Surfactants

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

Good to know

Surfactants are the main ingredients of most detergents and cleaning products. They dissolve stains and dirt from clothing and ensure that the dirt is removed together with the washing water. 

Main surfactants in detergents are anionic and nonionic surfactants.

  • Anionic surfactants are particularly effective at oily soil and oil/clay soil.
  • Nonionic surfactants do not have an electrical charge. They are excellent grease removers.

How do we use surfactants?

It uses surfactants to provide clean laundry. All our surfactants are fully biodegradable. Surfactants can be based on petroleum or be of natural origin (e.g. from palm kernel oil). If palm kernel oil is used as a basis, we ensure that this oil comes from sustainable cultivation according to the RSPO Mass Balance model by the end of 2020.

  • La sostenibilidad es la clave

    Ponemos mucho cuidado en que nuestros envases sean funcionales y reciclables. Muchas de nuestras botellas son reciclables incluso sin retirar la funda y los cuerpos de nuestras botellas están hechos de plástico 100% reciclado.

  • Transporte y logística en Henkel

    El fuerte aumento de CO2 en la atmósfera está provocando un calentamiento del planeta y es la principal causa del cambio climático.

  • Sé parte del movimiento

    Casi el 80% de la energia usada y la huella de CO2 de los detergentes se genera en la fase de uso, es decir, el proceso de lavar la ropa en casa.