In recent years chemists designed detergents that act in exactly the same way as soap does but are much less harsh and do not form the insoluble salts that soaps do. Detergents are not made from fats such as animal fat like soaps are but are made from the petroleum industry. The reactions are quite complicated but involve the reaction of molecules of sulfer trioxide or sulfuric acid on petrolium to form detergents like the one show below. Most cleaning products these days use detergents instead of soap as their cleaning agent due to its more desirable properties. Infact many products that call themselves as soaps, especially for cleaning skin and faces contain detergents as well as soaps.
Most shampoos are a mixture of many detergents as well as colours and fragrances.
Detergents are used in shampoos as soaps are considered too harsh for hair. All rights reserved.