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Wool detergent - lanolin substitute
Hello,
In laundry detergent for wool we are now using PEG 75/50 Lanolin, which is cold processable and water soluble.
I wonder if there is any other raw material option suitable for wool washing gel that would have similar properties and be water-soluble. Is there any non-ethoxylated lanolin treatment that would meet this requirement?
Thank you very much!
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6 Replies
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Is the issue the ethoxylation or the lanolin (animal based)?
I seem to remember seeing a polyglyceryl lanolin ether when I was searching for something else. Not sure if this would meet your needs.
I have also seen glyceryl oleate in some wool washes (e.g. woollykins) which might work as a refatting agent.
Hope this helps 😊
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Thank you very much for the recommendation!
Problem is ethoxylation…
I have got Glyceryl Oleate for shampoo formula, but never thought about using it for laundry gel, I’ll give it a try 🙂
Also using emulsifier for lanolin before adding to the water could maybe work?
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Just out of curiosity, what are you using that ingredient? It has some properties, but if you mention which one you’re using it for, it’d be easier to propose a replacement. Also, if you choose to use non-ethoxylated products because of personal believes (like the presence of 1,4-dioxane which is a very small and volatile molecule which is now present only in traces same as other by-products), or if it’s a requirement from a client of yours.
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Thank you for your reply! It should have conditioning and carring properties for woolen clothes.
I know that 1,4-dioxane is present in traces (and possibly could not be harmful on skin, main concern is oral exposure I think), problem is ethoxylation itself. This laundry gel is going to be under strict certification, which is concerned about ethylene oxide contact with workers who produce this raw material.
So in this case it is not primarly about customer, but ethylene oxide toxicity (both for workers and environment).
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Your concern is fair. Now, to my mind come some alternatives:
- silicones microemulsions
- hydrophobically modified PQ-10 (I’ve seen this material from Dow)
- Polyester-37 (Clarisilk), although this one can reduce viscosity
- Sokalan HP20, which can boost detergency and provide some conditioning due to its cationic nature…but can also decrease viscosity
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Thank you very much for suggesting so many alternatives! I will get to testing which one will affect the viscosity the least.
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