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Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-07-14 Origin: Site
In everyday kitchens, stubborn grease isn’t just ordinary cooking oil; it’s a complex mix of oxidized animal fats, proteins from meat residues, and polymerized oils formed under high heat. These sticky, hydrophobic layers adhere strongly to cookware and plates, making them especially difficult to remove with water alone.
Consumers worldwide often report frustration when dishwashing liquids fail to tackle burnt-on grease or thick oily residues, highlighting that cleaning performance is about more than just light surface dirt.
While abundant foam is traditionally associated with “good cleaning,” scientific formulation tells a different story. Foam mainly comes from surfactants’ ability to trap air, but removing stubborn grease depends on surfactants' ability to reduce surface tension, emulsify oils, and disperse solid residues.
Modern dishwashing liquids that truly perform against stubborn grease combine smart surfactant systems, optimized hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB), and carefully controlled formulation techniques to achieve high degreasing power — often with moderate or low foam.
This shift in focus from “more bubbles” to “real grease removal” marks a significant evolution in the industry, especially as consumers become more aware of product claims and real-world performance.
Stubborn kitchen grease is not just a thin oil film — it often consists of oxidized animal fats and polymerized oils formed under high heat. This makes it both highly hydrophobic and viscous, which means it resists mixing with water and clings tightly to cookware and dishes. The result is a greasy, sticky residue that ordinary rinsing can’t remove, and which standard low-cost detergents often fail to handle effectively.
The key to removing stubborn grease lies in the chemistry of surfactants. These molecules have two parts: a hydrophobic tail that binds to oil and a hydrophilic head that binds to water.
By positioning themselves at the interface between oil and water, surfactants lower the surface tension, allowing water to spread over oily surfaces. Simultaneously, they emulsify the grease — breaking large oil droplets into smaller ones, dispersing them in water, and preventing them from re-depositing on dishes.
A well-designed surfactant system balances cleaning strength with mildness and foam control, which is why modern dishwashing liquids often use blends rather than relying on a single type.
In response to environmental concerns and consumer demand, formulators increasingly use plant-based and biodegradable surfactants.
Examples include:
Sucrose esters, derived from natural sugars and fatty acids, known for gentle but effective emulsification.
Alkyl polyglucosides (APGs), made from sugars and fatty alcohols, prized for biodegradability and low irritation.
Amino acid surfactants, such as sodium cocoyl glutamate, which combine mildness with good cleansing performance.
These green surfactants help create products that clean effectively while being safer for sensitive skin and less harmful to aquatic environments.
Beyond the chemistry of surfactants, production technology plays a crucial role in product performance. High shear emulsification mixing equipment disperses and distributes surfactants and oil phases uniformly, ensuring a stable and effective final product.
By reducing droplet size and improving the homogeneity of emulsions, High-shear processes can improve the degreasing efficiency of dishwashing liquid products, enhance product texture, and reduce the likelihood of separation during storage.
This integration of advanced mixing technology with modern formulation strategies underpins the next generation of dishwashing liquids that target stubborn grease while staying environmentally friendly.
Market data consistently reveal that strong degreasing performance remains the top priority for consumers when purchasing dishwashing liquids. Despite the rise in environmental awareness, the fundamental expectation is that the product must effectively eliminate stubborn grease to satisfy everyday cleaning needs.
There is a significant global trend toward plant-based and biodegradable cleaning formulations. Increasing ecological concerns, regulatory pressures, and consumer preferences are driving brands to develop greener products using natural surfactants like sucrose esters and alkyl polyglucosides that offer effective cleaning with reduced environmental impact.
Industry forecasts indicate that the dishwashing liquid category will experience an average annual growth rate exceeding 7% globally. This growth is particularly strong in emerging markets such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where expanding middle-class populations and urbanization fuel demand for convenient, effective, and eco-friendly cleaning solutions.
Social media platforms including TikTok and YouTube have become influential channels, with content creators and eco-conscious influencers showcasing authentic grease removal demonstrations. These realistic product trials resonate with consumers, increasing awareness and trust in green degreasing products and accelerating market adoption.
The cleaning industry is increasingly moving away from traditional petrochemical surfactants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). These compounds, while effective cleansers, have raised concerns due to their potential skin irritation and environmental persistence. Growing consumer awareness and stricter environmental regulations are accelerating the phase-out of these substances in favor of greener alternatives.
Natural surfactants derived from renewable resources, including sucrose esters, rhamnolipids, and alkyl polyglucosides (APGs), are gaining popularity for their unique ability to balance powerful grease removal with gentle, low-irritant properties. These surfactants are well-suited for sensitive skin and household products requiring a mild yet effective cleaning action, making them ideal replacements for harsher petrochemical-based ingredients.
A key advantage of plant-based surfactants is their biodegradability. Unlike many petrochemical surfactants, these natural alternatives break down readily in the environment, reducing aquatic toxicity and bioaccumulation risks. This property helps manufacturers comply with increasingly stringent global environmental regulations, including REACH in Europe and similar frameworks worldwide, while meeting consumer demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products.
Effective dishwashing liquid formulations often require a careful blend of multiple surfactants to optimize performance. Combining anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric surfactants allows formulators to balance strong grease removal, desirable foam characteristics, and skin mildness. This synergy helps create products that not only clean effectively but also maintain a pleasant sensory experience for users.
In addition to surfactants, functional additives play a critical role in product stability and performance.
Thickeners such as xanthan gum or cellulose derivatives adjust viscosity, improving pourability and preventing product separation.
Chelating agents bind metal ions in hard water, enhancing cleaning efficiency and preventing residue.
Preservative systems ensure microbiological stability, extending shelf life while maintaining formulation integrity.
Advanced emulsification and homogenization technologies, including high shear mixers and emulsifier mixer tanks, significantly influence the uniformity of surfactant dispersion and emulsion stability.
These processes reduce droplet size and promote homogeneous distribution of oil phases and active ingredients, which:
Enhance degreasing efficiency by increasing active surface area
Improve product texture and appearance
Reduce the likelihood of phase separation during storage and usage
In the journey from formulation development to full-scale manufacturing, reliable production equipment plays a critical role in ensuring product consistency, process efficiency, and quality control. Proper machinery bridges the gap between innovative recipes tested in the lab and stable production that meets market demand.
IMMAY offers a range of specialized machines tailored for dishwashing liquid manufacturing, including:
Industrial reverse osmosis water treatment system: reliably delivers high purity water.
High shear stainless steel emulsification tanks that enable thorough mixing and stable emulsion formation;
Automated dishwashing liquid bottle filling lines designed for precise bottling and packaging.
These integrated solutions help you quickly scale laboratory formulations into reliable production capacity, minimizing downtime and maximizing product quality.
As consumer preferences increasingly shift toward eco-friendly and high-performance cleaning products, IMMAY’s equipment solutions empower brands to quickly adapt. By combining advanced mixing and filling technologies, manufacturers can produce dishwashing liquids that meet stringent environmental standards while delivering superior grease removal.
Effective cleaning of stubborn grease continues to be the key factor that differentiates dishwashing liquid products in the marketplace. Consumers expect powerful degreasing without compromising gentleness or sustainability.
The integration of environmentally friendly ingredients with advanced manufacturing technologies will accelerate the development of innovative, high-performance dishwashing liquids that meet evolving consumer and regulatory demands.
Contact IMMAY now to access comprehensive solutions that span from formulation trials to large-scale production. Our specialized equipment and expertise help your brand efficiently bring eco-friendly, effective degreasing products to market.
