Unilever Home and Personal Care USA, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, a Division of Conopco, Inc.

Charles Ebert

Feng-Lung Gordon Hsu

Yun-Peng Zhu

Ronald Frederick Vogel

Agnes Boudou

John David Hines

Mohammad Hosseini-Nejad

Kwang H Lee

According to the inventive method of making gels, the main mixture comprising most of the ingredients with the exception of a fatty alcohol is mixed, using at least one in-line mixer, with the gelling post-mix comprising the fatty alcohol. The preferred process includes the mixing of the main mixture and the gelling post-mix just prior to either filling or storing the composition.

Process of making fatty alcohol based gel detergent compositions

Liquid and/or gel laundry detergent compositions which snap back at the end of dispensing, thus eliminating or minimizing the dripping from the container. Employing a non-neutralized fatty acid to the total surfactant weight % ratio within a specific range, defined by the Snap Index equation, results in liquids and/or gels with the desired snap-back property.

Liquid or gel laundry detergent which snaps back at the end of dispensing

Gel detergent compositions which pile-up on a surface, upon dispensing, to minimize the spreading of the gel to a substantially larger area. The gels that can pile up are less messy to use and provide better stain removal, since more detergent is concentrated on the desired area of fabric (e.g., the spot). The composition comprises from about 10% to about 35% of a surfactant, from about 0.1 to about 5% of a non-neutralized fatty acid; from about 50 to about 85% of water; with the total of anionic surfactants selected from soap, linear alkyl benzene sulfonic acid, primary and secondary alkyl sulfates being more than 50% of total surfactant level.

Gel laundry detergent and/or pretreater which piles up after dispensing

A sher-thinnig lamellar gel detergent composition, employing non-neutralized fatty acid in a specific amount, depending on the total surfactant level. The weight % ratio of non-neutralized fatty acid to the total surfactant within a specific range, defined by the Gelling Index equation, results in gels with the desired properties. The inventive product offers an advantage of laundry pre-treater and a detergent in a single product.

Gel laundry detergent and/or pre-treater composition

According to the inventive method of making gels, the main mixture comprising most of the ingredients with the exception of a non-neutralized fatty acid or sulphonic acid, and/or other anionic surfactant acids is mixed, using at least one in-line static mixer, with the gelling post-mix comprising the non-neutralized fatty acid or sulphonic acid, or other anionic surfactant acids. The preferred process includes the mixing of the main mixture and the gelling post-mix just prior to either filling or storing the composition.

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Dumont, NJ, United States of America

Charles Ebert