ELISABET MORAGAS*, CARMEN M. PEY, BLANCA NOGUÉS, MIQUEL PÉREZ
*Corresponding author
KAO CHEMICALS EUROPE, S.L.
Puig dels Tudons, 10, 08210 Barberà del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain

Abstract

Cocoyl POE-glycerol esters from coconut oil are non-ionic surfactants that are very suitable for Home Care, especially liquid laundry detergents, neutral hard surface cleaners and hand dishwashing detergents, thanks to the unique combination of their properties: hydrotropy/thickening ability, cost/performance, mildness and safety (non-irritant to skin and eyes, non-toxic to aquatic organisms, biodegradable). New regulation 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging (CLP) will call for a much stricter classification of household products than the current one. Cocoyl POE-glycerol esters have the main advantage of being fully non-labelled, and are an excellent choice when formulating household formulas because they can greatly improve their final classification.

INTRODUCTION

Non-ionic surfactants are widely used in the detergents industry for many application areas, from the cleaning of fabrics to the cleaning of hard surfaces. Within this type of surfactants, Kao Chemicals Europe produces Cocoyl polyoxyethylene glycerol esters under the trade name LEVENOL^® (Figure 1).
Cocoyl POE-glycerol esters are 100% concentrated and colourless liquid surfactants, and are very easy to handle due to their low viscosity.
Depending on the degree of ethoxylation and esterification, several cocoyl POE-glycerol esters are available. Although they share common properties, the differences they feature cover a wide variety of applications in Home Care (1) (Table 1).
The advantages of using this surfactant family in several household products will be discussed.

PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS

Product appearance and handling
Cocoyl POE-glycerol esters are transparent, homogeneous and pumpable at low temperatures thanks to their low dropping point (in some cases below 0ºC). Figure 2 is an example of the better product handling. It can be seen that Gly ...