or: (as in the text below) "Tensides migrate to the interface between ...."





Basic facts about the Fain tenside mixture

1. The registration status of the raw materials used in the Fain tenside mixture

The Fain tenside mixture contains anionic and nonionic components. The anionic tenside component, the triethanolamine (TEA) salt of secondary alkane sulfonate, is prepared in Salo, Finland by a patented process from the Europaean-made raw material Sodium sec C14-C17 Alkane Sulfonate. This raw material is registered as a raw material for personal care products in European Union, USA and Japan. Triethanolamine is used widely in a large number of cosmetic products. The European cosmetic legislation does not put any limits to TEA in products to be washed away from the skin.

2. The status of registration of the Fain tenside mixture and its production

Oy Faintend Ltd produces the tenside mixture containing TEA-sec alkane sulfonate. This anionic tenside component has been used for nearly 20 years mild shampoos in the former Soviet Union and Finland. The TEA sec alkane sulfonate is listed in the European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (EINECS). Oy Faintend Ltd has been registered in European Union as a manufacturer of cosmetic products.

3. The unique characteristics of the Fain tenside mixture

General

The basic function of the tensides is to diminish the surface tension of water. The ten­sides are composed of two parts, of which one is water-loving (hydrophilic) and the other water-repellent (hydrophobic). The tensides act at low concentrations because they migrate to the interfaces. In the surface of water they replace part of the water molecules thus reducing the surface tension. Thus water can have access to moisten the surfaces to be cleaned. The anionic tensides act also on the surface of the soil and on the surface of the substrate by adhering through the hydrophobic part. The soil is thus covered by an electrically negative layer composed of the head group of the tensides. The negative charges on the substrate keeps the soil from redepositioning back to it. Due to this same effect also small soil particles do not aggregate and soil is washed away easily. Anionic tensides are extremely water soluble.

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