Fatty acid derivatives: Important surfactants for household, cosmetic and industrial purposes

This paper reviews selected surfactants obtained from fatty acids. Because of their indispensible properties, some of these surfactants have already been in use for a long time, whereas others, such as sucrose esters or ester sulfonates, are only beginning to be used. However, all these surfactants have in common the fact that they are highly acceptable to the environment, characterized by their skin tolerance, good biological degradability and low toxicity. With consumer awareness becoming more and more apparent, these are noteworthy properties from which we can expect that surfactants prepared from fats will increase in importance in the future.