Methyl Ester Sulfonate: A High‐Performance Surfactant Capable of Reducing Builders Dosage in Detergents

The detergency performance of α‐sulfo fatty‐methyl ester sulfonate (α‐MES) under different water hardness conditions was compared against the dominant workhorse in Home Care products, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS). Results demonstrate that α‐MES has a higher soil removal index and its detergency performance is not drastically affected by water hardness, compared to that of LAS. The addition of α‐MES to LAS also shows an improved cleaning performance and better water hardness resistance, due to the structural characteristics of α‐MES, which allow the molecules to be relatively insensitive toward polyvalent ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+. The washing performance of α‐MES, α‐MES/LAS, and LAS with different builders at various dosages was studied, and the results indicated that the dosage of builders in the detergent product could be reduced up to 33% with the application of α‐MES, while the detergency is not sacrificed.