Patent ID: 7202203

Claim:
A softener composition which comprises a compound having one or more C 8-36 hydrocarbon groups and two or more groups selected from an amino group and a quaternary ammonium group in the, molecule (component (a)), an anionic surfactant having a C 8-36 hydrocarbon group (component (b)) and a nonionic surfactant (component (c)), wherein the molar ratio of the component (a) to the component (b) is from 90/10 to 54/46, wherein the component (a) is a compound having at least one C 8-36 hydrocarbon group, at least one quaternary ammonium group and at least one tertiary amino group, and the cation equivalent of the quaternary ammonium group of the component (a) to the anion equivalent of the component (b) is from 90/10 to 40/60, wherein the component (a) is a compound represented by the formula (2): R 1 -[A-P] n —[B-Q] m —C—R 2 .aX − (2) wherein at least one of R 1 and R 2 is a C 8-36 alkyl or alkenyl group which may be interrupted by an amide group, and the other group is a C 1-5 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group when only one of R 1 and R 2 is a C 8-36 alkyl or alkenyl group interrupted by an amide group; A, B and C each represent a group —N + (R 3 )(R 4 )— or —N(R 5 )— provided that at least one of A, B and C is —N + (R 3 )(R 4 )— and A, B and C are simultaneously not all —N + (R 3 )(R 4 )—, R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are the same as or different from one another and represent a C 1-5 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group; P and Q each represent a C 1-5 alkylene group which may be interrupted with an amide group; “a” is the number of —N + (R 3 )(R 4 )— groups in A, B and C; “n” is a number of 1 to 3, and “m” is a number of 0 to 2; and X − is an anion.