In an era where environmental consciousness is on the rise, Kao Chemicals is making substantial strides towards sustainability through the transformation of its product ranges. Among many different chemistries, Kao produces polyoxyethylene glycerine esters under the trade name of LEVENOL – products that perfectly fit with current market trends. Kao Chemicals has adapted the ethoxylated glycerine esters range towards its low carbon footprint versions, exploring its implications, applications, and the broader impact on sustainable practices. The new versions of LEVENOL therefore have a greener product profile and provide formulation benefits that clearly contribute to sustainability throughout the supply chain.

LEVENOL are non-ionic surfactants of plant origin, one hundred percent concentrated and with an outstanding eco-toxicological profile. They are products with a liquid appearance that are very easy to handle even at low temperatures.

In addition, the new ingredients retain the multifunctionality of LEVENOL, making the formulation of concentrates and super-concentrates easy, as well as contributing to the end performance.

Ethoxylated glycerine esters are obtained from an optimal manufacturing process that clearly reduces the environmental impact in comparison to standard ethoxylated fatty alcohols. Figure 1 shows the renewable carbon content (according to standard EN 17035 [6]) and the reduction of CO2 emissions referred to standard ethoxylated fatty alcohols (according to ISO 14067 [7]). The standard ethoxylated glycerine ester, LEVENOL F-200 from palm kernel oil (chemical description glycereth-6 cocoate), reduces the carbon footprint by around 18%.

The new versions of ethoxylated glycerine esters afford a 40% reduction in the carbon footprint in comparison to ethoxylated fatty alcohols, which significantly increases the sustainable profile of the final compositions.

Click to SOFW to learn full feature charts.

These new versions that have been developed are the following:

LEVENOL F-200 BIO (glycereth-6 cocoate bio): 100 % Bio-Based – non GMO. Non-Ionic surfactant with hydrotopic properties for concentrated formulations.

This product definition maintains product characteristics and features from the standard version, with a lower content of 1,4-dioxane (< 1 ppm) achieved through an improvement in the production process.

LEVENOL F-200 BIO represents a useful tool to design 100% Bio-based compositions covering different application fields: liquid laundry detergents, hand-dishwashing and neutral hard surface cleaners.

The better hydrotropic properties of Glycereth-6 Cocoate Bio in comparison to typical non-ionic surfactants, allows the formulation of concentrates for laundry with less or even no use of additional solvents, resulting in well balanced cost-effectiveness.

EMANON XLF BIO (glycereth-7 caprylate/caprate bio): This 100% bio-based ingredient is the ethoxylated glycerine ester from Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, and it is also available in Personal Care quality under the trade name of EMANON EV-E BIO.

This ingredient exhibits a good foaming ability in the presence of soil making it suitable for applications such as hand-dishwashing soaps. In addition, it also showcases an outstanding hydrotropic ability, simplifying the formulation of concentrated detergents.

LEVENOL SF-200: Palm-Free/ EU Local Sourcing (glycereth-6 sunflowerate). Non-Ionic surfactant with wide range of application (Laundry detergent, hand dishwashing, neutral surface cleaner and cleansers ). LEVENOL SF-200, sourced locally in the European Union, introduces palm-free alternatives to a wide range of applications, emphasizing fabric care properties to redefine the standards of textile maintenance and cleanliness. This is a 100% active ingredient, showing a clear, homogeneous and liquid appearance, which makes it cold processable.