Surfactants & Solubilizers

Surfactants, or SURFace ACTive ageNTS represent a very large category of ingredients ranging from emulsifiers to solubilizers to detergents or degreasers. At TDF, our line includes the mildest high performance surfactants, many of which are naturally or vegetable derived. Surfactants are typically categorized by their inonic (an ion is simply an atom which has lost an electron to make it have a charge, positive or negative) nature, i.e. Anionic (negatively charged), Nonionic (having no charge), Cationic (positively charged), or Amphoteric (has a positive and negative charge, cationic in acidic environment, anionic in alkaline environment). Anionic surfactants are most often used as cleansing agents in formulations, while Cationics are primarily utilized as conditioning agents because of their attraction to negatively charged skin and hair. Nonionics and Amphoterics are typically used as thickeners, foam boosters, and stabilizers in shampoo and body wash formulations. We offer a line of single surfactants for your mixing and matching, as well as a line of surfactant blends for ease of formulation. 

The HLB value determines the behavior, and capability of the surfactant / emulsifier: