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High Performance Loves Low Dosages: Meeting Consumer Demands in the Laundry Detergent Market
An interview with Antoine Beziau, BASF Technical Manager Liquid Laundry Detergents Home Care and I&I Solutions Europe, and Maria de Moragas, Marketing Manager
BASF Home Care and I&I Solutions Europe
In today's rapidly evolving Laundry Care market, consumers are increasingly demanding high-performance products that are also sustainable and convenient. To meet these demands, BASF Home Care and I&I Solutions Europe has launched a new solution for laundry liquid detergents that features Sokalan® EcoBoost, a new biodegradable performance booster that offers exceptional stain removal capabilities while enabling lower dosages and energy-saving benefits.
In this interview, we speak with Maria de Moragas, Marketing Manager, and Antoine Beziau, Technical Manager Liquid Laundry Detergents, responsible for implementing Sokalan® EcoBoost in a new solution, specifically capsules designed to perform at low dosages.
Let's deep dive into the details of this innovative laundry care solution.
What inspired the development of the new solution?
Maria de Moragas: We anticipated the changing consumer preferences for convenience and smaller pack sizes in laundry detergents. Additionally, the demand for sustainable solutions and the need to keep high performance with efficient stain removal benefits inspired us to develop this new solution based on our innovative ingredient, Sokalan®EcoBoost. The new product is aimed for laundry formulations that combine high performance, low dosages, and ease of use, like compact laundry capsules.
Could you please provide an overview of Sokalan® EcoBoost and its key features?
Antoine Beziau: Sokalan® EcoBoost is a fully biodegradable performance booster that significantly enhances the removal of body soils and fat stains. Due to its specific molecular structure, it is particularly effective on hydrophobic soils like sebum or cosmetic stains, which are notoriously difficult to remove. Our performance tests have shown that formulations including Sokalan® EcoBoost can achieve efficient stain removal even at low temperatures, such as 30º C, and low dosage, such as 13g. In addition, Sokalan® EcoBoost is a concentrated liquid product which facilitates its incorporation in low water content formulations.
How does the new solution with Sokalan® EcoBoost deliver high performance at low dosages?
Antoine Beziau: The new solution is based on an efficient formulation that incorporates key best performing BASF ingredients and includes the new Sokalan® EcoBoost. The new product interacts with the fatty stains and facilitates their removal by the surfactants in the washing liquor. In our tests, we noticed that Sokalan® EcoBoost is performing particularly well when the concentration of the formulation in the overall wash liquor is low. It therefore allows for effective stain removal even at low dosages.
How does the new solution contribute to energy-savings?
Maria de Moragas: The new solution is performing very well at low temperatures. By including this technology, users can achieve remarkable stain removal results both at 30° C programs and in conventional 40º C programs which aligns with the growing trend of energy savings in households. By supporting consumers to wash their laundry at lower temperatures, we are promoting energy-saving practices and reducing their environmental impact.
How does Sokalan® EcoBoost contribute to an improved sustainability profile?
Maria de Moragas: Sokalan® EcoBoost offers several sustainability benefits. Firstly, it is readily biodegradable according to OECD 301B standards, ensuring its environmental compatibility. Additionally, it meets the requirements for European Ecolabels, further highlighting its eco-friendly nature. Furthermore, Sokalan® EcoBoost allows high concentrated formulation which eliminates the need for preservatives and reduces water in cleaning product formulations, thus supporting compact formats and reducing product water weight in transportation.
What are your future plans for similar innovations in laundry care?
Antoine Beziau: We are continuously exploring ways to enhance our product offerings and address the evolving needs of consumers. Future plans include expanding our portfolio to further support the sustainability aspects of laundry formulations. We are also very excited to have started already to enlarge our portfolio with specific product grades like the EcoBalanced product range, that will support the carbon footprint reduction of laundry formulations.
Before we conclude, is there anything else you would like to add about Sokalan® EcoBoost?
Maria de Moragas: We are convinced that Sokalan® EcoBoost represents a significant step further in laundry detergents. Its ability to enhance cleaning performance, reduce energy consumption, and improve sustainability profiles makes it an excellent choice for suppliers of detergents aiming to enhance their sustainability credentials.
We are excited to see how this innovation will shape the future of laundry detergents.
