Formulate high-performing cleansing agents for personal care
Formulators face a growing challenge: deliver multifunctional cleansing agents for personal care without sacrificing performance.
Shell NEODOL® performance surfactants offer a way forward. Backed by technical expertise and global support, these building blocks help teams create rinse-off products that meet evolving consumer expectations.
Meet buyer expectations for cleansing products
Consumers expect their cleansers to do more than the basics. They must leave their skin feeling refreshed and clean. How a product foams and the fragrance it leaves are often tied to how consumers define clean.
Shell NEODOL performance surfactants as cleansing agents for personal care can support these expectations. They can enhance foaming texture and fragrance delivery, allowing formulators to meet emotional and functional needs.
Learn more about the importance of fragrance and other senses in personal care formulas in our guide: Achieve consumer-preferred sensory experiences.
Enable multifunctional innovation with flexible ingredients
A consumer’s desire for convenience, ease of use, and simplicity drives the growth of multifunctional cleansing products. Whether it’s body washes that hydrate and deodorise or shampoos that cleanse and condition, multifunctionality is no longer a niche in the rinse-off products space.
Shell NEODOL can support rising demand for multifunctionality, especially among younger consumers and men interested in multi-benefit body washes and facial cleansers. Several Shell NEODOL grades mix well with ingredients like glycerine, betaines, thickeners, and alkanolamides, supporting diverse formulation goals.
Discover more insights around consumer desire for multifunctional personal care formulations in Multifunctional personal care
Ensure consistent performance in real-world conditions
Personal care formulations must perform reliably across different water qualities and temperatures, soil types, and rinse environments.
Shell NEODOL maintains foaming and cleansing power in hard water (200 ppm) and oily soil conditions. In tests, Shell NEODOL 23 achieved similar foaming tendencies as the fully linear lauryl alcohol, even at reduced concentrations (58 ppm).
This gives formulators a flexible, high-performing alternative to oleo-based surfactants.
Learn more about how to deliver high-performance cleansing in our Personal care brochure.
Optimise rinse-off formulas across formats
From shampoo and body wash to facial cleansers, Shell NEODOL provides a versatile foundation for rinse-off formulations.
When used as-is or as a sulfate, Shell NEODOL can provide excellent:
- Emulsification
- Cleansing
- Foaming
- Biodegradability
Shell NEODOL grades range from liquids to low-melting point solids, offering formulation flexibility to meet performance and aesthetic needs. They are also readily biodegradable.
Deliver superior cleansing performance with Shell NEODOL shampoo and body wash surfactants
In today’s fast-moving market, personal care products must work harder to deliver more than cleansing alone. They must support innovation, multifunctionality, and consumer preferences.
Shell Chemicals’ scientists continually refine our products and offer industry-leading expertise to customers formulating with Shell NEODOL.
Application labs support our customers with:
- Product technical information
- HSSE information
- Quality and testing support
- Start-up and training support
- Formulation support
Manufacturers can use Shell NEODOL alcohols and ethoxylates as cleansing agents in personal care formulas, providing flexibility, reliability, and performance to meet consumer expectations, without compromise.
Speak to an expert to explore how Shell NEODOL can support your specific formulation goals.
