In the 1930s, commercially viable routes to fatty alcohols were developed, and these new materials were converted to their sulfate esters, key ingredients in the commercially important German brand FEWA, produced by BASF, and Dreft, the US brand produced by Procter and Gamble.
Pralni prašek ali detergent je mešanica površinsko aktivnih snovi z čistilnimi lastnostmi v razredčenih raztopinah.