene oxide groups, based on the resulting reaction mixture. The degree of branching can be determined, for example, 13 using 13C NMR spectroscopy from the integral values of the signals of the graft sites and the -CH 2 - groups of the polyalkylene oxide.

[0034] The number of graft sites can be adjusted by manipulating the temperature and / or feed rate of the monomer. For example, the polymerization may be carried out in such a way that the excess component (a) and the formed graft copolymer are always present in the reactor. For example, the quantitative molar ratio of component (a) to the polymer and the monomer not grafted to the polymer (and the initiator if present) is usually 10:1 or more, or up to 15:1, or up to about 20:1.

[0035] The polyalkylene oxide is grafted with N-vinylpyrrolidone as the monomer of component (b). Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the presence of N-vinylpyrrolidone ("vinylpyrrolidone, VP") monomer in the graft copolymer according to the present disclosure provides water solubility and good film-forming properties compared to other similar polymers that do not contain the N-vinylpyrrolidone monomer. The repeating unit of vinylpyrrolidone has amphiphilicity due to a polar amide group capable of forming a dipole and a non-polar portion with methylene groups that make the backbone and ring hydrophobic. If the vinylpyrrolidone content is too high, it may have an adverse effect on the flexibility of the fabric, and the high vinylpyrrolidone content results in a high material cost.

[0036] The polyalkylene oxide is grafted with a vinyl ester as the monomer of component (c). The vinyl ester can be derived from a saturated monocarboxylic acid containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or 1 to 2 carbon atoms, or 1 carbon atom. Suitable vinyl esters can be selected from the group consisting of vinyl formate, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl butyrate, vinyl valerate, isovaleric acid vinyl ester, vinyl caproate, or mixtures thereof. Preferred monomers of component (c) include those selected from the group consisting of vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, or mixtures thereof, and optionally vinyl acetate.

[0037] Conventionally, the molecular weight has been represented by the "K value" obtained from relative viscosity measurements. The graft copolymer can have K values of 5.0 to 200, optionally 5.0 to 50, as measured according to H. Fikentscher in a 2 wt% strength solution in dimethylformamide at 25 °C.

[0038] The graft copolymers of the present disclosure can be characterized by a relatively narrow molar mass distribution. For example, the graft copolymer can have a polydispersity M w / M n of 3.0 or less, or 2.5 or less, or 2.3 or less. The polydispersity of the graft copolymer can be 1.5 to 2.2. The polydispersity can be determined by gel permeation chromatography using an organic solvent such as hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) with multi-angle laser light scattering detection.

[0039] The graft copolymer can be prepared by grafting a suitable polyalkylene oxide of component (a) with a monomer of component (b) in the presence of a free radical initiator and / or by the action of high energy radiation (which can include the action of high energy electron beams). This can be done, for example, by dissolving the polyalkylene oxide in at least one monomer of group (b), adding a polymerization initiator, and completely polymerizing the mixture. Also, the graft polymerization can be carried out semi-continuously by first introducing a portion, for example 10%, of the mixture of the polyalkylene oxide to be polymerized, at least one monomer of group (b) and / or (c), and the initiator, heating to the polymerization temperature, and after polymerization starts, adding the remainder of the mixture to be polymerized at a rate commensurate with the polymerization rate. The graft copolymer can also be obtained by introducing the polyalkylene oxide of group (a) into the reactor, heating to the polymerization temperature, and adding all, little by little, or without interruption, optionally without interruption, at least one monomer of group (b) and / or (c) and the polymerization initiator, and polymerizing.

[0040] In the preparation of the graft copolymer, the order in which monomers (b) and (c) are grafted onto component (a) is not important and / or can be freely selected. For example, first N-vinylpyrrolidone can be grafted onto component (a), and then monomer (c) or a mixture of monomers of group (c) can be grafted. Also, first the monomers of group (c) can be grafted onto the graft base (a), and then N-vinylpyrrolidone can be grafted. It is possible to graft a monomer mixture of (b) and (c) onto the graft base (a) in one step. The graft copolymer can be prepared by providing the graft base (a) and then grafting first N-vinylpyrrolidone and then vinyl acetate onto the graft base.

[0041] Any suitable polymerization initiator can be used, and examples of such polymerization initiators include diacetyl peroxide, dibenzoyl peroxide, succinyl peroxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, tert-butyl perbenzoate, tert-butyl perpivalate, tert-butyl permaleate, cumene hydroperoxide, diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate, bis(o-toluoyl) peroxide, didecanoyl peroxide, dioctanoyl peroxide, dilauroyl peroxide, tert-butyl perisobutyrate, tert-butyl peracetate, di-tert-amyl peroxide, tert-butyl peracetate, di-tert-amyl peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, mixtures thereof, redox initiators, and / or organic peroxides such as azo starters. The choice of initiator may be related to the choice of polymerization temperature.

[0042] The graft polymerization can be carried out at about 50 °C to about 200 °C, or about 70 °C to about 140 °C. The graft polymerization can typically be carried out under atmospheric pressure, but can also be carried out under reduced pressure or superatmospheric pressure.

[0043] Graft polymerization can be carried out in a solvent. Suitable solvents include monohydric alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, and / or butanol; polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol and / or propylene glycol; alkylene glycol ethers such as ethylene glycol monomethyl and -ethyl ethers and / or propylene glycol monomethyl and -ethyl ethers; polyalkylene glycols such as di- or tri-ethylene glycol and / or di- or tri-propylene glycol; polyalkylene glycol monoethers such as poly(C2-C3-alkylene) glycol mono(C1-C16-alkyl) ethers having 3 to 20 alkylene glycol units; carboxylic acid esters such as ethyl acetate and ethyl propionate; aliphatic ketones such as acetone and / or cyclohexanone; cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and / or dioxane; or mixtures thereof may contain alginate lyase selected from.

[0044] Also, graft polymerization may be carried out in water as a solvent. In such a case, the first step may be to introduce a solution that is somewhat soluble in water depending on the amount of the monomer of the added component (b). In order to transfer the water-insoluble product that may form during polymerization to the solution, for example, an organic solvent such as a monohydric alcohol having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, acetone, and / or dimethylformamide can be added. In the graft polymerization process in water, it is also possible to transfer the water-insoluble graft copolymer to a fine dispersion by adding a normal emulsifier or protective colloid such as polyvinyl alcohol. The emulsifier used can be an ionic or non-ionic surfactant having an HLB value of 3.0 to 13. The HLB value is measured according to the method described in the paper by W.C. Griffin in J.Soc.Cosmet.Chem. 5(1954), 249.

[0045] The amount of surfactant used in the graft polymerization process can be 0.1 to 5.0% by weight of the graft copolymer. When water is used as the solvent, a solution or dispersion of the graft copolymer can be obtained. When preparing a solution of the graft copolymer in an organic solvent or a mixture of an organic solvent and water, the amount of the organic solvent or solvent mixture used per 100 parts by weight of the graft copolymer can be 5 to 200 parts by weight, optionally 10 to 100 parts by weight.

[0046] After the graft polymerization, optionally, the graft copolymer may be subjected to partial hydrolysis. In the graft copolymer, 1.0 mol% to 60 mol%, preferably 20 mol% to 60 mol%, more preferably 30 mol% to 50 mol% of the grafted monomer of component (c) is hydrolyzed. For example, when hydrolyzing a graft copolymer prepared using vinyl acetate or vinyl propionate as component (c), a graft copolymer containing vinyl alcohol units is obtained. Hydrolysis can be carried out, for example, by adding a base such as an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution or an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution, or by adding an acid and heating the mixture as necessary. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that increasing the degree of hydrolysis of component (c) increases the relative hydrophilicity of the graft copolymer, and then it is believed that the captured dye will be suspended better.

[0047] Surfactant system The laundry composition may contain a surfactant system at a concentration of 2.5% to 60% by weight, preferably 5.0% to 25% by weight, most preferably 7.0% to 15% by weight of this composition.

[0048] As used herein, a suitable surfactant means a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants that provides cleaning, stain removal, or laundry benefits to the soiled material. The detergency surfactant can be selected from anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and combinations thereof.

[0049] The surfactant system includes a branched-chain nonionic surfactant. The surfactant system can further include a surfactant selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, an amphoteric ion surfactant, and mixtures thereof. Therefore, the surfactant system can include a combination of an anionic surfactant and a nonionic surfactant, more preferably a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant.

[0050] Preferably, a surfactant containing a saturated alkyl chain is used.

[0051] Branched-chain nonionic surfactant This surfactant system can contain a branched-chain nonionic surfactant at a concentration of 0.1 wt% to 12 wt%, preferably 0.5 wt% to 10 wt%, and most preferably 1.0 wt% to 3.0 wt% of this composition.

[0052] Suitable branched-chain nonionic surfactants can be derived from primary or secondary alcohols. The branched-chain nonionic surfactant is selected from the following. a) Formula I: R1-CH(R2)-(PO) x (EO) y (PO) z -H In Formula I, R1 is a C4 - C14 alkyl chain, preferably a C4 - C8 alkyl chain, more preferably a C6 alkyl chain; R2 is a C1 - C7 alkyl chain, preferably a C1 - C5 alkyl chain, more preferably a C3 alkyl chain; x is 0 - 10, preferably 0 - 5, more preferably 0 - 3; y is 5 - 20, preferably 6 - 15, more preferably 7 - 12; z is 0 - 20, preferably 0 - 5, more preferably 0 - 3; EO represents ethoxylation, and PO represents propoxylation. b) Formula II: R1-CH(R2)CH 2 -(PO) x (EO) y (PO) z -H In formula II, R1 is a C3-C13 alkyl chain, preferably a C3-C7 alkyl chain, more preferably a C5 alkyl chain; R2 is a C1-C7 alkyl chain, preferably a C1-C5 alkyl chain, more preferably a C3 alkyl chain; x is from 0 to 10, preferably from 0 to 5, more preferably from 0 to 3; y is from 5 to 20, preferably from 6 to 15, more preferably from 7 to 12; z is from 0 to 20, preferably from 0 to 5, more preferably from 0 to 3; EO represents ethoxylation and PO represents propoxylation.

[0053] Preferred branched-chain nonionic ethoxylates according to formula I are those having a degree of alkoxylation of from 3 to 40 and are available under the trade name Tergitol® 15-S. For example, Tergitol® 15-S-20 having an average degree of alkoxylation of 20. Other suitable commercially available materials according to formula I are those available under the trade names Softanol® M and EP series.

[0054] Preferred branched-chain nonionic surfactants according to formula II are Guerbet C10 alcohol ethoxylates having 7 or 8 EO such as Ethylan® 1007 and 1008, and commercially available Lutensol® XL series (XL50, XL70, etc.) of Guerbet C10 alcohol alkoxylated nonionic surfactants (ethoxylated and / or propoxylated). Other representative alkoxylated branched-chain nonionic surfactants include those available under the trade names Lutensol® XP30, Lutensol® XP-50, and Lutensol® XP-80 available from BASF Corporation. Generally, Lutensol® XP-30 can be considered to have three repeating ethoxy groups, Lutensol® XP-50 can be considered to have five repeating ethoxy groups, and Lutensol® XP-70 can be considered to have seven repeating ethoxy groups. Other suitable branched-chain nonionic surfactants include oxo-branched nonionic surfactants such as Lutensol® ON50 (5 EO) and Lutensol® ON70 (7 EO). Other suitable branched-chain nonionic surfactants include Plurafac® SLF170 (3 PO, 12 EO, 15 PO). Also, ethoxylated aliphatic alcohols obtained by the Fischer-Tropsch reaction, including those having up to 50% branching (40% methyl (mono- or bi-) 10% cyclohexyl) and produced from Sasol's Safol® alcohol, and ethoxylated aliphatic alcohols derived from the oxo reaction are also suitable, where at least 50% by weight of the alcohol is a C2 isomer (methyl to pentyl) such as that produced from Sasol's Isalchem® alcohol or Lial® alcohol.

[0055] Further nonionic surfactants The liquid detergent composition can contain a further nonionic surfactant. The concentration of the further nonionic surfactant in the liquid detergent composition can be present at a concentration of less than 15% by weight, preferably less than 7.0% by weight, more preferably less than 5.0% by weight, and even more preferably less than 3.0% by weight. Most preferably, the composition does not contain a further nonionic surfactant.

[0056] Suitable nonionic surfactants include linear C12 - C18 alkyl ethoxylates (''AE'') containing so - called narrow - peak alkyl ethoxylates, and C6 - C12 alkylphenol alkoxylates (especially ethoxylates and ethoxy / propoxy mixtures), block - type alkylene oxide condensates of C6 - C12 alkylphenols, alkylene oxide condensates of C8 - C22 alkanols, and ethylene oxide / propylene oxide block polymers (Pluronic, BASF Corp.), but are not limited thereto, and semi - polar nonionic substances (e.g., amine oxides and phosphine oxides) can be used in the composition of the present invention. A wide disclosure of these types of surfactants is found in U.S. Patent No. 3,929,678.

[0057] Alkyl polysaccharides as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,565,647 are also nonionic surfactants useful in the composition of the present invention.

[0058] Alkyl polyglucoside surfactants are also suitable.

[0059] As a further nonionic surfactant, those of the formula R 1 (OC 2 H 4 ) n OH are included, where R 1is a linear C10-C16 alkyl group or a C8-C12 alkylphenyl group, and n is preferably from 3 to 80. In some embodiments, the nonionic surfactant can be a condensation product of 5 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol and a linear C12-C15 alcohol, for example, a C12-C13 alcohol condensed with 6.5 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol.

[0060] Anionic surfactant This surfactant system can contain an anionic surfactant at a concentration of 1.4 wt% to 52 wt%, preferably 4.4 wt% to 20 wt%, more preferably 5.9 wt% to 11.5 wt% of the liquid detergent composition.

[0061] The surfactant system can further preferably contain an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of sulfonate surfactants, sulfate surfactants, and mixtures thereof, and more preferably, the anionic surfactant contains a sulfonate surfactant and a sulfate surfactant. Suitable anionic surfactants also include fatty acids and their salts, which are typically added as builders. However, essentially any anionic surfactant known in the art of detergent compositions, such as those disclosed in W.M. Linfield, "Surfactant Science Series", Vol. 7, can be used. However, the composition preferably contains at least a sulfonic acid surfactant, such as linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid, although water-soluble salt forms can also be used. Alkyl sulfates or mixtures thereof are also preferred. A combination of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and an alkyl sulfate surfactant is particularly preferred for improving stain removal.

[0062] Suitable anionic sulfonates or sulfonic acid surfactants for use in this specification include alkylbenzene sulfonates, alkyl ester sulfonates, alkane sulfonates, the acid and salt forms of alkyl sulfonated polycarboxylic acids, and mixtures thereof. Suitable anionic sulfonates or sulfonic acid surfactants include C5-C20 alkylbenzene sulfonates, more preferably C10-C16 alkylbenzene sulfonates, more preferably C11-C13 alkylbenzene sulfonates, C5-C20 alkyl ester sulfonates, C6-C22 primary or secondary alkane sulfonates, C5-C20 sulfonated (poly)carboxylic acids, and any mixtures thereof, preferably including C11-C13 alkylbenzene sulfonates. The above surfactants can have widely different 2-phenyl isomer contents.

[0063] Suitable anionic sulfates for use in the compositions of the present invention include primary and secondary alkyl sulfates having a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl moiety having 9 to 22 carbon atoms, more preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms. β-branched alkyl sulfate surfactants, or mixtures of commercially available substances, having a weight average degree of branching of at least 50% (of the surfactant or mixture) are likewise useful.

[0064] Medium-chain branched alkyl sulfates or sulfonates are also suitable anionic surfactants for use in the compositions of the present invention. Preferred are C5-C22, preferably C10-C20 medium-chain branched alkyl primary sulfates. When using mixtures, the preferred average total number of carbon atoms of the alkyl moiety is preferably in the range of greater than 14.5 to 17.5. Preferred mono-methyl-branched primary alkyl sulfates are selected from the group consisting of 3-methyl to 13-methyl pentadecanol sulfates, the corresponding hexadecanol sulfates, and mixtures thereof. Dimethyl derivatives, or other biodegradable alkyl sulfates having minor branching, can likewise be used.

[0065] When used, the alkyl alkoxylated sulfate surfactant can be a blend of one or more alkyl ethoxylated sulfates. Suitable alkyl alkoxylated sulfates include C10-C18 alkyl ethoxylated sulfates, more preferably C12-C15 alkyl ethoxylated sulfates. The anionic surfactant can include an alkyl sulfate surfactant, and the alkyl sulfate surfactant has an average ethoxylation degree of 0.5-8.0, preferably 1.0-5.0, more preferably 2.0-3.5.

[0066] Alternatively, the anionic surfactant can include an alkyl sulfate surfactant, which has a low ethoxylation degree with an average ethoxylation degree of less than 0.5, preferably less than 0.1, and more preferably is not ethoxylated. The preferred low ethoxylated alkyl sulfate surfactant does not include further alkoxylation. The preferred low ethoxylated alkyl sulfate surfactant includes a branched-chain alkyl sulfate surfactant. The branched-chain alkyl sulfate surfactant can include 2-branched alkyl chains of at least 20% by weight, preferably 60% to 100% by weight, more preferably 80% to 90% by weight of the alkyl chain of the branched-chain alkyl sulfate surfactant. Such a branched-chain alkyl sulfate having a 2-branched alkyl chain can also be described as 2-alkyl alkanol sulfate or 2-alkyl alkyl sulfate. The branched-chain alkyl sulfate can be neutralized by any suitable amine such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, lithium, calcium, ammonium, or monoethanolamine, triethanolamine, and monoisopropanolamine, etc., but not limited thereto, or by a mixture of any of the neutralizing metal or amine. Suitable branched-chain alkyl sulfate surfactants can include an alkyl chain containing 10 to 18 carbon atoms (C10 - C18) or 12 to 15 carbon atoms (C12 - C15), with 13 to 15 carbon atoms (C13 - C15) being most preferred. The branched-chain alkyl sulfate surfactant can be produced using a process including a hydroformylation reaction to provide the desired level of 2-branching. A particularly preferred branched-chain alkyl sulfate surfactant includes 2-branching, and the 2-branching includes 2-branching of methyl branching, ethyl branching, and mixtures thereof of 20% to 80% by weight, preferably 30% to 65% by weight, more preferably 40% to 50% by weight.

[0067] Suitable low-ethoxylated branched alkyl sulfate surfactants can be derived from alkyl alcohols such as both Lial® 145 and Isalchem® 145 supplied by Sasol and can optionally be blended with other alkyl alcohols to achieve the desired branching distribution.

[0068] When using the composition of the present invention containing such a low-ethoxylated alkyl sulfate surfactant to wash fabrics, especially when the low-ethoxylated alkyl sulfate surfactant contains a 2-branch as described above, when washing the fabric at a temperature of 30 °C or lower, it is possible to achieve a lower level of dye removal from the fabric during washing while maintaining the washing performance.

[0069] However, in the process of manufacturing such an alkyl ether sulfate anionic surfactant, trace amounts of residual 1,4-dioxane by-products may occur. The amount of 1,4-dioxane by-products in alkoxylated alkyl sulfates, especially ethoxylated alkyl sulfates, can be reduced. Based on recent technological advancements, further reduction of 1,4-dioxane by-products can be achieved by subsequent stripping, distillation, solvent evaporation, centrifugation, microwave irradiation, molecular sieving, or catalytic cracking processes or enzymatic degradation processes. An alternative method is to use an alkyl sulfate anionic surfactant that contains only a low level of ethoxylation or even no ethoxylation. Therefore, alkyl Miguel

[0070] Other anionic surfactants suitable for use herein include fatty methyl ester sulfonates and / or alkyl polyalkoxylated carboxylates, such as alkyl ethoxylated carboxylates (AEC).

[0071] Anionic surfactants typically exist in the form of their salts with alkanolamines or alkali metals such as sodium and potassium.

[0072] For improving stability and cleaning oils and fats, the liquid detergent composition can contain a combination of a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant and an alkyl alkoxylated sulfate surfactant such that the ratio of the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant to the alkyl alkoxylated sulfate surfactant is from 15:1 to 0.1:1, preferably from 10:1 to 0.3:1, more preferably from 5:1 to 1:1.

[0073] Amphoteric and / or zwitterionic surfactants This surfactant system can contain amphoteric and / or zwitterionic surfactants at a concentration of 0.1 wt% to 2.0 wt%, preferably 0.1 wt% to 1.0 wt%, more preferably 0.1 wt% to 0.5 wt% of the liquid laundry detergent composition.

[0074] Suitable amphoteric surfactants include amine oxide surfactants. The amine oxide surfactant has the following formula: R 1 R 2 R 3 NO (wherein R 1 is a hydrocarbon chain containing 1 to 30 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 20 carbon atoms, more preferably 8 to 16 carbon atoms, and R 2 and R 3 are independently saturated or unsaturated, substituted or unsubstituted, straight-chain or branched-chain hydrocarbon chains containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and more preferably methyl groups), and is an amine oxide. R 1 may be a saturated or unsaturated, substituted or unsubstituted, straight-chain or branched hydrocarbon chain.

[0075] Suitable amine oxides used herein are, for example, preferably dimethylamine oxides of C 12 ~C 14 commercially available from Albright & Wilson, amine oxides of C 12 ~C 14 commercially available under the trade name Genaminox® LA from Clariant, or AROMOX® DMC commercially available from AKZO Nobel.

[0076] Suitable amphoteric or zwitterionic detergency surfactants include those known for use in hair care or other personal care cleansing. Non-limiting examples of suitable zwitterionic or amphoteric surfactants are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,104,646 and 5,106,609. Suitable amphoteric detergency surfactants include surfactants widely described as derivatives of aliphatic secondary and tertiary amines, where the aliphatic radical may be straight-chain or branched-chain, and one of the aliphatic substituents contains 8 to 18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionic group such as a carboxy group, sulfonic acid group, sulfuric acid group, phosphoric acid group, or phosphonic acid group. Suitable amphoteric detergency surfactants for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, cocoamphoacetate, cocoamphodiacetate, lauroamphoacetate, lauroamphodiacetate, and mixtures thereof.

[0077] Optional components The detergent composition may further comprise one or more of the following optional components: external structuring agents or thickeners, enzymes, enzyme stabilizers, washing polymers, bleaching systems, fluorescent brighteners, hue dyes, particulate materials, fragrances and other odor control agents, hydrotropes, antifoaming agents, fabric care benefit agents, pH adjusters, further migration inhibition polymers, dye fixing polymers, preservatives, non-fabric direct dyes, and mixtures thereof. In a more preferred embodiment, the laundry detergent composition does not contain a bleaching agent.

[0078] External structuring agents or thickeners: Preferred external structuring agents and thickeners are those that do not rely on charge-charge interactions to provide a structuring effect. Thus, particularly preferred external structuring agents are non-polymeric crystalline hydroxyl-functional structuring agents such as hydrogenated castor oil; microfibrillar cellulose; uncharged hydroxyethyl cellulose; uncharged hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose; hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane; hydrophobically modified nonionic polyol; and non-charged external structuring agents selected from the group consisting of mixtures thereof.

[0079] Suitable polymer structuring agents include natural and / or synthetic polymer structuring agents.

[0080] Examples of natural polymer structuring agents used in the present invention include microfibrillated cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, polysaccharide derivatives, and mixtures thereof. Non-limiting examples of microfibrillated cellulose are described in International Publication No. 2009 / 101545 (A1). Suitable polysaccharide derivatives include pectin, alginate, arabinogalactan (gum arabic), carrageenan, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, and mixtures thereof.

[0081] Examples of synthetic polymer structuring agents or thickeners used in the present invention include polycarboxylate, hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane (HEUr), hydrophobically modified nonionic polyol, and mixtures thereof.

[0082] Preferably, the aqueous liquid detergent composition has a viscosity of 50 to 5,000, preferably 75 to 1,000, more preferably 100 to 500 MPa·s when measured at a shear rate of 100 s−1 at a temperature of 20 °C. For improving phase stability and the stability of suspended components, the aqueous liquid detergent composition has a viscosity of 50 to 250,000, preferably 5,000 to 125,000, more preferably 10,000 to 35,000 MPa·s when measured at a shear rate of 0.05 s−1 at a temperature of 20 °C.

[0083] Washing polymer: The detergent composition preferably contains a washing polymer. Such a washing polymer is thought to at least partially lift the stain from the textile fibers and enable the enzyme system to more effectively decompose the complex containing mannan and other polysaccharides. Suitable washing polymers provide cleaning of a wide range of surface and fabric stains and / or suspension of stains. Non-limiting examples of suitable washing polymers include amphiphilic alkoxylated grease washing polymers, clay stain washing polymers, soil release polymers, and soil suspension polymers. Preferred washing polymers are at least one compound of formula (I)

[0084] [Chemical formula] (wherein n is a number of 3 or more), and at least one compound of formula (II)

[0085] [Chemical formula] (wherein A - represents an anion, particularly selected from halides such as fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, etc., alkyl sulfates such as sulfate, hydrogen sulfate, methyl sulfate, and mixtures thereof) and can be obtained by free radical copolymerization. Such polymers are further described in European Patent Application No. 3196283 (A1).

[0086] For similar reasons, polyester-based soil release polymers such as SRA300 supplied by Clariant are also particularly preferred.

[0087] Other useful cleaning polymers are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 20090124528 (A1). The detergent composition may include an amphiphilic alkoxylated grease cleaning polymer having a balance of hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity to remove grease particles from fabrics and surfaces. The amphiphilic alkoxylated fat cleaning polymer may include a core structure and a plurality of alkoxylate groups attached to the core structure. These may include, for example, alkoxylated polyalkyleneimines. Such compounds may include, but are not limited to, ethoxylated polyethyleneimine, ethoxylated hexamethylenediamine, and sulfated forms thereof. Polypropoxylated derivatives may also be mentioned. A wide variety of amines and polyalkyleneimines can be alkoxylated to various degrees. A useful example is a 600 g / mol polyethyleneimine core ethoxylated up to 20 EO groups per NH, available from BASF. The alkoxylated polyalkyleneimine may include an inner polyethylene oxide block and an outer polypropylene oxide block. The detergent composition may include from 0.1% to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.1% to 8.0% by weight, more preferably from 0.1% to 2.0% by weight of the cleaning polymer based on the weight of the detergent composition.

[0088] Further migration inhibition polymers: The detergent composition can include one or more further migration inhibition polymers. However, preferred compositions do not include such further migration inhibition polymers. During washing, it has been found that many fabric dyes are partitioned between the fabric and the wash liquor. Thus, it has been found that the sequestration of dyes in the wash liquor using DTI polymers increases the removal of dyes from the fabric and thus increases dye fading.

[0089] When used, suitable further migration-inhibiting polymers can be selected from the group consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone homopolymer (PVP), polyvinylimidazole (PVI), polyvinylpyrrolidone / polyvinylimidazole copolymer (PVP / PVI), polyvinylpyridine-N-oxide (PVNO), poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-co-poly(vinylpyridine-N-oxide) (PVP / PVNO) polymer, poly-N-carboxymethyl-4-vinylpyridium chloride, poly(2-hydroxypropyldimethylammonium chloride), and mixtures thereof, preferably polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylimidazole (PVI), a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and vinylimidazole (PVP / PVI), and mixtures thereof.

[0090] Polyvinylpyrrolidone (「PVP」) is amphiphilic, having highly polar amide groups that impart hydrophilic and polar attraction properties, and also having polar methylene and methane groups that impart hydrophobic properties to the backbone and / or ring. The ring can also provide a planar orientation with an aromatic ring in a dye molecule. PVP is readily soluble in both aqueous and organic solvent systems. PVP is commercially available in powder or aqueous solution form in several viscosity grades. The compositions of the present invention preferably utilize a copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole (also abbreviated herein as 「PVPVI」). It has been found that further addition of a copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole can provide excellent migration inhibition performance. The copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole can have a molar ratio of N-vinylimidazole to N-vinylpyrrolidone of 1:1 to 0.2:1, more preferably 0.8:1 to 0.3:1, and most preferably 0.6:1 to 0.4:1. The copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole can be either linear or branched. Particularly suitable polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylimidazole (PVI), and copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone and vinylimidazole (PVP / PVI) can have a weight average molecular weight of 5,000 Da to 1,000,000 Da, preferably 5,000 Da to 50,000 Da, and more preferably 10,000 Da to 20,000 Da. The number average molecular weight range is determined by light scattering as described in Barth J.H.G. and Mays J.W. Chemical Analysis Vol 113. 「Modern Methods of Polymer Characterization」. Copolymers of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) and poly(N-vinyl-imidazole) are commercially available from many suppliers including BASF. A preferred DTI is commercially available under the trade name Sokalan® HP 56 K from BASF (Germany, BASF SE).

[0091] Organic builders and / or chelating agents: The laundry detergent composition can contain from 0.6% to 10% by weight, preferably from 2.0% to 7.0% by weight, of one or more organic builders and / or chelating agents. Suitable organic builders and / or chelating agents are selected from the group consisting of MEA citrate, citric acid, aminoalkylene poly(alkylenephosphonate), alkali metal ethane 1-hydroxy disphosphonate, and nitrilotrimethylene, phosphonate, diethylenetriamine penta(methylenephosphonic acid) (DTPMP), ethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP), hexamethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid), hydroxy-ethylene 1,1 diphosphonic acid (HEDP), hydroxyethanedimethylene phosphonic acid, ethylenediamine disuccinic acid (EDDS), ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), hydroxyethylethylenediamine triacetic acid (HEDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), methylglycine diacetic acid (MGDA), iminodisuccinic acid (IDS), hydroxyethyliminodisuccinic acid (HIDS), hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid (HEIDA), glycine diacetic acid (GLDA), diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), catechol sulfonate such as Tiron(trademark), and mixtures thereof.

[0092] Enzymes: Suitable enzymes provide cleaning performance and / or fabric care effects. Examples of suitable enzymes include, but are not limited to, hemicellulase, peroxidase, protease, cellulase, xylanase, lipase, phospholipase, esterase, cutinase, pectinase, keratinase, reductase, oxidase, phenol oxidase, lipoxygenase, ligninase, pullulanase, tannase, pentosanase, malanases, Β-glucanase, arabinosidase, hyaluronidase, chondroitinase, laccase, and known amylases, or combinations thereof. Preferred enzyme combinations include a cocktail of conventional cleaning enzymes such as protease, lipase, cutinase and / or cellulase together with amylase. Cleaning enzymes are described in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,579,839.

[0093] Enzyme stabilizer: Enzymes can be stabilized using any known stabilizer system such as calcium and / or magnesium compounds, boron compounds and substituted boric acids, aromatic borate esters, peptides and peptide derivatives, polyols, low molecular weight carboxylates, relatively hydrophobic organic compounds [e.g., certain esters, dialkyl glycol ethers, alcohols, or alcohol alkoxylates], alkyl ether carboxylates in addition to a calcium ion source, benzamidine hypochlorite, lower aliphatic alcohols and carboxylic acids, N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)serine salts; (meth)acrylic acid-(meth)acrylate copolymers and PEG; lignin compounds, polyamide oligomers, glycolic acid or its salts; polyhexamethylene biguanide or N,N-bis-3-amino-propyl-dodecylamine or salts; and mixtures thereof.

[0094] Hue agent: The detergent composition may include a fabric hue agent (also referred to as a color agent, bluing agent, or whitening agent). Typically, the hue agent provides a blue or bluish-violet hue to the fabric. The hue agent can be used either alone or in combination to create a particular hue of color and / or impart a hue to different types of fabrics. This can be achieved, for example, by mixing red and green-blue dyes to produce a blue or purple hue. The hue agent can be selected from any known chemical classification of dyes including, but not limited to, acridine, anthraquinone (including polycyclic quinones), azine, azo including premetallized azo (e.g., monoazo, diazo, trisazo, tetrakisazo, polyazo), benzodifuran and benzodifuranone, carotenoid, coumarin, cyanine, diazahemicyanine, diphenylmethane, formazan, hemicyanine, indigoid, methane, naphthalimide, naphthoquinone, nitro and nitroso, oxazine, phthalocyanine, pyrazole, stilbene, styryl, triarylmethane, triphenylmethane, xanthene, and combinations thereof.

[0095] Suitable polymeric dyes include polymers containing covalently bonded (also referred to as attached) chromophores (also called dye-polymer conjugates), for example, dyes selected from the group consisting of polymers having chromophore monomers copolymerized in the polymer backbone and mixtures thereof. Preferred polymeric dyes include optionally substituted alkoxylated dyes such as alkoxylated triphenylmethane polymer colorants, alkoxylated carbocyclic azo colorants, and alkoxylated heterocyclic azo colorants including alkoxylated thiophene polymer colorants, and mixtures thereof, such as fabric-substantive colorants sold under the name Liquitint® (Milliken, Spartanburg (South Carolina, USA)).

[0096] The amount of the auxiliary color tone agent present in the laundry care composition of the present invention may be 0.0001% to 0.05% by weight, preferably 0.0001% to 0.005% by weight based on the total cleaning composition. Based on the cleaning liquid, the concentration of the color tone agent may be 1 ppb to 5 ppm, preferably 10 ppb to 500 ppb.

[0097] Fluorescent brightener: The detergent composition may contain 0.005% to 2.0%, preferably 0.01% to 0.1%, of a fluorescent agent (fluorescent brightener) based on the total weight of the detergent composition. Fluorescent agents are well-known and many are commercially available. Usually, these fluorescent agents are supplied and used in the form of alkali metal salts, such as sodium salts. Preferred types of fluorescent agents include distyryl biphenyl compounds, such as Tinopal® CBS-X, diaminostilbene disulfonic acid compounds, such as Tinopal® DMS pure Xtra and Blankophor® HRH, and pyrazoline compounds, such as Blankophor® SN. Preferred fluorescent agents are 2-(4-styryl-3-sulfophenyl)-2H-naphthol[1,2-d]triazole sodium, disodium 4,4'-bis{[(4-anilino-6-(N-methyl-N-2-hydroxyethyl)amino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)]amino}stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, disodium 4,4'-bis{[(4-anilino-6-morpholino-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)]amino}stilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, and disodium 4,4'-bis(2-sulfostyryl)biphenyl.

[0098] Hydrotrope: The detergent composition may contain 0 to 30%, preferably 0.5 to 5%, more preferably 1.0 to 3.0%, of a hydrotrope based on the total weight of the detergent composition, which can prevent liquid crystal formation. Thus, the addition of a hydrotrope helps the clarity / transparency of the composition. Suitable hydrotropes include, but are not limited to, salts of urea, benzenesulfonate, toluenesulfonate, xylenesulfonate, or cumenesulfonate. Preferably, the hydrotrope is selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, xylenesulfonate, ethanol, and urea to provide optimal performance.

[0099] Particles: The composition can also contain particles, especially when the composition further contains a structuring agent or a thickening agent. The composition can contain from 0.02% to 10%, preferably from 0.1% to 4.0%, more preferably from 0.25% to 2.5% particles based on the total weight. Examples of such particles include beads, pearlescent agents, capsules, and mixtures thereof.

[0100] Suitable capsules are typically formed by at least partially, preferably completely, surrounding a beneficial agent with a wall material. Preferably, the capsule is a fragrance capsule and the beneficial agent contains one or more fragrance raw materials. The wall material of the capsule can include melamine, polyacrylamide, silicone, silica, polystyrene, polyurea, polyurethane, polyacrylate-based materials, polyacrylate ester-based materials, gelatin, styrene maleic anhydride, polyamide, aromatic alcohols, polyvinyl alcohol, resorcinol-based materials, poly-isocyanate-based materials, acetals (such as 1,3,5-triol-benzene-glutaraldehyde and 1,3,5-triol-benzene melamine), starch, cellulose acetate phthalate, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the capsule wall contains melamine and / or polyacrylate-based materials. The fragrance capsule may be coated with an adhesion aid, a cationic polymer, a non-ionic polymer, an anionic polymer, or a mixture thereof. Preferably, the fragrance capsule has a volume-weighted average particle size of from 0.1 micrometers to 100 micrometers, preferably from 0.5 micrometers to 60 micrometers. In particular, when the composition contains capsules having a shell formed at least in part from formaldehyde, the composition can further contain one or more formaldehyde scavengers.

[0101] Method for producing a laundry detergent composition The laundry detergent composition can be prepared using any suitable process known to those skilled in the art. Typically, the components are blended together in any appropriate order. Preferably, the detergency surfactant is added as part of a concentrated premix to which any other optional components are added. Preferably, the solvent is added last or, if an external structuring agent is added, is added immediately prior to the external structuring agent, which is added as the last component.

[0102] Method for washing fabric: The laundry detergent composition of the present invention can be used for washing fabrics.

[0103] In particular, a laundry detergent composition containing a branched-chain nonionic surfactant can be used to improve color protection, preferably color retention, of colored fabrics during washing.

[0104] The laundry detergent composition of the present invention is particularly useful for preventing the removal of fabric dyes from fabrics during the washing process, which are selected from the group consisting of reactive dyes, disperse dyes, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the fabric dyes are selected from the group consisting of disperse dyes, reactive dyes, and mixtures thereof.

[0105] The composition of the present invention is particularly effective in reducing the reattachment of dyes from cotton-containing fabrics, particularly cotton-containing fabrics having dyes selected from the group consisting of reactive dyes, disperse dyes, direct dyes, vat dyes, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the reactive dyes are selected from the group consisting of reactive black 5, reactive red 239, and reactive red 195, the direct dyes are selected from the group consisting of direct black 22, direct red 83, and direct red 227, and the vat dyes are selected from the group consisting of indigo (vat blue 1), sulfur black 1, and mixtures thereof. The composition of the present invention is particularly useful for reducing the removal of dyes from cotton-containing fabrics having dyes selected from the group consisting of reactive dyes, particularly reactive dyes selected from the group consisting of reactive black 5, reactive red 239, and mixtures thereof.

[0106] The composition of the present invention is also effective for reducing the reattachment of dyes from polyester-containing fabrics, particularly polyester fabrics containing disperse dyes selected from the group consisting of Disperse Orange 30, Disperse Red 167, Disperse Blue 79, Disperse Red 60, and mixtures thereof, preferably Disperse Blue 79.

[0107] In such methods and uses, the laundry detergent composition can be diluted to provide a cleaning liquid having a total surfactant concentration of more than 100 ppm, preferably 200 ppm to 2,500 ppm, more preferably 300 ppm to 1000 ppm. The fabric is then washed, preferably rinsed, in the cleaning liquid.

[0108] Method: A) pH measurement: The pH is measured at 25 °C using a Santarius PT-10P pH meter with a gel-filled probe (e.g., Toledo probe, part number 52 000 100) calibrated according to the manufacturer's instructions. The pH is measured in a 10% dilution in deionized water (i.e., 1 part of the laundry detergent composition and 9 parts of deionized water).

[0109] B) Method for measuring viscosity: The viscosity is measured using an AR2000 rheometer manufactured by TA instruments, with a cone-plate geometry of 40 mm diameter and 1 degree angle. The viscosity at various shear rates is obtained from a logarithmic shear rate sweep from 0.1 s -1 to 1200 s -1 at 20 °C for 3 minutes. The low-shear viscosity is measured at a continuous shear rate of 0.05 s -1 .

[0110] C) Method for measuring migration in treated fabrics 「L * C * h color space」 and 「L * a * b *The "color space" is a three-dimensional colorimetric analysis model developed by Hunter Associates Laboratory and recommended by the Commission Internationale d'Eclairage ("CIE") for measuring the color or color change of dyed articles. CIE L * a * b * The color space ("CIELAB") has a scale with three axes of rotation. The L-axis represents the lightness of the color space (black is L * = 0, white is L * = 100), a * The axis represents the color space from red to green (red is a * > 0, green is a * < 0), b * The axis represents the color space from yellow to blue (yellow is b * > 0, blue is b * < 0). L * C * The h color space is an approximately uniform scale with a polar color space. CIE L * C * The h color space ("CIELCh") scale values are measured by equipment and can also be calculated from CIELAB scale values. Definitions of terms and derivations of equations are available from Hunter Associates Laboratory, Inc. and from www.hunterlab.com, and all of them are incorporated herein by reference.

[0111] The amount of migration to the receiving fabric can be described, for example, in terms of the change in L * a * b before and after treating the fabric when measured via a spectrophotometer (e.g., via a Spectro-Guide 45 / 0 Gloss 6801 spectrophotometer), and is reported as a dE value. As used herein, the dE value is the difference in L * a * b values between the initial L * a * b values and the final L * a *It includes vectors related to distances in the b space. Before measurement, fold the test fabric in half to double its thickness. For each test fabric, two Ls * a * b Calculate the average of the measured values and measure two fabrics per example.

[0112] Relatively high dE values correspond to larger color changes and indicate that relatively more dye has migrated to the fabric in question, while relatively low dE values correspond to less migration.

[0113] Examples: Examples of graft copolymers include those listed in Table 1.

[0114]

Table 1

[0115] The following methodology was used to evaluate the effect of branched and linear nonionic surfactants on dye bleed during washing.

[0116] Glass vials (size 4 ml) were filled with 2 ml of the test detergent solution as described below and then inserted into a thermoshaker (Echotherm® Orbital Shaker) set at a temperature of 40 °C. The solution was held at this temperature for 15 minutes to equilibrate the temperature.

[0117] Colored fabric samples as described below were cut into small pieces of 150 ± 1 mg (weighed using an analytical balance). These small pieces had an area of approximately 2.5 × 2.5 cm2 (depending on the fabric used). Additional pieces of the same fabric were added as needed to reach the target weight.

[0118] Before returning the vial to the thermoshaker, each fabric piece was folded and then inserted into the vial using a disposable glass rod so that the fabric was completely covered by the solution.

[0119] The vial was shaken continuously for 60 minutes at a temperature of 40 °C (using the medium speed setting).

[0120] The vial was then removed from the thermoshaker and the fabric was removed from the test detergent solution. The solution was kept in the dark for the time required to reach room temperature (25 °C).

[0121] Dye desorption was quantified as follows. 950 μl of each solution was placed in a semi-micro plastic cuvette and their absorbance spectra were recorded using a UV-vis spectrophotometer (Cary UV-Vis Multicell Peltier supplied by Agilent), and the absorbance was measured from 300 nm to 900 nm. To each solution, 50 μl of a 20 wt% aqueous solution of 2-[4-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenoxy]ethanol (Triton X-100 supplied by Sigma Aldrich) was added and the absorbance spectra from 300 nm to 900 nm were re-measured. Triton X-100 was added because it was observed that at the test concentrations used, Triton X-100 strongly reduced the scattering of the surfactant tested in the region where it overlapped with the dye absorption spectrum.

[0122] The calibration curve for each dye used was obtained using the following procedure. First, the following standard detergent solutions were prepared. CaCO with a hardness of 2.67 mmol 3Equivalent (1.93 millimoles of CaCl 2 equivalent, 0.64 millimoles of MgCl 2 equivalent, 15 gpg) of an equal weight part of linear C10 - C13 alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (HLAS), linear C12 - C15 alkyl ethoxy(3.0) sulfate (AE3.0S), and linear C12 - C14 EO7 (LordaCL726 supplied by Sasol) in water was prepared. Ethanolamine was used to adjust the pH of the resulting solution to 8.0. 2.0 ml of the composition was placed in a glass vial together with 150 mg of each fabric and washed at a temperature of 92 °C for 15 minutes using the above procedure. After cooling to room temperature in the dark, 950 μl of the resulting solution containing the desorbed dye was combined with 50 μl of a 20 wt% aqueous solution of 2-[4-(2,4,4-trimethylpentan-2-yl)phenoxy]ethanol (Triton X-100). The absorbance spectrum was measured as described above, and these solutions were arbitrarily fixed as 95% dye desorption. The solutions were diluted with the following media: 95% of the above standard detergent solution was combined with 5% of Triton X-100 (20 wt%) to obtain a calibration curve for each dye used.

[0123] The absorbance values (of the main peaks of different dye samples) obtained from the desorption experiments were reported as a percentage of the values of the same dye desorbed using the standard detergent solution at 92 °C in the above calibration procedure.

[0124] The following solutions were evaluated for their effects on dye bleed for both dyed cotton fabric (cotton fabric dyed using reactive black 5 supplied by product code AISE code 21 by CFT) and dyed polyester fabric (polyester fabric dyed using disperse blue 79 supplied by product code AISE code 31 by CFT), and the results are shown below. Except for legs A and F (water), the solutions used in the remaining legs contained 350 ppm of surfactant.

[0125]

Table 2

[0126]

Table 3

[0127] The effect of the detergent on dye bleed from the fabric during washing can be seen from the results in Table 3, where for cotton fabric, leg B of the dye desorption results in Table 1 is compared with leg A, and for polyester fabric, leg G is compared with leg F.

[0128] By comparing the dye bleed from legs D and E with leg C, it can be seen that branched-chain nonionic surfactants reduce dye bleed more than linear-branched nonionic surfactants when washing cotton. The comparison between legs I and J and leg H demonstrates the same benefit for branched nonionic substances when washing polyester fabric.

[0129] From legs B and G, it can be seen that when the washing temperature is lowered (from 92°C to 40°C), dye bleed decreases for both cotton and polyester fabrics.

[0130] The following methodology was used to evaluate the effects of branched and linear nonionic surfactants on dye reattachment during laundering.

[0131] The following detergent compositions were prepared by mixing the components. Examples 1 and 2 are of the present invention, while Example A contained a linear nonionic surfactant instead of a branched nonionic surfactant and was thus a comparative example.

[0132]

Table 4

[0133] Tests were conducted using the following protocol in a Tergotometer (model: RHLQ1V, manufactured by the Research Institute of Daily Chemical Industry (RIDCI)). 1. 990 ml of water at room temperature having a hardness of 2.67 millimoles of CaCO 3 equivalent (15 gpg) was added to the Tergotometer pot. 2. 2 g of each detergent composition was added to the water and the solution was stirred for 3 minutes. 3. Three fabric specimens of 8 cm × 8 cm heavy cotton (such as cw98 supplied by Daxing Textile Co., China) without a brightener were prepared, and the L / a / b values of each fabric piece were measured using a Spectro-Guide 45 / 0 Gloss 6801 color spectrophotometer. 4. Then, three pieces of heavy cotton fabric were added to the Tergotometer pot and the contents of the pot were stirred for an additional 3 minutes. 5. A 250 ppm aqueous solution of 10 ml of Direct Red 227 dye (supplied by SUN DAT DYESTUFFS LIMITED, China) was added to a tergometer pot such that the wash liquor contained 2.5 ppm of the dye, and the pot was stirred for 5 minutes. 6. The fabric specimen was removed from the tergometer pot and rinsed thoroughly while running tap water (2.85 mmol / l Ca equivalent, 16 gpg) over it. 7. The fabric specimen was line dried at room temperature overnight. 8. The L / a / b values of each dried fabric specimen were re-measured using the same Spectro-Guide 45 / 0 Gloss 6801 color spectrophotometer.

[0134] The change in ΔE(CIELab) between the average L / a / b values before and after washing on the fabric provided an evaluation of dye deposition from the wash liquor onto the fabric specimen and thus an evaluation of the ability of the detergent composition to prevent dye redeposition. A lower ΔE demonstrated a higher effectiveness in preventing dye redeposition during the washing process.

[0135]

Table 5

[0136] As can be seen from the results in Table 5, treating the fabric with the combination of the branched-chain nonionic surfactant and the graft polymer migration inhibitor used in the present invention results in a lower ΔE value and thus a reduction in dye redeposition onto the fabric during the washing cycle.

[0137]

Table 6

[0138] The dimensions and values disclosed in this specification are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise indicated, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm”.

Claims

1. A laundry detergent composition comprising a surfactant system and a dye transfer inhibition (DTI) polymer, wherein the surfactant system comprises a branched-chain nonionic surfactant, the dye transfer inhibition polymer is a graft copolymer, and the graft copolymer comprises, as constituent units, a. a polyalkylene oxide having a number average molecular weight of 1000 to 20000 daltons and containing ethylene oxide units, and b. N-vinylpyrrolidone, and c. vinyl acetate, and the weight ratio of (a):(b) is 1:0.1 to 1:2, the amount by weight of (a) is greater than the amount of (c), the branched-chain nonionic surfactant is Formula I: R1-CH(R2)-O-(PO) x (EO) y (PO) z -H In formula I, R1 is a C4-C14 alkyl chain, R2 is a C1-C7 alkyl chain, x is 0 to 10, y is 5 to 20, z is 0 to 20, EO represents ethoxylation and PO represents propoxylation, and is selected from the surfactant system contains the branched-chain nonionic surfactant at a concentration of 0.1% to 12% by weight of the laundry detergent composition. A laundry detergent composition.

2. The laundry detergent composition according to claim 1, wherein the surfactant system contains the branched-chain nonionic surfactant at a concentration of 0.5% to 10% by weight of the laundry detergent composition.

3. The laundry detergent composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the laundry detergent composition contains the surfactant system at a concentration of 1% to 70% by weight.

4. The laundry detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surfactant system further comprises an anionic surfactant.

5. The laundry detergent composition according to claim 4, wherein the anionic surfactant comprises an alkyl sulfate surfactant, and the alkyl sulfate surfactant has an average ethoxylation degree of 0.5 to 8.

0.

6. The laundry detergent composition according to claim 4, wherein the anionic surfactant comprises an alkyl sulfate surfactant, and the alkyl sulfate surfactant has an average ethoxylation degree of less than 0.

5.

7. The laundry detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the surfactant system further comprises an amphoteric and / or zwitterionic surfactant.

8. The laundry detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the graft copolymer is present at a concentration of 0.05% to 15% by weight of the laundry detergent composition.

9. In the graft copolymer, a) The washing detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the polyalkylene oxide consists of ethylene oxide units.

10. The washing detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein in the graft copolymer, the weight ratio of (a):(c) is 1.0:0.1 to 1.0:0.

99.

11. The washing detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein 1.0 mol% to 60 mol% of the grafted monomer of component (c) in the graft copolymer is hydrolyzed.

12. The washing detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the graft copolymer has a weight average molecular weight of 5,000 Da to 100,000 Da.

13. The washing detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the washing detergent composition further comprises a polymer adhesion aid, a dye fixing polymer, and mixtures thereof.

14. Use of the washing detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 13 for improving color protection during washing.

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