GUIDO BOGNOLO
Scientific advisory board of HPC Today – TKS Publisher

Abstract

It is not gold all that shines, and it is not green what looks green. Amino acids and proteins hydrolysates surfactants that enjoy a revival in personal care on the back of the “sulphate free” and “ethylene oxide free” hysteria use raw materials and processes that may cast doubts on their real “green” nature. This opens opportunities for a fresh, innovative approach to the acyl halides chemistry that has hitherto been the only synthetic route for their production. 

Sometimes, looking at the evolution of the surfactants industry I cannot avoid the feeling of being a middle age alchemist, propelled in the third millennium by the effect of mysterious phenomena caused by space-time warping.

When I stopped taking mother’s milk and started to mess with colloid chemistry life was simple and easy. Take for example personal care: for surfactants HLB was the name of the game. It was at the same time the reference point and the lulling tool to solve emulsification and dispersion problems and to provide guidance to identify the optimum surfactants or their combinations to deliver the desired effects.

But now life has evolved into a much more sophisticated environment: microbiotics, nutritional chemistry, vibrational cosmetics just to quote a few. And what about surfactants? Well, just make sure they are sulphate-free (possibly), ethylene oxide-free (possibly), natural/renewable/sustainable (possibly).

In this context I firmly believe that alchemy has still a lot to say. Just follow me.

In the golden age of surfactants,  ...