Skin and hand cleansers

1. A skin and hand cleanser comprising:

a) at least one alkyl ester and/or diester,

b)>0 to 40 wt. % of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a fatty alcohol ethoxylate, a fatty alcohol ether sulfate and a salt of sulfated and/or sulfonated fatty acid,

c) 0.5 to 10 wt. % of at least one thixotropy agent that is an organic bentonite that has a maximum loss on ignition at 1,000° C. of 30% by weight

and >0.1 wt. % of at least one hydrophilic, pyrogenic silica,

d) 0 to 30 wt. % of one or more abrasives,

e) 0 to 5 wt. % of at least one physiologically acceptable carbonic acid ester

f) 0 to <10 wt. % of water,

g) optionally one or more viscosity-forming agents,

h) optionally further cosmetics auxiliary substances, additives and/or active compounds,

wherein the sum of components a) to h) being 100 wt. %, based on the composition of the cleanser.

2. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising as component a) a fatty acid alkyl ester represented by formula (I)

R 1 CO—OR 2   (I)

in which R 1 CO represents a linear or branched, saturated and/or unsaturated acyl radical having 6 to 22 carbon atoms and R 2 represents an alkyl radical having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

3. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising as component a) diesters represented by formula (II)

R 1 OOC—X—COOR 2   (II)

in which X represents a linear or branched, saturated and/or unsaturated alkyl radical having 0 to 20 carbon atoms and R1 and R2 represents an alkyl radical having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

4. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising 5 to 70 wt. %, based on the total composition, of at least one alkyl ester and/or diester of component a).

5. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising as component b) at least one fatty alcohol ethoxylate represented by formula

R—O—(CH2-CH2-O) n H

wherein

R=saturated, unsaturated, branched or unbranched alkyl radical and

n=integer from 1 to 11.

6. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising 1 to 35 wt. %, based on the total composition, of at least one fatty alcohol ethoxylate as component b).

7. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising 5 to 35 wt. %, based on the total composition, of laureth-6 as a fatty alcohol ethoxylate of component b).

8. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising at least one fatty alcohol ether sulfate represented by formula

R—O—(CH2-CH2-O) n SO 3 X

where R=a C 8 -C 18 saturated or unsaturated, branched or unbranched alkyl radical,

n=an integer from 1 to 6 and

X═Na + , NH 4 + or ½Mg 2+ .

9. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising as component c) 0.5 to 7.5 wt. %, based on the total composition, of at least one thixotropy agent and 0.5 wt. % to 5.0 wt. %, based on the total composition, of at least one hydrophilic, pyrogenic silica.

10. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , wherein the thixotropy agent of component c) is an organophilic and/or hydrophobic laminar silicate.

11. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , wherein the thixotropy agent of the component is a hydrophobic bentonite.

12. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , wherein the thixotropy agent of component c) is a stearalkonium bentonite.

13. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , comprising 5 to 30 wt. % of one or more abrasives as component d).

14. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 that comprises as component d) >0 to 30 wt. % of at least one abrasive selected from the group consisting of sand, pumice flour, calcium carbonate, kaolin, a polyethylene plastic a polyurethane plastic, a natural kernelhusk, a shell flour, an olive kernel, an apricot kernel, a cherry kernel, and maize flour; or mixtures of these.

15. The skin and hand cleanser as claimed in of claim 1 that contains >0 to 30 wt. % of one or more abrasives as component d), wherein the abrasives of component d) are water-swellable solid particles of organic polymers of natural and/or synthetic origin.

16. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 that contains >0 to 30 wt. % of one or more abrasives as component d)

wherein said one or more abrasives are obtained in the form of water-swellable polymers by a process comprising polymerization of the components

aa) 55 to 99.95 wt. % of monoethylenically unsaturated monomers which carry carboxyl groups,

bb) 0.05 to 5.0 wt. % of at least one crosslinking agent,

cc) 0 to 40 wt. % of further monomers which can be copolymerized with a.),

dd) 0 to 30 wt. % of a water-soluble graft base,

wherein the constituents aa) to dd) add up to 100 wt. %, and the polymers obtained are optionally post-crosslinked at least once.

17. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 that does not contain water.

18. The skin and hand cleanser of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thixotropy agent is an organic stearalkonium bentonite that has a maximum loss on ignition at 1,000° C. of 29% by weight; and which is free of water.

19. A composition comprising:

a) at least one alkyl ester and/or diester,

b) >0 to 40 wt. % of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a fatty alcohol ethoxylate, a fatty alcohol ether sulfate and a salt of sulfated and/or sulfonated fatty acid,

c) 0.5 to 10 wt. % of at least one thixotropy agent that is an organophilic and/or hydrophobic laminar silicate and >0.1 wt. % of at least one hydrophilic, pyrogenic silica,

d) 0 to 30 wt. % of one or more abrasives,

e) 0 to 5 wt. % of at least one physiologically acceptable carbonic acid ester, and

f) 0 to <10 wt. % of water.

20. The composition of claim 19 that contains >0 to 40 wt. % of at least one fatty alcohol ethoxylate.

21. The composition of claim 19 , wherein the at least one thixotropy agent is an organic bentonite that has a maximum loss on ignition at 1,000° C. of 30% by weight; and which is free of water.