Fabric conditioning compositions
View Patent ↗An aqueous fabric conditioning composition comprises (a) 7.5 to 60% by weight of a cationic fabric softening compound of a quaternary ammonium softening compound, the compound having one or more hydrocarbyl chains formed from parent fatty acyl compounds or fatty acids having an iodine value of between 0 and 20, (b) 0.01%–1.5% by weight of a nonionic surfactant viscosity modifier and (c) optionally up to 1.4% by weight of a fatty alcohol wherein the combination of (b) and (c) is no more than 1.5% by weight of the composition and the composition comprises particles having a mean diameter of from 0.3 to 7 microns, measured using a Malvern Mastersizer.
1. An aqueous fabric conditioning composition comprising:
(a) 7.5 to 60% by weight of a cationic fabric softening compound of formula (I), the compound having one or more hydrocarbyl chains formed from parent fatty acyl compounds or fatty acids having an iodine value of between 0 and 20:
wherein each R is independently selected from a C 5–35 alkyl or alkenyl group, R 1 represents a C 1–4 alkyl, C 2–4 alkenyl or a C 1–4 hydroxyalkyl group,
n is O or a number selected from 1 to 4, m is 1, 2 or 3 and denotes the number of moieties to which it relates that pend directly from the N atom, and X − is an anionic group;
(b) 0.01%–1.5% by weight of a nonionic surfactant viscosity modifier; and
(c) about 0.01% to about 1.4% by weight of an un-alkoxylated fatty alcohol having a hydrocarbyl chain length of about 15 to about 22 carbon atoms;
wherein the combination of (b) and (c) is no more than 1.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition; and
wherein the composition comprises particles having a mean diameter of from 0.3 to 7 microns measured using a Malvern Mastersizer.
2. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein iodine value of the parent fatty acid or acyl compound of formula (I) is from 0 to 5.
3. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nonionic surfactant comprises a C 10–22 fatty alcohol ethoxylated with 6 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide.
4. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nonionic surfactant is present in an amount from 0.4 to 1.2% by weight.
5. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of the softening compound (a) to the combined weight of compounds (b) and (c) is 5:1 to 50:1.
6. A composition as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an oil.
7. A composition as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a low molecular weight alcohol.
8. A composition as claimed in claim 7 wherein the low molecular weight alcohol is present in an amount of from 0.15% to 16% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.
9. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the diester component of the softening compound (a) comprises no more than 55% by weight of the fabric softening material.
10. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein the softening compound (a) is present in an amount from 9 to 25% by weight based on the total weight of the composition.