Detergent makers put innovation into the formula
Gordon Graff -- Purchasing, 1/16/2003 2:00:00 AM
"New and improved" is a common blurb on detergent boxes, and one that most consumers discount as just hype. But innovation is no empty slogan at soap and detergent companies today. Beset with intense competition, razor-thin margins and rapidly changing consumer tastes, the industry sees innovation as a key to its long-term survival.
Simply bombarding the market with new products is no longer the guaranteed road to success in cleaning formulations, says J. Keith Grime, vice president for research and development, global fabric and home care, at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. Consumers of cleaning products "want new experiences, new benefits, customization and yes, instant gratification," he notes, "and those benefits must be real and transparent." Meeting these needs offers an "infinite potential for innovation," Grime adds.
For chemical suppliers to the soap and detergents industry, the new emphasis on innovation is a double-edged sword. "Formulators are asking us to create products that deliver more end-use benefits, while maintaining, or better yet reducing, the total cost of the detergent formula," says Kevin Beairsto, marketing manager for detergents and textiles at Alco Chemical, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based division of National Starch and Chemical. "The upside view of the situation," he adds, "is that formulators are relying more and more heavily on research-driven suppliers to bring them innovative new chemistries." In many cases, the suppliers are working jointly with detergent manufacturers to develop new technologies, creating what Beairsto calls a "win-win environment" for both parties.
Analysts of the soap and detergents business say a number of broad trends are driving innovation within the industry. They cite the introduction of new classes of fabrics and fabric blends that require new types of cleaning preparations. They note that consumers are demanding laundry products that not only clean their clothes, but leave them easier to iron, pleasant smelling, and resistant to wrinkles, graying and dye transfers from other clothes. Time-pressed consumers also don't want to add bleaches, fabric softeners and stain removers to their washes separately, but prefer to have them included in their detergent mix. Finally, water and energy shortages in many parts of the world are spurring the appearance of washing products that work with less water and lower temperatures.
An example of how new technology is being harnessed to enhance the performance of detergents is Alco's recently launched Alcosperse 747, a hydro-phobically modified interpolymer said to keep oily soil particles removed from clothes from redepositing on fabrics. Another plus for this additive, says Alco, is that it boosts the rate at which anionic and nonionic surfactants dissolve in wash water, thereby making detergents more effective at cooler water temperatures. Such products "represent a huge opportunity for future growth at detergent companies," says Beairsto. Other 2002 launches by Alco include new polymeric thickeners and stabilizers for detergents, cleaning formulations and fabric softeners. These new entries, Beairsto says, are designed to augment the cleaning power of specialized products such as bleach-containing formulations, high-surfactant systems and acid-based cleaners.
One technological trend that has revived the declining market for powder detergents in North America is the emergence since the late 1990s of a new generation of powerful stain removers containing a peroxide-based active ingredient called sodium percarbonate. These entries are more convenient to use than liquid chlorine bleaches and are versatile enough to be used on carpets, furniture and other nonfabrics. The best known brand in this class is OxiClean, from OrangeGlo International, which is widely touted in TV info-mercials. But similar products have recently appeared, including Oxygen Action from Clorox, Shout OxyPower from SC Johnson and OxyBoost, marketed by Natural Choices. To capitalize on the rising popularity of these types of products, which usually contain at least 50% sodium percarbonate, Solvay Interox recently announced plans to add 50,000 tons of capacity to its sodium percarbonate plant in Deer Park, Texas, more than doubling its existing North American capacity by the end of 2003.
Enzyme-based stain removers for laundry detergents, which have been around for more than 20 years, continue to be the focus of much research. Biotechnology firm Genencor, Palo Alto, Calif., supplies P&G with biodegradable protease enzymes for its laundry and dishwashing detergents, and the two firms say they are collaborating to develop other enzyme-based cleaning technologies.
Enhancing the activity of bleaches added to washes is the aim of a new catalyst family about to be introduced by Ciba Specialty Chemicals. Reported benefits of the additives include high-performance stain bleaching at relatively low temperatures, and protecting fabrics against graying by inhibiting the transfer of dyes from other clothes. Mike Cheek, who head's Ciba's home and fabric care division for the NAFTA region, says the new product, to be sold under Ciba's Tinocat line, will be introduced commercially in first half 2003. The bleach enhancer is the outgrowth of a continuing R&D effort at Ciba, Cheek notes.
The search for pleasing fragrances in household soap and laundry products has recently picked up steam. P&G's Grime says researchers in this area are looking at controlled-release scents and are trying to extend fragrance longevity. Alco's Beairsto says his firm has several research projects aimed at encapsulation and delivery of fragrances in detergents. In a related area, European de-tergent giant Henkel, Dusseldorf, Germany, has recently launched a series of light-duty detergents in France containing additives that absorb odors. Similarly, P&G's Febreze, introduced several years ago, has odor-absorbing molecules known as cyclodextrins.
Soap and detergent manufacturers also continue to come out with antimicrobial formulations—despite past advisories by the American Medical Association and some consumer groups—that such products may contribute to the problem of antibiotic resistance and may not even be effective. Some antimicrobial additives are being developed to preserve detergents themselves from degradation. For example, Rohm and Haas recently launched its Neolone M-10 preservative for high-pH liquid laundry detergents, fabric softeners and the surfactants used in these products. It is added to formulations at 0.01% levels. R&H has also come out with two new products, dubbed Acusol 800S and Acusol 801S, to modify the rheology (flow properties) of high-surfactant detergents.
Strides are also being made in dishwashing formulations. At Rohm and Haas, Joan Hoffmeier, North American marketing manager for home and fabric personal care, says her company recently introduced two products, Acusol 587 and 586, to prevent the formation of calcium polyphosphate scale deposited on glassware in dishwashers. At Henkel, Thomas Mueller-Kirschbaum, VP of R&D for laundry and home care, says his company has come out with a controlled-release rinse aid and lime-scale inhibitor that counteracts film formation during rinsing cycles. He also cites as innovative a new Henkel surfactant combination that delivers "the fastest drying" of hand-washed dishes.
A growing trend in detergents is to include ingredients that modify laundered garments in ways that offer health benefits to their wearers. An example is a group of UV absorbers commercialized by Ciba in 2001. Incorporated into detergents or softeners, or sold as separately added laundry adjuncts, the products impart UV-absorbing properties to clothes washed with them, thereby shielding wearers of the garments from some of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Cheek says that the only U.S. product he's aware of that uses the Ciba UV absorbers is Rit Sun Guard, a laundry additive from Unilever Bestfoods. But he notes that the UV absorbers, sold under Ciba's Tinosorb label, have recently found their way into detergents in Germany, the U.K., Greece, Japan, China and Malaysia.
The biggest challenge for detergent developers, notes Grime of P&G, will be finding formulations geared to new "smart" fabrics now under development. Among these, he says, are textiles containing photocatalysts that destroy odor-causing compounds, or moisture and temperature management fabrics embedded with carbon fibers, ceramics, or fibers that accelerate evaporation. Also coming are "bioactive" fabrics containing skin-absorbable vitamins, or implanted with sensors that monitor a wearer's health.
What's hot in cleaning technology today
| Area | General trends | Examples |
| Fabric preservation | Formulations that impart resistance to wrinkling, graying, and dye transfer from other fabrics. | Alco's hydrophobically modified polymers to prevent re-deposition of dirt in the wash. |
| Bleaching/stain removal | New peroxide systems that replace liquid chlorine bleaches. Advanced stain-removing enzymes. | OxiClean and other sodium percarbonate products. |
| Fragrances/odor control | Controlled release of scents. Additives that absorb unwanted odors. | Development projects at Henkel and Alco. |
| Antimicrobials | Continued launch of germicidal soaps and detergents despite cautionary warnings about microbe resistance. New additives to preserve detergents from microbial degradation. | Rohm and Haas preservatives for liquid detergents. |
| Water/energy conservation | Products that can function with less water and at lower temperatures. | Ciba catalysts that boost oxygen bleaching at low temperatures. |
| Dishwashing | Products that counteract film and scale formation. Enzymes to break down food residues. | Recent Henkel, Rohm and Haas launches. |
| Health/hygiene | Formulations that add health benefits to fabrics during washing. | Ciba's UV-absorbing additives. |
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