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Surfactants

Why does a stain disappear from a yellow dress or pink shirt when you put some detergent in the washing machine? The answer lies in one of the main ingredients of most detergents - surfactants. Find out more about this genius here.

Worth knowing

Light-coloured clothes on a clothes rail, a scarf and a straw hat hanging next to it

Surfactants are the main components of most detergents and cleaning agents. They dissolve stains and dirt from the garments and ensure that the dirt is removed together with the washing water.

Two groups of surfactants are used in Dylon brand products:

  • Anionic surfactants: Effective for cleaning oily soiling and oil/clay stains
  • Non-ionic surfactants: Excellent for removing particularly stubborn grease stains

How do we use surfactants?

For sparkling and lasting cleanliness: Dylon uses surfactants to ensure the best washing results you expect from your favourite detergent. All our surfactants are fully biodegradable. Surfactants can be petroleum-based or of natural origin (e.g. from palm kernel oil). If palm kernel oil is used as a base, Henkel ensures as part of its sustainability strategy that 100 per cent of this oil comes from sustainable cultivation in accordance with the RSPO mass balance model by 2025. Since 2020, 90 per cent of it has already come from certified sustainable cultivation.

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