Surfactant

A surfactant is a chemical compound that decreases the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. The word surfactant is a blend of "surface-active agent", coined in 1950. As they consist of a water-repellent and a water-attracting part, they are emulsifiers, enabling water and oil to mix.

They can also form foam, and facilitate the detachment of dirt.

Back to Products & Chemistry →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

BLISSCLEAN

A fresh, tidy home — cleaning tips, organization hacks, and the calculators that make housework simple.

Get new guides by emailOccasional emails. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

InformationAbout Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Affiliate Disclosure Cookie Policy

Every entry, image, fact, and figure is drawn from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, used under public-domain and Creative Commons licenses. No content is AI-generated.