Surfactants have a hydrophobic group at one end and a hydrophilic group at the other. Surfactants have functions such as removing dirt, thickening, foaming, and wetting. Currently, the global annual production of surfactants has reached 16 million tons, and these surfactants are commonly used raw materials in cosmetics. Surfactants have three main properties: detergency, which is utilized in the production of cleansing cosmetics; emulsification, which is used as an emulsifier in the production of creams and shampoos; and wetting and penetrating properties, such as the ability to evenly contact hair dyes and perms with the skin, and the ability to spread in face creams and lipsticks.
Nonionic surfactants are surfactants that do not dissociate into ions in water. In cosmetics, there are many varieties, and the dosage used is very large. The main varieties are divided into two categories: polyoxyethylene type and polyol type. Polyoxyethylene type includes polyoxyethylene fatty alcohol ether, polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether, polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene fatty amide, etc.; polyol type includes alkylolamide, sorbitan monostearate, etc. In cosmetics, emulsifiers, foaming agents, thickeners and dispersants mostly use nonionic surfactants.
