Patent ID: 6884767

Claim:
A clear or translucent liquid fabric softener composition comprising: A. from about 1% to about 80% by weight of the composition, of polyquaternary ammonium fabric softener active which either has a phase transition temperature in the presence of less than about 5% organic solvent or water of less than about 50° C. or which has no significant endothermic phase transition in the region −50° C. to 100° C. said active being in a bilayer; and B. an effective amount of stabilizer for maintaining said composition clear or translucent comprising an effective amount of bilayer modifier, wherein said bilayer modifier comprises a nonionic surfactant with a bulky head group selected from: 1. a surfacant having the formula R 1 —C(O)—Y′—[C(R 5 )] m —CH 2 O(R 2 O) z H wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of saturated or unsaturated, primary, secondary or branched chain alkyl or alkyl-aryl hydrocarbons; said hydrocarbon chain containing from about 6 to about 22 carbon atoms; Y′ is selected from the following groups: —O—; —N(A)—; and/or mixtures thereof; A is selected from the following groups: H; R 1 : —(R 2 —O) z —H; —(CH 2 ) z CH 3 ; phenyl, or substituted aryl, wherein 0≦x≦about 3 and z is from about 5 to about 30: each R w is selected from the following groups or combinations of the following groups: —(CH 2 ) n wherein n is from about 1 to about 4 and/or —[CH(CH 3 )CH 2 ]—; and each R 2 is selected from the following groups: —OH; and —O(R 2 O) z —H; and m is from about 2 to about 4; 2. a surfactant having at least one of the following formulas wherein Y″=N or O; and each R 5 is selected independently from the following: —H, —OH, —(CH 2 )xCH 3 , —O(OR 2 ) z —H, —OR, —OC(O)R 1 , and —CH(CH 2 —(OR 2 ) z —H)—CH 2 —(OR 2 ) z —C(O)R 1 , x and R 1 are as define above and 5≦z, z′and z″≦20; 3. a polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant of the formula: R 2 —C(O)—N(R 1 )—Z wherein: each R 1 is H, C 1 -C 4 hydrocarbyl, C 1 -C 4 alkoxyalkyl, or hydroxyalkyl; and R 2 is a C 5 -C 31 hydrocarbyl moiety; and each Z is a polyhydroxyhydrocarbyl moiety having a linear hydrocarbyl chain with at least 3 hydroxyls directly connected to the chain, or an ethoxylated derivative thereof; and R′ is H or a cyclic mono- or poly-saccharide, or alkoxylated derivative of; and 4. a mixture thereof.