Cellulose Fibrils – Sustainable Rheology Additive for Home Care Products

Cleaning products manufacturers are looking for new biobased solutions to replace traditional petrochemical ingredients. They aim to meet consumers’ expectations and conform to new upcoming regulations by reducing the carbon footprint and improving the sustainability profile of the formulated end products. In this paper, we present an innovative rheology additive that represents a sustainable option for the HI&I industry, and a solution to bring new developments closer to meeting environmental goals without compromising the performances. Exilva® cellulose fibrils is a bio-based additive composed of pure cellulose, characterized by rheological and mechanical functionalities that impart a unique combination of properties in finished products. In this paper, we investigate a fabric softener-like system containing Exilva and a cationic surfactant, assessing the compatibility between these two ingredients. We show that small concentrations of cellulose fibrils can structure the formulations and suspend microencapsulated fragrances dispersed in the system, both in case of traditional and new generation microplastic free microcapsules.