BASF announces 25th anniversary of APG^® production at Düsseldorf site

BASF announces the 25th anniversary of producing alkyl polyglycosides (APG^®s) at the production site in Düsseldorf-Holthausen. Derived from the renewable raw materials starch and vegetal oils, APGs are all-round surfactants that offer mildness and foam quality for a broad variety of formulation concepts in personal care and home care as well as in industrial applications.

Since its inauguration in April 1995 the plant has managed to produce more than one million tons of APG. Initially built and operated by Henkel KGaA, the ownership of the plant switched to Cognis in 2000, which was acquired by BASF in 2011.

Proven mildness for personal care

As part of its Care Creations^® portfolio, BASF offers its 100 percent plant-based APG line under the tradename Plantacare^®. The all-round sugar surfactants known for their excellent ecological and toxicological profile, proven mildness and functional properties, are suitable for a broad field of personal care cleansing applications, ranging from shower gels and liquid soaps to shampoos, facial wash, baby cleansing products, toothpastes and wet wipes. Various tests have confirmed the very low irritation potential of Plantacare surfactants making them an ideal choice especially also for mild cleansing products with a high degree of skin compatibility.

BASF has been the first supplier in Europe to offer its complete Plantacare range, as well as related products and compositions from certified, sustainable palm-based raw material with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Mass Balance supply chain certification.

Plantacare from BASF is suitable for use in end products formulated according to the European Ecolabels EU Ecolabel, Nordic Ecolabel and Bra Miljöval and it is approved by the natural and organic cosmetic standards COSMOS and NATRUE. Plantacare is 100 percent of natural origin and therefore perfectly fits the requirements of ISO Norm 16128.

“We are excited to announce the 25th anniversary of our plant and a technology that has set a milestone in the surfactants market. Our APGs meet modern requirements for cleansing products and are still a trendsetting raw material for the personal care and the detergent and cleaning industry as well as for industrial applications. Consumer and customer expectations for sustainability and natural ingredients remain to be a strong driver of the market development,” says Christian Somigliana, Head of Market Development Personal Care Europe.

Easy formulation for highly concentrated liquid products in the detergent and cleaning industry

Glucopon^® types convince by solving many performance related problems in the field of Home Care and Industrial & Institutional Cleaning. Products of BASF’s Glucopon^® line combine in an excellent manner the performance properties of modern surfactants, with current and future demands for environmentally friendly solutions. For example, Glucopon^® 650, satisfies expectations both for perfect cleaning results and environmental responsibility. The alkyl polyglycoside also has outstanding properties: it is compatible with plastics, GHS (CLP) label-free, meets the requirements of various eco-labels (e.g. EU Ecolabel and Nordic Swan), is easy to process, very low foaming and suitable for use at high concentrations.

Effective additive in industrial formulations

As part of BASF’s Agnique^® product range alkyl polyglycosides advance the performance of agrochemical formulations: by offering high compatibility to salts and by providing an excellent uptake by plants the surfactant functions as an efficient adjuvant in crop protection products. Furthermore, the Disponil^® product line includes APG used as emulsifiers in emulsion polymerization processes. The product is applicable in various industries – such as coatings, adhesives and rubber industry – and shows a superior environmental profile. Disponil^® meets the requirements of various eco-labels and qualifies as an emulsifier not releasing any formaldehyde during the polymerization process.