Liquid Detergent Composition Balancing Mildness and Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry detergent compositions often cause skin and eye irritation due to harsh surfactants like anionic linear alkylbenzene sulfonates and allergenic solvents, and there is a need for mild liquid detergents with good cleaning performance.
Innovation Solution
A detergent composition comprising non-ionic and anionic surfactants in specific ratios, along with a chelant, maintaining a pH of 6 to 12 and a Zein score of not more than 2%, which excludes linear alkyl benzene sulfonate and minimizes skin irritation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If anionic linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) are used as surfactants, then good cleaning performance is achieved, but skin and eye irritation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing LAS with alternative surfactants (alcohol ethoxysulfonates, alkyl ether sulfates, methyl ester sulfonates) and adjusts their concentrations to achieve effective cleaning while reducing skin irritation. This involves modifying the surfactant blend composition to balance cleaning efficacy with mildness for sensitive skin.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If alcohol ethoxysulfonates are used as replacement surfactants, then mildness is improved, but traces of regulated compounds (dioxane) are present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes dioxane from the detergent composition through purification processes. It also selectively removes alcohol ethoxysulfonates containing excessive dioxane while retaining those with acceptable dioxane levels, thereby eliminating the harmful contaminant while preserving the beneficial mildness property of the surfactant.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the purity parameter of alcohol ethoxysulfonates by specifying that they must contain less than a certain threshold of dioxane. This parameter control ensures that the replacement surfactant maintains its mildness benefit while meeting safety regulations regarding dioxane contamination.
3Stability of the object's composition
If propylene glycol is included as solvent, then detergent composition stability is improved, but allergenicity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes propylene glycol from the detergent composition entirely, eliminating the allergenic solvent while maintaining formulation stability through alternative solvents or by adjusting the surfactant and chelant system to provide sufficient stability without the problematic glycol.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the long-term stable but allergenic propylene glycol with alternative solvents or formulation approaches that provide adequate short-term stability without causing allergic reactions, prioritizing consumer safety over long-term compositional stability.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If non-ionic and anionic surfactants are used in specific ratios, then mildness is improved, but cleaning performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the ratio parameters of non-ionic to anionic surfactants to achieve the desired balance between mildness and cleaning performance. By carefully controlling the concentrations and ratios of different surfactant types (alcohol ethoxysulfonates, alkyl ether sulfates, methyl ester sulfonates combined with non-ionic surfactants), the formulation maintains effective cleaning while minimizing skin irritation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite surfactant system combining multiple types of anionic surfactants with non-ionic surfactants in specific ratios. This composite approach allows the formulation to leverage the synergistic effects of different surfactant classes, achieving both mildness and cleaning performance that neither surfactant type could provide alone.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves improved mildness and effective cleaning performance by using non-ionic surfactants like alcohol ethoxylates and alkyl ether sulfates, with controlled surfactant and chelant ratios, resulting in a stable and low-irritation detergent.
Implementation Method 1
Laundry detergent compositions contain surfactants which impart good cleaning performance
Implementation Method 2
the detergent composition comprises... about 0 to 2 wt % of a chelant
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a mild detergent composition comprising surfactants and optionally chelants at optimized ratios with improved mildness while maintaining cleaning performance. The detergent composition has a Zein score of not more than about 2% dissolved zein when tested on a 10% dilution.