OHLENDORF GABI* SCHINLE FLORIAN
*Corresponding author
Clariant (Produkte) Deutschland GmbH Industriepark Höchst, Building G 860, 65926 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Abstract

A general trend in home care applications is the shift towards new packaging solutions, providing convenient mono-dosing systems. Automatic Dishwashing tablets are already common all over the world, and the market share of laundry pouches as well as wet wipes in hard surface cleaning applications is steadily increasing. In the field of Hand Dishwashing Liquids (HDWL), a pre-dosing concept can be implemented by using foam dispensers. A pre-dose system is useful to obtain the very low dosages needed by the consumer, which is especially relevant for HDWL concentrates. In contrast to standard HDWL formats, foam dispensers generate foam during the dosing step. This has an impact on the consumers’ perception of the foam, and the optimization of HDWL formulations for this format is a new challenge for formulators.

INTRODUCTION

Consumers associate the foaming behavior of a Hand Dishwashing Liquid (HDWL) with its cleaning performance. Mixtures of anionic surfactants with nonionic or amphoteric co-surfactants are commonly used to create a suitable foam profile. In this context, a “suitable foam profile” is not limited to the volume of foam which is created, but also includes foam stability, richness and creaminess, bubble size and skin feel. All these aspects contribute to the foam profile and are interdependent: a foam that is composed of bubbles with larger diameters will most probably be high in volume, but perception-wise considered by the consumer as less creamy. As hand dishwashing entails a high amount of direct exposure to the skin, the skin feel the foam creates should also be considered. This includes skin mildness of the ingredients as well as the sensory properties the formulation leaves on the skin after rinse-off application. Increasing numbers of HDWLs with claims of skin-friendliness and caring effects have recently been launched, e. g. “balm” versions of established HDWL product lines. 

Consumer habits when washing dishes are heavily dependent ...