Lever Brothers Company

Martin A Wells

Appaya R Naik

Edwin Willis

Klaus H Todt

Robert M Butterworth

Alexander Lips

John D Dance

Robert B Rule

A liquid fabric softening composition contains

Fabric softening compositions

A fabric conditioning composition comprises a fabric conditioning agent including a cationic fabric softening material, together with an inorganic material capable of precipitating a metal hydroxide or hydrated oxide at a pH of about 7.5 of less in water. The latter material is preferably aluminum chlorhydrate. A typical composition contains about 4% quaternary ammonium cationic fabric softener and from 0.5% to 1.5% aluminum chlorhydrate. The compositions are useful as rinse products and give improved fabric softness in the presence of anionic carry-over from the wash.

Fabric conditioning composition

The invention relates to the field of fabric softening. It provides for fabric softening compositions comprising a relatively water-insoluble cationic detergent surfactant and a free C.sub.8 -C.sub.24 alkyl- or alkenylmonocarboxylic acid. These compositions are significantly more storage stable than compositions, wherein the monocarboxylic is present as a soap. Further inclusion of a relatively water-soluble cationic detergent surfactant or cationic polymer significantly increases the softening performance.

Fabric softening composition

A pourable, stable, liquid fabric-softening composition comprises an aqueous dispersion of particulate softening agent which comprises an quaternary ammonium salt having one straight-chain aliphatic hydrocarbon radical, complexed with an anion of an anionic surfactant in a normality ratio of 1.1:1 to 5:1.

Cationic surfactant compositions

Fabric softening is provided by cationic diesters of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are each an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a benzyl group, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are each alkyl chains containing from 11 to 23 carbon atoms, and X.sup.- is a water soluble anion. Mixtures of these diesters with the corresponding monoesters are described together with preparative methods.

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Wirral, United Kingdom

Martin A Wells