Effect of Hydrophobic Plant Extract on the Physicochemical Properties of a Transparent Fabric Softener

This article investigates the effect of hydrophobic supercritical CO2 raspberry seed extracts on the physicochemical and functional properties of a modern, transparent fabric softener. The addition of a hydrophobic extract to a transparent softener formulation increased the turbidity and dynamic viscosity of the product compared to the reference formulation (with no added extract). In addition, fabric rinsed in a bath containing the transparent fabric softener enriched with the hydrophobic extract was characterized by a higher degree of softness and slightly lower values of fabric rewettability (two parameters determining the usable properties of this type products) in relation to the values determined for a fabric exposed to the rinsing process in an aqueous solution of the transparent fabric softener without added extract. The results obtained in the assessment of physicochemical properties point to the modification of the structure of fabric softener resulting from the growth of surfactant aggregates due to solubilization of the hydrophobic extract. As a consequence, the deposit—an adsorption layer of surfactants (responsible for key characteristics relevant to the performance of this type of products) remaining on the fabric after the rinsing process—is modified.