DEAS 816: 2022 
ICS 71.100.40 
© EAS 2022                                                                                                                         Second  Edition 2022  
 
 EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
 
Synthetic liquid laundry  detergent  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 816: 2022 
ii © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
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Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 816: 2022 
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
5 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
6 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
7 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  4 
Annex A (norma tive)  Determination  of foam  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 5 
A.1 Foaming  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  5 
A.2 Apparatus  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
A.3 Preparation of standard hard water (50 ppm as calcium carbonate)  ................................ ...............  5 
A.4 Procedure  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
Annex  B (normative)  Determination of rinsing properties  ................................ ................................ ............  7 
Annex C (normative)  Sampling procedure for liquid laundry detergents  ................................ ...................  8 
C.1 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  8 
C.2 Scale of sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 8 
C.3 Preparation of gross samples, test sample and reference sample  ................................ ..................  9 
C.4 Number of tests  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 9 
C.5 Criteria for conformity ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  9 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  1 
 DEAS 816: 2022 
iv © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Development of the East Afri can Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that th rough 
harmonized standardi zation, trade barriers that are encountered when goods a nd services are exchanged within 
the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC) mandated to develop and 
issue East A frican Standards (EAS) and  other deliverables. The Com mittee is composed of repres entatives of 
the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private 
sector organizations in the community.  
East Afric an Standards are developed  through Technical Committee s that are representative of  key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders th rough the National Standar ds Bodies in the 
Partner Sta tes. The comments received a re discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Stan dards and other deliverabl es are subject to review, to  keep pace with technologica l 
advances. Users of the East African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the 
latest versions of the standards they are implementing.  
The commit tee responsible for this d ocument is Technical Committ ee EASC/TC 074, Surface acti ve agents  
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rig hts. 
This second  edition cancels and replaces EAS 816-1:2015 Synthetic liquid laundry  detergents — Specification  
- Part 1: Hand wash  (first edition) ; and  EAS 816-2:2015 Synthetic liquid laundry  detergents — Spec ification  - 
Part 2: machine  wash  (first edition ) which have been technically revised . DEAS 816: 2022 
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
Liquid laundry detergents are becoming popular around the world due to t heir convenience in dispensing, 
easy dispersion and dissolution in the wash water.  They give a better performance than soap s and d etergent 
powder s, especially when used for  laundering delicate fabrics like silk, wool and synthetic fabrics . 
Liquid laundry detergent s are easy to use and easy to store. They come in handy, po rtable containers that are 
convenient for people who must carry  products to public and domestic laundry facilities. They dissolve easily 
in all kinds of water and generally remove dirt and grease from clothing very well. Liquid detergents can also 
be used as spot stain removers.  
There are tw o main groups of detergents , namely, the soaps and synthetic detergents. In order to guide the 
production of synthetic detergents of well -defined quality and also to safeguar d consumer interests, it has 
been felt desirab le to formulate this standard.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 816: 2022 
 
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  1 
 Synthetic liquid laundry deter gent  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements , sampling  and test methods for hand wash and 
machine wash synthetic liquid laundry detergent s. 
2 Normative references  
The followin g referenced documents are indispensable for the a pplication of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of t he re ferenced 
document (including any amendments) applies.  
EAS 217 -1-1, Meth ods for the microbiological examination of foods — Part 1 -1: General procedures and 
techniques  
EAS 794 , Determination of the microbial inhibition of cosmetic soap bars and liquid h and a nd body washes — 
Test method  
EAS 814,  Determination of biodegradability  of surfactants —Test method  
ISO 2870,  Surface act ive agents — Detergents — Determination of anionic -active matter hydrolysable and 
non-hydrolysable under acid conditions  
ISO 287 1-1, Surface active agents — Detergents — Determination of cationic -active mat ter content — Part 1: 
High-molecular -mass cationic -active matter  
ISO 2871 -2, Surface active agents — Detergents — Determination of cationic -active matter content — Part 2: 
Cation ic-active matter of low molecular mass (between 200 and 500)  
ISO 4316, Surface  active agents — Determination of pH of aqueous so lution — Potentiometric method  
3 Terms and definitions  
 
For the pur poses of this standard, terms and definitions given in I SO 862 and the following shall apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological da tabases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online b rowsing platform: availabl e at http://www.iso. org/obp  
 
3.1 
detergent  
product specially formulated for cleaning th rough th e process of detergency   
2 © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
 3.2 
active ingredient  
organic surface -active material present in the detergent  
3.3 
builder  
material added to the detergent formulation that enhances or maintai ns the cleaning efficiency of the 
surfactant, principally by inactivati ng water hardness either by se questration, precipitation or ion exchange  
3.4  
biodegradable  
capable of being decomposed by living matter especially by bacteria  
3.5  
sequestering agent  
 
material that suppresses the hardness of water and improves the effectiveness of surface active agents  by 
removing metal ions or molecules from the water  
3.6  
defective  
unacceptable or un suitable for distribution or sale as determined  by conformity with  this standard  
3.8  
package  
unit in which the detergent is  stored, which is labelled, and distributed for individual sale  
3.9  
manufacturer  
person or organizati on actually engaged in or be ing principally responsible for manufacturing o r producing the 
laundry detergent  
3.10 
batch 
material from a single mix or, in  the case of a continuous production process, the material from a single day's 
production  
3.12  
lot 
quantity of a detergent b earin g the same batch identif ication, from one manufacturer, and submitted at any 
one time for inspection and testing  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements   
4.1.1  Synthetic liquid laundry deter gent shall:  
a) be a st able, uniform solution of synthetic detergents, with seques tering agents and builders and with 
or without optical brighteners, enzymes and softeners;  
b) be a free -flowing liquid;  
c) not give any objectionable  odour and shall have good clean ing proper ties; and  
d)  be completely miscible with water   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  3 
 4.1.2 The ac tive ingredient used shall be biodegradable when tested in accordance with EAS 814.  
4.1.4 If synthetic liquid laundry detergent  is coloured, the colouring shall be uniform and shall not change 
appreciably during storage   
4.2 Specific requirements   
Synthetic liquid laundry detergent  shall comply with the  specific requirements given in Table 1, when tested in 
accordance  with the method prescribed therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requ irements for synthetic liquid laundry detergent  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
Hand wash  Machine wash  
i Total active content, min, % m/m  10 8 ISO 2870  
ISO 2871 -1 
ISO 2871 -2 
ii pH, 1 % solution  at 25 °C ± 2  °C 5 – 11 
 5 – 11 ISO 4316  
iii Total viable count, cfu/g  (max)  200 200 EAS 217 -1-1 
iv Foam test, 1 % solution ml, max.  
Initial height  
Height after 5 min.   
N/A 
  
100 
30 Annex A 
v Rinsing properties  To pass the te st Annex B 
vi Antibacterial activity  a) To pass t he test  EAS 794.  
a)Only for synthetic liquid laundry detergent s contain ing antibacterial agents  claims . 
N/A – Not applicable  
 
5 Packaging  
The product shall  be packaged in  containers that are able to withstand normal usage , storage  and 
transportation and that will prevent leaking, drying out and contamination of the product.  
6 Labelling   
Each contai ner and each bulk package shall be in prominent, legibly and indelibly labelled either in Englis h, 
Kiswa hili or French or combin ation or any other language as agreed between the manufacturer and supplier 
with the following information:  
a) name of the product as “Synthetic liquid laundry detergent ”   
b) indication of whether it is hand  wash  or machine  wash ; 
c) manufacturer’s name and physical address;  
NOTE  The name , physical address of the distributor/supplier and trade mark may be added as required.  
d) batch or lot number ;  
4 © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
 e) list of ingredients  
f) net content;  
g) declare antibacterial agent s if used ; 
h) instructions for use ; 
i) date of manufacture  and best before date ;  
j) country of origin ; and  
k) indicate mode of disposal of containers/packages .  
7 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accord ance with Annex C. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Determination  of foam  
A.1 Foaming  
Foaming capacity of detergents is an important property. In some instance , a high foam is required and in 
others no foam at all or a very low foam is desirable.  It is n ecessa ry to standardize the fo llowing factors:  
a) concentration of active water ;  
b) type of water to be used ;  
c) temperature of solution ; and  
d) period of aging . 
A.2 Apparatus  
A.2.1 500-ml glass measuring cylinder  
A.2.2 250-ml glass separating funnel  
A.2.3 50-ml glass pip ette 
A.2.4 250-ml glass cylinder  
A.2.5 Analytical balance  
A.3 Preparation of standard hard water (50 pp m as calcium carbonate)  
A.3.1 Reagents  
A.3.1.1  Analar calcium chloride dihydrate,  CaCl 2.2H 2O 
A.3.1.2  Analar magnesium sulphate heptahydrate , MgSO 4.7H 2O 
A.3.1.3  Deionized water 
A.3.2 Method  
Dissolve 0.0440 g Analar calcium c hloride dihydrate  and 0.0492  g Analar magnesium sulphate heptahydrate  
in deioniz ed water.  Mak e up volume to 1 L with deioniz ed water.  
A.3.3 Preparation of test solution  
Prepare a  solut ion containing 6 g of the detergent per litre  in standard hard water.  
Warm  the solution to the temperat ure of 60 ºC and allow  to ‘age” at this temperature for 10 min. 
A.4 Procedure  
A.4.1  Draw 50 ml of the solution into a 50 -ml pipette.   
6 © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
 A.4.2 Hold the pipette against t he upper inside por tion of the  500-ml glass measuring cylinder and  allow the 
solution to run into the c ylinder, moving the pipette so that it revolves around the complete circumference  of 
the cylinder so that the solution wets the walls of the  cylinder. The solution remains in the cylinder.  
A.4.3  Into the 250 -ml glass cylinder, pour in 200 ml of the solution and pour this into the separating funnel.  
Clamp into position the separating funnel s o that its spout po ints to the centre of the 500 -ml cylinder and is 
level with the rim of t he 50 0-ml measuring cylinder (see Figure A.1). The positioning is such that the stre am of 
liquid will impinge only on the surface of the liquid.  
A.4.4 Open the stopcock fu lly to allow the solution to fall onto the liquid  
The moment the flow c eases , read the volume of the foam ( V1). 
 
Figure A.1 — Measurement of foam  
 
After 5 min read the foam  volume  again ( V2). 
• foaming power = V1 - 250 ml (the amount of liquid in cylinder) ; and 
• foaming stability = V2 - 250 ml; 
For example,  foaming power = 350 - 250 
       = 100 
For comparison of efficacy in hard and soft water, the whole method can be repeated usin g deionized water 
instead of the standard hard water.   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex  B 
(normative)  
 
Determination  of rinsing properties  
Make a soluti on of the material at th e rec ommended dilution, following the manufacturer’s directions, in 
enough synthetic hard water (300 ppm hardness), to give 100 ml of total sol ution. Pour the resultant solution 
into a clea n, dry 250 -ml Erlenmeyer flask.  Stopper the  flask and sha ke vig orously f or 1 min. Pour out the 
solution and rinse the flask three times with 75 -ml portions of synthetic hard water alone. Inver t the flask and 
allow to dry. Examine for any residue. The flask shall contain no more residue than a flask  allowed to dry af ter 
rinsing  with synthet ic hard water alone.  
NOTE  Synthetic hard water contains:  
• 0.246 g/L of CaCl 2.2H 2O; and  
• 0.295 g/L of MgSO 4.7H 2O. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
8 © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
 Annex C 
(norma tive) 
 
Sampling procedure for liquid laundry  detergents  
C.1 Requirements  
C.1.1 In drawing , preparing, st oring and hand ling sampl es, the precautions in C.1.2 – C.1.7 shall be 
observed.  
C.1.2 Samples shall not be taken from place s exposed to damp air, dust o r soot.  
C.1.3 The sampling instruments shall be clean and dry when used.  
C.1.4 The sample s, the mat erial being sampled , the sampling instruments and the containers for samples 
shall be protected from adventitious contamination.  
C.1.5 The samples shall be p laced in clean and dry glass containers. The sample containers shall be of 
such a size th at they a re almost completely  filled by the sample.  
C.1.6 Each container shall be sealed airtight after filling, and marked with full details of sampling  which 
include , date of sampling, batch or lot number, name of manufacturer, and other important partic ulars of  the 
consignment.  
C.1.7 The samples shall be stored in such a manner that the temperature of the material does not vary 
unduly from the normal temperature, and  that they are protected from light.  
C.2 Scale of sampling  
C.2.1 In a single consignment,  all the packages containing products of the same type and form, and drawn 
from the same batch of manufacture, shall constitute a lot. If the consignment consists of p ackages containing 
products of different types and forms, then the packages containing pr oduct s of the same type, form  and 
batch of manufacture shall be grouped together, and such group shall constitute a separate lot.  
C.2.2 For ascertaining the conformity  of the lot to the requirements prescribed in this standard, tests shall be 
carried out o n each lot separately. The n umber (n) of packages to be selected for drawing the samples shall 
depend upon the size (N) of the lot and shall be in accordance with Tabl e C.1. 
Table C.1 — Scale of sampling  
No. of packages in the lot  
(N) No. of packages to be  selected  
(n) 
4 – 15 3 
16 – 40 4 
41 – 65 5 
66 – 110 7 
111 and above  10 
NOTE  When the size of  the lot is three  packages or less, the number of containers to be se lected and 
the criteria for judging the conformity of the lot to the specifications shoul d be as agreed on between the 
purchaser /inspector  and the supplier.  
 
C.2.3 The packages shall be selected at random and to ensure randomness of selection, a random num ber 
table shall be used. In case such tables are not available, the procedure given below  may be adopted.   
© EAC 2022 – All rights reserved  9 
 Starting  from any package, count all the packages in one order as 1, 2, 3,…, up to r and so on, where r is the 
integral part of N/n, (N being the lot size and n the number of packages to be selected). Every rth package thus 
counted shall b e withdrawn to give a sam ple for the purposes of test.  
C.3 Preparation of gross samples, test sample and reference sample  
C.3.1 Gross sample  
From each one of the packa ges selected as in C.2, draw at random one or more containers. The material in 
the cont ainers so chosen shall b e nearl y thrice the quantity required for purpose of test as indicated in C.4. 
C.3.2 Test sample  
C.3.2.1  From the gross representing each form of  synthetic detergent take a small but equal quantity of 
material and mix thoroughly into a composite sample which shou ld be of a size sufficient to carry out triplicate 
testing for all the characteristics specified under C.4. The composite samples represen ting each form and type 
of the product  shall be divided into three equal parts, one  for the purchaser /inspe ctor, anoth er for the supplier, 
and the third for the referee.  
C.3.2.2  The remaining portion of the material in each of the gross samples shall be di vided into three 
equal pans, each forming an individual sample. One set of individ ual sam ples, representin g the n selected 
packages shall be for the purchaser /inspector , another for the supplier, and the third for refere nce. 
C.3.2.3  All the composite and i ndividual samples shall be transferred to separate containers. These 
containers s hall the n be sealed airt ight with sto ppers, and labelled with full particulars of identification given in 
B.1.6. 
C.3.3 Refere nce samples  
C.3.3.1  The refere nce samples shall co nsist of a composite sample and a set of individual samples. All 
the containers  shall bea r the seals of  both the purch aser/inspector  and the supplier, and shall be kept at a 
place agreed to between the two parties.  
C.3.3.2  Refere nce samples shall be used i n case of any dispute between the purchaser /inspector  and the 
supplier.  
C.4 Number of tes ts 
C.4.1 Tests for the determ ination of active ingredient shall be performed on each of the individual samples.  
C.4.2 Tests for the determination of other requirements  specified in Table 1 shall be conducted on the 
composite sample.  
C.5 Criteria for confor mity 
C.5.1 For individual sam ples 
C.5.1.1 For the characteristic, which has been determined on the individual sample, the mean (
X ) and 
the range (R) of test results shall be calculated as follows:  
()
resultstestof Numberresultstestof SumMean =X
 
Range ( R) is the dif ference between the ma ximum and the minimum value of test results.   
10 © EAC  2022 – All rights reserved  
 C.5.1.2 If the specification limit for the characteristic is given as a minimum, the value of  the expression 
(
X- KR) shall be calculated from the relevant test result s (see C.5.1.5). If the  value so obtained is greater 
than or equal to the minimum limit, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the 
chara cteristic.  
C.5.1.3 If the specification limit for the characteristic is given as a maximu m, the value of the expressio n 
(
X+ KR) shall be calculated from the relevant test results (see C.5.1.5). If the value so obtained is less than 
or equal to the maximum limit, the lot shall be declared as conforming  to the requirement f or the characteristic.  
C.5.1.4 If the characteristic has two -sided specification limits, then the values of the expression (
X  ± KR) 
shall be calc ulated from the relevant test results (see C.5.1.5). If the value so obtained lies betwee n the two 
specification limit s, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the characteristic.  
B.5.1.5 The value of the factor K referred to in C.5.1.2 - C.5.1.4 shall be c hosen in accordance with Table 
C.2, depending upon the accepta ble quality level, that is, the  percentage, of non -conforming packages that 
may be tolerated reasonably.  
Table C.2 — Value of 'K' for achieving different acceptable qual ity levels  
Acceptable quality level  Value of 'K'  
Not more tha n 3.0 % defectives  0.4 
Not more than 1.5 % defectives  0.5 
Not more than 0.5 % defectives  0.6 
 
C.5.2 For composite sample  
For declaring the conformity of the lot to the requirements of all the  remaining characteristics determined on 
the composite sample , the test results for e ach one of the characteristics sh all satisfy the relevant requirement 
given in Table 1 of this standard . 
 EAS 816-1: 2015   
 
© EAC 2015 – All rig hts reserved  
  
 Bibliography  
EAS 816 -1:2013 Synthetic liquid laundry detergents -Specification - Part 1: Hand wash  
EAS 816 -2:2013 Synthetic  liquid laundry detergen ts -Specification - Part 2: machine  wash