Liquid or gel laundry detergent which snaps back at the end of dispensing
View Patent ↗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.
1. A no-drip laundry liquid or gel detergent composition comprising:
(a) from about 8% to about 35%, by weight of the composition, of a surfactant, A, selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic and cationic, and amphoteric surfactants and mixtures thereof;
(b) from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight of the composition; of a non-neutralized fatty acid;
(c) from about 40 to about 90% of water;
(d) additional laundry composition ingredient selected from enzyme, builder, fluorescent dye, soil-release polymer, buffering agent, and mixtures thereof;
(e) wherein the weight % ratio of the non-neutralized fatty acid to the surfactant A, is less than about 1 but greater than or equal to the Snap Index Value, S, defined by equation (I)
S= 0.3−(0.0085 ×A ) (I).
2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the total surfactant amount is less than about 25%, by weight of the composition.
3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is substantially free of gelling polymers and viscosifiers.
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is transparent/translusent.
5. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition is packaged in a transparent container.
6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the pH of the composition is within the range of from about 6 to about 8.
7. The composition of claim 1 wherein the surfactant comprises an anionic surfactant.
8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the anionic surfactant comprises a mixture of a synthetic anionic surfactant and soap.
9. The composition of claim 1 wherein the surfactant comprises a mixture of an anionic surfactant and a nonionic surfactant.
10. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition comprises from about 0.01% to about 5.0%, by weight of the composition, of an antioxidant.
11. The composition of claim 10 wherein the non-neutralized fatty acid in the composition is an unsaturated fatty acid.
12. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition further comprises a pH jump system.
13. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition further comprises from about 0.1 to about 10% of a hydrotrope.
14. The composition of claim 1 wherein the composition has storage (elastic) modulus value G′ greater than 10 Pa.