Greener Surfactant Options

Green Chemistry

Surfactant Chemistry for Compliance & Green Product Development Goals
We offer a complete range of  green surfactants, including nonionic alcohol ethoxylates from both synthetic and plant-derived sources.

These products are used to effectively replace nonyphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) as wetting agents, emulsifiers, and detergents.

We also offer a wide range of specialty green surfactants, compounds and amphoterics to meet the needs of today’s formulators.

Along with our custom processing and consulting partner, S T Laboratories, Inc., we provide customized solutions to developing surfactant systems aimed at promoting both product safety and effectiveness.

A sampling of our of  green surfactants and replacement options includes the following:

  • Air Products Tomadol® 91-8: meets EPA’s DfE direct release screening. This is important for formulators of boat cleaners, graffiti removers, and other products that bypass sewage treatment and have stricter standards due to direct contact with aquatic life.
  • Air Products Amphoteric 12: biodegradable, direct release qualified…. an excellent replacement for SXS, phosphate esters, and other hydrotopes.
  • NEW: Tomadol® 902 Surfactant: Tomadol 902 surfactant is designed to be multifunctional and provide better cleaning and degreasing than NPE surfactants or other NPE-alternatives.

Click Here for the Full List of Tomadol Surfactants listed on CleanGredients®

  • DeFOREST Enterprises Inc.: A range of CleanGredients® listed surfactants for your greener formulations, including amphoterics, anionics, nonionics, alocohol ethoxylates, palmitic/cetyl betaines, and amine oxides.

Click Here for the Current List of DeFOREST Surfactants listed on CleanGredients®

  • ALPHA-STEP PC-48:  A Cleangredients listed surfactant from Stepan, Alpha-Step PC-48 offers excellent detergency, foaming and mildness properties in a wide variety of household, industrial and personal care applications. The oleo and biodegradable properties of this product make it a strong candidate for greener formulations.
  • S T Laboratories, Inc : STA-MULSE® L 630 is an effective alternative to Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylates. This product has been used to formulate Green Seal Certified formulations (GS-37) which prohibit the use of Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylates (NPE, OPE).  STA-MULSE® L 630 also offers enhanced cleaning performance with less need for co-solvents such as glycol ethers.  Learn more about S T Labs

Key suppliers in the surfactant category include Air Products, S T Laboratories, Inc., DeForest, Huntsman and Stepan.