AU2021387767A1

AU2021387767A1 - Laundry composition

Info

Publication number: AU2021387767A1
Application number: AU2021387767A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Arianna BAÙ; Pietro Caputo; Diego SIMIONATO; Luca Spadoni; Antonella Torchiaro
Original assignee: Reckitt Benckiser Vanish BV
Current assignee: Reckitt Benckiser Vanish BV
Priority date: 2020-11-27
Filing date: 2021-11-23
Publication date: 2023-06-22
Also published as: CN116472333A; AU2021387767A9; EP4251722A2; GB202018682D0; WO2022112216A3; WO2022112216A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laundry composition comprising hydrogen peroxide, at least one dye fixative, and a first surfactant system; wherein said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; and said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof. It also relates to a method of washing a garment, to the use of the laundry composition as a laundry additive, and to the use of the laundry composition for the removal of stains from a garment.

Description

Laundry composition

The present invention relates to a laundry composition and to its use as an auxiliary of a laundry detergent composition. The present invention further relates to a method of washing a garment. It also relates to the use of a laundry composition for the removal of stains from a garment. It further relates to the use of a laundry additive for avoiding or reducing colour fading or a garment being washed with a detergent system comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry additive.

Background

Oxygen-based bleaches are added to laundry compositions to enhance the bleach activity of these. Laundry compositions, such as acidic laundry additives, which comprise oxygen-based bleaches, are usually added in addition to the usual laundry detergent composition to enhance the bleach activity. The oxygen-based bleach may be hydrogen peroxide or a precursor thereof, for example an inorganic perhydrate salt (such as a persulphate, perborate or percarbonate, such as an alkali metal salt thereof, e.g. sodium percarbonate, or an organic peracid or salt thereof.

The most common bleach precursor is sodium percarbonate. Despite its effectiveness, sodium percarbonate still has drawbacks. The percarbonate needs to break down to release the peroxide and this is a highly temperature-dependent reaction. Hydrogen peroxide is then the preferred bleach precursor.

In addition, dye- transfer inhibitors and/or dye fixatives are added to laundry compositions to control dye transfer from coloured to light fabrics and to control colour fading from a coloured fabric.

A dye transfer inhibitor traps and disperses dye particles, which avoids redeposition of the particles on fabrics. A dye fixative avoids bleeding of the colour from a fabric during washing. Therefore, it can be said that a dye transfer inhibitor is in general responsible for the reduction of colour transfer, whilst a dye fixative is responsible for the reduction of colour fading.

Laundry compositions comprising hydrogen peroxide, dye fixatives and/or dye transfer inhibitors might become unstable due to the reaction of these compounds between them and with other components of the compositions. These instabilities lead to, for example, changes on the appearance of the composition, reduction of the viscosity of the formulation with time, reduction of the amount of available bleach in the composition, reduction of the dye transfer inhibitor activity in the composition, or dye reduction of the dye fixative activity in the composition.

Existing detergent compositions used to protect colours (i.e. to reduce colour transfer and/or colour fading) do not contain a dye fixative due to the incompatibility with anionic surfactants such as linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and secondary alkane sulphonates. In addition, some dye fixatives are not compatible with hydrogen peroxide.

Therefore, there is a need of a stable detergent composition that comprises hydrogen peroxide and at least one dye transfer inhibitor, capable of removing stains and reducing colour fading and colour transfer in the fabrics washed with said composition.

The present inventors have surprisingly found that compositions comprising hydrogen peroxide and a dye fixative comprising or consisting of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin, are stable and effective at removing stains and reducing colour fading and colour transfer, if the compositions comprise at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof.

The detergent composition can be used as a laundry additive for washing machine or for soaking in handwash and pre-treatment. The composition provides colour fixation of dyes onto the fabrics, reducing colour fading and colour transfer from one fabric to another during the washing process.

Definitions

“Laundry composition” as used in the present application means: composition which can be used for pre-treating a garment before washing the garment with a laundry detergent, and/or that can be used alone for washing a garment, and/or that can be used together with the laundry detergent during washing of the garment. In other words, the laundry composition can be used alone for washing a garment or can be used as a laundry additive. “Laundry detergent composition” as used in the present application means: composition used solely for the cleaning of garments and whose main action is the removal of grim and dirt, comprising a builder and not having lipases.

“Laundry additive” as used in the present application means: composition which is used for providing a specific consumer benefit, such as: removal of stains, reduction or elimination of fading, and/or reduction or elimination of colour transfer. This means that the mean action of a laundry additive is not the removal or grip and dirt. Furthermore, a laundry additive is commonly used as a pre-treatment or together with a laundry detergent composition.

“Substantially free” as used in the present patent application means that a compound has not been deliberately added to the composition. For example, substantially free of anionic surfactants means that no anionic surfactant has been added to the composition. In other words, if traces of a compound that has not been deliberately added to the composition are present, it does not change the effect of the composition.

“Donor” as used in the present patent application means: fabric material susceptible of releasing its colour when submerged in a washing liquor. These are coloured fabrics dyed with direct dye and are normally coupled.

“Acceptor” as used in the present patent application means: fabric material susceptible of getting coloured by dye molecules present in a washing liquor.

Summary of the invention

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a laundry composition comprising hydrogen peroxide, at least one dye fixative, and a first surfactant system; wherein said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; and said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof.

In an embodiment, the alkyl chain of said ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, has between 10 and 18 carbon atoms, preferably between 12 and 16 carbon atoms. In an embodiment, said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having between 6.5 and 10 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 10 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof, preferably wherein said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 6.5 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof.

In another embodiment, said composition comprises a second surfactant system comprising or consisting of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, ethoxylated fatty acids, having less than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof; preferably wherein said second surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, ethoxylated fatty acids, having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof; more preferably wherein said second surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof.

In an embodiment, the weight ratio of said second surfactant system to said first surfactant system is between 0:1 and 0.25:1, preferably between 0:1 and 0.20:1 , more preferably 0:1 and 0.12:1, even more preferably 0:1.

In another embodiment, the composition comprises between 1 wt.% and 30 wt.% of said first surfactant system, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 2.5 wt.% and 25 wt.%, more preferably between 5 wt.% and 20 wt.%, even more preferably between 7.5 wt.% and 15 wt.%.

In another embodiment, the composition is substantially free of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates, preferably wherein the composition is substantially free of anionic surfactants.

In another embodiment, the composition is free of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates, preferably wherein the composition is free of anionic surfactants. The at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin.

In another embodiment, said composition comprises between 0.01 wt.% and 10 wt.% of said at least one dye fixative, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 0.05 wt.% and 5 wt.%, more preferably between 0.1 wt.% and 4 wt.%, even more preferably between 0.25 wt.% and 3 wt.%, most preferably between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.%.

In an embodiment, the composition comprises between 0.5 wt.% and 30 wt.% of hydrogen peroxide, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 1 wt.% and 25 wt.%, more preferably between 2.5 wt.% and 20 wt.%, even more preferably between 5 wt.% and 15 wt.%, most preferably between 5 wt.% and 10 wt.%.

In another embodiment, the composition further comprises a dye transfer inhibitor, preferably selected from polyvinylalcohol, fatty amides, sodium carboxylmethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrollidone, polyvinylimidazole, polyvinyloxazolidone, polyamine N-oxide polymers, copolymers of N-vinylpyrollidone and N-vinylimidazole, and combinations thereof, more preferably wherein the composition comprises between 0.01 wt.% and 10 wt.% of said at dye transfer inhibitor, based on the total weight of the composition, most preferably 0.05 wt.% and 5 wt.%, most preferably between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.%.

In an embodiment, the composition has a pH measured at 20°C of less than 7, preferably less than 6, more preferably between 3 and 6, even more preferably between 3.5 and 5.5.

In another embodiment, the composition is a liquid, preferably having a viscosity measured at 100 rpm and 20°C of between 1 mPa-s and 10 mPa-s, more preferably of between 2.5 mPa-s and 7.5 mPa-s, even more preferably of between 3 mPa-s and 6 mPa-s.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition is a laundry additive.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method of washing a garment, comprising:

- washing a garment with the laundry composition according to the first aspect; or - washing a garment with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to the first aspect; or adding a laundry composition according to the first aspect to a bucket with water and soaking for a predetermined length of time; or a) pre-treating the garment with the laundry composition according to any of the first aspect; and b) washing the pre-treated garment of step a) with the laundry composition according to the first aspect, or a laundry detergent composition, or with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to the first aspect.

In a third aspect, the present invention relates to a use of the laundry composition according to the first aspect as a laundry additive.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a use of the laundry composition according to the first aspect for the removal of stains from a garment.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention relates to a use of the laundry additive comprising hydrogen peroxide, at least one dye fixative, and a first surfactant system;

- wherein said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; and said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof for reducing or eliminating colour fading and/or colour transfer of garments being washed with said detergent system.

Detailed description of the invention

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a laundry composition comprising hydrogen peroxide, at least one dye fixative, and a first surfactant system; wherein said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; and said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof. It will be understood that any of the non-ionic surfactants in this list must have more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide.

The present inventors have observed that the laundry composition according to the invention has stain removal properties and reduces or eliminates colour fading of a garment being washed with said composition. The stain removal properties would be given by the first surfactant system and the hydrogen peroxide, whilst the reduction or elimination of colour fading would be given by the at least one dye fixative. The dye fixative is adsorbed onto the fibre surface during a laundry operation, reducing the release of dyes and the fading of the fabrics.

Furthermore, the laundry composition according to the invention reduces or eliminates colours transfer between garments of different colour, for example, from coloured garments onto white garments when these are washed together. This eliminates sorting of garments per colour when these are going to be washed.

The laundry composition according to the invention may be a laundry additive and may be suitable for pre-treatment and/or use alongside a laundry detergent composition.

The present inventors have surprisingly observed that a laundry composition according to the invention remains stable over a period of at least 12 weeks at temperatures between 5 °C and 40 °C. This stability is evidenced because the colour and appearance, the amount of oxygen-based bleach of the composition and/or the pH do not significantly change with time.

Without wishing to be bound by any theory, the present inventors believe that the compositions comprising hydrogen peroxide and at least one dye fixative are stable because of the first surfactant system comprising or consisting of ethoxylated compounds having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide. Preferably the alkyl chain of ethoxylated compounds such as ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, has between 10 and 18 carbon atoms, preferably between 12 and 16 carbon atoms. The person skilled in the art will understand that the non-ionic surfactant comprises a hydrophilic part (ethylene oxide) and a hydrophobic alkyl chain.

In a preferred embodiment, said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having between 6.5 and 10 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 10 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof, preferably wherein said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 6.5 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof.

The present inventors have observed that ethoxylated alcohols having an alkyl chain with 10 to 18 carbon atoms and between 6.5 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide provide excellent stability to compositions comprising hydrogen peroxide and at least one dye fixative.

The ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols in the first surfactant system can be represented by the following formula:

R¹(C₂H₄0)_n0H wherein R¹ is a straight or branched C10-C18 alkyl chain, preferably a C12-C16 alkyl chain; and n is higher than 6, for example n can be between 6.5 and 8 or between 7 and 8.

Examples ethoxylated alcohols with an alkyl chain with 10 to 18 carbon atoms and 7 or 8 moles of ethylene oxide are Safol ® 23E7 and Lutensol ® AO 8.

The laundry composition may comprise a second surfactant system comprising or consisting of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, ethoxylated fatty acids, having less than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof; preferably wherein said second surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, ethoxylated fatty acids, having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof; more preferably wherein said second surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof.

Examples of ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide or combinations thereof are Lorodac ® 3-24, which has 3 mol of ethylene oxide, and Safol ® 23E5, which has 5 mol of ethylene oxide.

The composition may comprise between 1 wt.% and 30 wt.% of said first surfactant system, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 2.5 wt.% and 25 wt.%, more preferably between 5 wt.% and 20 wt.%, even more preferably between 7.5 wt.% and 15 wt.%.

Furthermore, the weight ratio of said second surfactant system to said first surfactant system is between 0:1 and 0.25:1 , preferably between 0:1 and 0.20:1, more preferably 0:1 and 0.12:1 , even more preferably 0:1. The present inventors have observed that composition comprising the first and second surfactant systems falling within this ratio are stable. Preferably the ratio of said second surfactant system to said first surfactant system is 0:1 , meaning that preferably the composition only contains the first surfactant system. In an embodiment, the composition comprises only the first surfactant system and does not contain any other surfactant.

The laundry composition may comprise one or more further surfactants. The one or more further surfactants may be selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, non ionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and combinations thereof; preferably the one or more further surfactants are selected from the group consisting of non-ionic surfactants, anionic surfactants and combinations thereof. Many such suitable surfactants are described in Kirk Othmer's Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Ed., Vol. 22, pp. 360-379, "Surfactants and Detersive Systems". However, preferably, the composition is substantially free of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates, preferably wherein the composition is substantially free of anionic surfactants. Anionic surfactants such as linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates may adversely affect the stability of the laundry compositions and the activity of the at least one dye fixative. In an embodiment, the composition is free of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates, preferably the composition is free of anionic surfactants.

The laundry composition comprises at least one dye fixative, which is responsible for the reduction or elimination of fading and colour transfer. Said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin.

A copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin is cationic. An example of such dye fixative is TexCare ® DFC 6 ex. Clariant.

The composition may comprise between 0.01 wt.% and 10 wt.% of said at least one dye fixative, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 0.05 wt.% and 5 wt.%, more preferably between 0.1 wt.% and 4 wt.%, even more preferably between 0.25 wt.% and 3 wt.%, most preferably between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.%.

The composition may comprise between 0.5 wt.% and 30 wt.% of hydrogen peroxide, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 1 wt.% and 25 wt.%, more preferably between 2.5 wt.% and 20 wt.%, even more preferably between 5 wt.% and 15 wt.%, most preferably between 5 wt.% and 10 wt.%.

In a preferred embodiment, the laundry composition comprises: between 5 wt.% and 10 wt.% of hydrogen peroxide, based on the total weight of the composition; between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.% of at least one dye fixative comprising or consisting of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; between 7.5 wt.% and 15 wt.% of a first surfactant system comprising or consisting of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 6.5 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof; and wherein the alkyl chain of said ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, has between 12 and 16 carbon atoms; a second surfactant system comprising or consisting of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof; wherein: the weight ratio of said second surfactant system to said first surfactant system is between 0:1 and 0.25:1 , preferably between 0:1 and 0.20:1 , more preferably 0:1 and 0.12:1, even more preferably 0:1; and the composition is free of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates, preferably wherein the composition is free of anionic surfactants.

In order to further increase the reduction or elimination of fading and colour transfer, the composition may further comprise a dye transfer inhibitor, preferably selected from polyvinylalcohol, fatty amides, sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrollidone, polyvinylimidazole, polyvinyloxazolidone, polyamine N- oxide polymers, copolymers of N-vinylpyrollidone and N-vinylimidazole, and combinations thereof, more preferably wherein the composition comprises between 0.01 wt.% and 10 wt.% of said at dye transfer inhibitor, based on the total weight of the composition, most preferably 0.05 wt.% and 5 wt.%, most preferably between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.%.

The present inventors have observed that by further adding a dye transfer inhibitor, the stability of the composition is not adversely affected.

The pH of the composition measured at 20°C may be of less than 7, preferably less than 6, more preferably between 3 and 6, even more preferably between 3.5 and 5.5.

The laundry composition may be liquid, preferably having a viscosity measured at 100 rpm and 20°C of between 1 mPa-s and 10 mPa-s, more preferably of between 2.5 mPa-s and 7.5 mPa-s, even more preferably of between 3 mPa-s and 6 mPa-s.

In an embodiment the laundry composition is a laundry additive. Said laundry additive is normally acidic.

The formulation may further comprise one or more additives selected from the group consisting of a rheology modifier agent, a fragrance, a phase stabilizer, a dye, a softening agent, a chelating agent, an anti-bacterial agent, a transition metal compound, an optical brightener, an anti-foaming agent, a preservative, and combinations thereof. Exemplary softening agents are organic water-soluble water softening agents, which include polycarboxylate polymers, such as polyacrylates, acrylic/maleic copolymers, and acrylic phosphonates, monomeric polycarboxylates such as citrates, gluconates, oxydisuccinates, glycerol mono- di- and tri sued nates, carboxymethyloxysucdnates, carboxymethyloxymalonates, dipicolinates, hydroxyethyliminodiacetates, phosphonates, iminodisuednates, polyaspartic adds, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), phosphonate stabilisers such as, diethylenetriaminepenta (methylene phosphonic add and its corresponding pentasodium salt), DTP MP and DTPMA and hydroxy ethylidene diphosphonic add (HEDP). Further exemplary water-soluble water softening agent are neutralised or partially neutralised carboxylic adds, such as dtric add, sucdnic add or maleic add, and/or a neutralised or partially neutralised polycarboxylic add, such as a polyacrylate of Mw: 4000-8000.

It should be noted that some substances may have several functions in the formulation. For example, citric acid is a softening agent, but it can also a preservative; HEDP is a softening agent, but it is also a chelating agent.

Thickening agents or gelling agents may be used for adjusting the rheological properties of the formulation. Suitable thickeners are polyacrylate polymers, xanthan gums and micro-fibrous cellulose (MFC). A specially preferred rheology modifying agent is a micro- fibrous cellulose.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method of washing a garment, comprising:

- washing a garment with the laundry composition according to first aspect; or

- washing a garment with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to the first aspect; or adding a laundry composition according to the first aspect to a bucket with water and soaking for a predetermined length of time; or c) pre-treating the garment with the laundry composition according to the first aspect; and d) washing the pre-treated garment of step a) with the laundry composition according to the first aspect, or a laundry detergent composition, or with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to the first aspect. It should be noted that the temperature of the washing liquor may be between 10°C and 60 °C, preferably between 20 °C and 45 °C. The present inventors have observed that the composition according to the first aspect of the invention reduces or eliminates fading and colour transfer even when the washing liquor has a high temperature, e.g. 40 °C.

This means that in the method according to the second aspect of the invention, there is no need to separate garments by colour, as fading and colour transfer are reduced or eliminated.

In a preferred embodiment, the method of washing a garment, comprises:

- washing a garment with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to the first aspect; or adding a laundry composition according to the first aspect to a bucket with water and soaking for a predetermined length of time; or a) pre-treating the garment with the laundry composition according to the first aspect; and b) washing the pre-treated garment of step a) with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to the first aspect.

In a third aspect, the invention relates to a use of the composition according to the first aspect as a laundry additive.

In a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a use of the laundry composition according to the first aspect for the removal of stains from a garment

- wherein said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; and said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof for reducing or eliminating colour fading and/or colour transfer of garments being washed with said detergent system. The foregoing aspects may be freely combined with any of the foregoing aspects disclosed herein.

All percentages used in this disclosure are by weight unless otherwise specified. The present invention will now be described in relation to the following non-limiting Examples.

Examples Formulations

Table 1 shows one formulation according to the invention.

Table 1. Formulations

The amounts of ingredients shown in Table 1 are the amounts of these as received. For example, 15 wt.% of hydrogen peroxide 50% means that only 7.5 wt.% of hydrogen peroxide was added. This is similar for other ingredients, such as sodium hydroxide 50%. Ethoxylated alcohol, C12-C14 + 7 EO means a branched or linear ethoxylated alcohol having 12 to 14 carbon atoms and 7 moles of ethylene oxide.

Ethoxylated alcohol, C13-C15 + 8 EO means a branched or linear ethoxylated alcohol having 13 to 15 carbon atoms and 8 moles of ethylene oxide.

Ethoxylated alcohol, C12-C16 + 3 EO means a branched or linear ethoxylated alcohol having 12 to 16 carbon atoms and 3 moles of ethylene oxide.

In the formulations in Table 1 the first surfactant system is C12-C14 + 7 EO and C13- C15 + 8 EO; whilst the second surfactant system is C12-C16 + 3 EO and ethoxylated alcohol with 5 EO.

The dye fixative is a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin. This is commercially available as TexCare ® DFC 6 ex. Clariant.

Table 2 shows formulations that are not according to the invention.

Table 2. Comparative formulations

• Additional ingredients: perfumes, dyes, optical brightener, thickener, and/or antifoaming agents.

Performance tests Stability of formulations The stability of formulations in Table 1 was tested at a variety of temperatures and humidities. The parameters that were measured are the following:

• viscosity: this parameter was measured using a Brookfield RV viscometer, spindle S18. A sample of the composition was tested at 20°C and a shear rate of 100 rpm. · Colour and homogeneity: it is visually evaluated if the formulation remains homogeneous, transparent and clear.

• bH. this parameter was measured with a pHmeter Mettler Toledo with temperature control. It was measured at 22°C. • % of hydrogen peroxide: this parameter indicates the amount of hydrogen peroxide that is measured by titration. It is the amount of pure active raw material present inside a sample at the moment of carrying out the measurement.

• Unless otherwise indicated ambient relative humidity refers to a humidity of between 50% and 70%.

Only for formulation 1 of Table 1 all parameters were measured. For the rest of the formulations 2-15, only the pH and colour and homogeneity were measured.

The initial conditions of the formulations at 25 °C are shown in table 2. Table 2. Initial conditions of the formulations in Table 1

The stability of the formulations that were homogeneous, transparent and clear at the beginning was tested after 1 week at different temperatures and humidities. Table 3 only shows values of the pH and colour and homogeneity.

Table 3. Stability of formulations after 1 week

The results of Tables 2 and 3 show that formulations in which the weight ratio of the second surfactant system to the first surfactant system is between 0:1 and 0.25:1, are stable. Formulations in which said ratio is more than higher than 0.25:1 showed phase separation.

This is further demonstrated in tables 4-10, in which the results of stability tests of formulation 1 are shown. These tests considered further parameters such as viscosity and % H2O2. It should be noted that the weight ratio of the second surfactant system to the first surfactant system is 0:1 ; i.e. it only contains non-ionic surfactants having more than 6 EO.

Table 4. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at 5 ± 2°C and at ambient relative humidity

Table 5. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at 25 ±2 °C and at ambient relative humidity Table 6. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at 30 ± 2 °C and a relative humidity of 65 ±5 %. Table 7. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at 40 ± 2 °C and ambient humidity

T able 8. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at 50 ± 2 °C and ambient humidity

T able 9. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at 60 ± 2 °C and ambient humidity

Table 10. Stability of formulation 1 as a function of time at -10 ± 2 °C and ambient humidity The results shown in Tables 4-10 demonstrate that formulation 1, according to the invention, is stable after at least 1 week, as there is not any significant change in parameters such as pH, %H2C>2, and colour and homogeneity. Indeed, formulation 1 remained stable over a period of at least 12 weeks at temperatures between 5 °C and 40 °C.

Colour fading and colour transfer - soaking

Fabrics

Donors: Cotton Sleeves by Ritex:

• Direct yellow

• Direct red

Acceptors: White sleeves by Ritex made of:

• Cotton, or

• Polyester

Washing conditions

The fabrics were washed by soaking them in 5 L of a washing liquor containing one of the detergent systems shown in Table 11 at 25 °C or 40 °C. The soaking was repeated a total of five times. Between each soaking the fabric was dried at room temperature, i.e. about 20°C.

In the third and in the five wash, an acceptor fabric was washed together with the donor fabric. Table 11 shows the different detergent systems that were added to water with a hardness of 15 °f to obtain 5L of washing liquor and the temperature of the washing liquor.

Table 11. Detergent systems and temperatures of washing liquor n table 11, the commercial detergent is Surf powder as sold in India.

Colour fading

Colour fading was determined using a Datacolor 650 spectrophotometer and by measuring the total colour difference ( dE) of a donor fabric before washing and after 3 and 5 washings. This means that a lower dE represents less colour fading.

Table 12. Colour fading in red and yellow fabrics

Colour transfer Colour transfer was determined using a Datacolor 650 spectrophotometer and by measuring the total colour difference ( dE) of an acceptor fabric before washing and after having been washed with a donor fabric. Two acceptor fabrics were tested, a cotton one and a polyester one. The acceptor was added in the third and fifth washing of the donor fabric. This means that a lower dE represents less colour transfer.

Table 13. Colour transfer to an acceptor fabric from a red and yellow fabric

The results in tables 12 and 13 show that formulation 1, according to the invention, provides better protection against colour fading and colour transfer in soaking conditions than a detergent or formulations not according to the invention. Colour fading and colour transfer- laundry washing machine

Fabrics

Donors:

Cotton Sleeves by Ritex: · Direct yellow

• Direct red

• Direct blue

• Direct green

• Direct turquoise

Acceptors:

White shirts by Decathlon made of:

• Cotton and polyester Washing conditions The fabrics were washed at 30 °C using water with a hardness of 28 °f and one of the detergent systems shown in Table 14 in a laundry washing machine with the following specifications:

• Washing machine: Bosch Professional.

• Wash cycle: cotton cycle turbo perfect 1 h. · Load: 3.5 Kg.

The washing was repeated a total of five times. Between each washing the fabric was dried at room temperature, i.e. about 20°C.

In the first, third and in the five wash, an acceptor fabric was washed together with the donor fabric.

Table 14. Detergent systems

In table 14, the commercial detergent is Ariel gel as sold in the UK.

Colour fading

Colour fading was determined using a Datacolor 650 spectrophotometer and by measuring the total colour difference ( dE) of a donor fabric before washing and after 1 , 3 and 5 washings. This means that a lower dE represents less colour fading.

Table 15. Colour fading in red and yellow fabrics Colour transfer

Colour transfer was determined using a Datacolor 650 spectrophotometer and by measuring the total colour difference ( dE) of an acceptor fabric before washing and after having been washed with a donor fabric. A cotton/polyester white shirt was used (63% cotton, 34% polyester and 3% elastan), and it was added in the first, third and fifth washing of the donor fabric. This means that a lower dE represents less colour transfer.

Table 16. Colour transfer to an acceptor fabric from a mix of yellow, red, green, blue and turquoise fabrics.

The results in tables 15 and 16 show that formulation 1 , according to the invention, provides better protection against colour fading and colour transfer in a laundry washing machine than a detergent or formulations not according to the invention. These results also show that when a formulation according to the invention is added to a commercial detergent, colour fading and colour transfer are lower than when only a commercial detergent is used in a laundry washing machine.

Colour fading and colour transfer- laundry washing machine

Fabrics Donors:

Cotton Sleeves by Ritex:

• Direct yellow

• Direct red

• Direct blue

• Direct green

• Direct turquoise Washing conditions

The fabrics were washed at 30 °C using water with a hardness of 15 °f and one of the detergent systems shown in Table 17 in a laundry washing machine with the following specifications: · Washing machine: AEG 600.

• Wash cycle: cotton cycle 1h 30m.

• Load: 3.5 Kg.

The washing was repeated a total of three times. Between each washing the fabric was dried at room temperature, i.e. about 20°C.

Table 17. Detergent systems n table 17, the commercial detergent is Ariel gel as sold in the UK. The dye transfer inhibitor is polyvinylpyrrolidone.

Colour fading

Colour fading was determined using a Datacolor 650 spectrophotometer and by measuring the total colour difference ( dE) of a donor fabric before washing and after 1, 2 and 3 washings. This means that a lower dE represents less colour fading. Table 18. Colour fading in red and yellow fabrics

The results in table 18 show that formulation 1, according to the invention, provides better protection against colour fading in a laundry washing machine than a detergent or formulations not according to the invention. These results also show that when a formulation according to the invention is added to a commercial detergent, colour fading is lower than when only a commercial detergent is used in a laundry washing machine. Furthermore, if a dye transfer inhibitor is added to a detergent system comprising formulation 1 and a commercial detergent, colour fading is further reduced, when compared to a commercial detergent or the combination commercial detergent and formulation 1. Stain removal - laundry washing machine

The stain removal performance of different detergent systems was tested using standard soils. Washing conditions

The standard soils were washed at 30 °C using water with a hardness of 28 °f and one of the detergent systems shown in Table 19 in a laundry washing machine with the following specifications:

• Washing machine: Bosch WAY 28740 IT. · Wash cycle: cotton, water in main wash: 15 L, time of main wash: 45 min.

• Load: 3.5 Kg of clean, white laundry

After washing, the test swathes were dried at room temperature, i.e. about 20°C, and ironed with a domestic iron.

Table 19. Detergent systems n table 19, the commercial detergent is Ariel gel as sold in the UK.

Stain removal

Stain removal was determined using a Datacolor 650 spectrophotometer and by measuring the Y-value of the standard soil after washing. A higher Y-value represents a better stain removal. Table 20. Removal of enzymatic, bleachable and greasy stains.

(Each value in table 20 is the average of four measurements)

The results in table 20 show that formulation 1, according to the invention, whilst providing protection against colour fading and colour transfer, is also suitable for the removal of stains. Furthermore, it is shown that when formulation 1 is used with a detergent composition, it provides better stain removal than when the detergent composition is used alone. It should be noted that formulation 1 enhances the removal of enzymatic, bleachable and greasy (detergency) stains, although formulation 1 does not contain any enzymes.

It has been demonstrated that the formulations according to the invention:

• are stable, at least against phase separation, within a temperature range of for example -10°C and 60 °C;

• provide protection against colour fading and colour transfer, either used alone or in combination with a commercial detergent, in soaking conditions and laundry washing machine;

• remove stains, either used alone or in combination with a commercial detergent.

Hence one or more objects of the present invention are achieved by the present which is further elucidated in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A laundry composition comprising hydrogen peroxide, at least one dye fixative, and a first surfactant system; wherein said at least one dye fixative comprises or consists of a copolymer of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin; and said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof.

2. The laundry composition according to claim 1, wherein the alkyl chain of said ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having more than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, has between 10 and 18 carbon atoms, preferably between 12 and 16 carbon atoms.

3. The laundry composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, and ethoxylated fatty acids, having between 6.5 and 10 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 10 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof, preferably wherein said first surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, having between 6.5 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide or between 7 and 8 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof.

4. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises a second surfactant system comprising or consisting of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, ethoxylated fatty acids, having less than 6 mol of ethylene oxide, and combinations thereof; preferably wherein said second surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, ethoxylated fatty acids, having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof; more preferably wherein said second surfactant system comprises or consists of at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from the group comprising ethoxylated primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols, having between 3 and 5 mol of ethylene oxide and combinations thereof.

5. The laundry composition according to claim 4, wherein the weight ratio of said second surfactant system to said first surfactant system is between 0:1 and 0.25:1, preferably between 0:1 and 0.20:1, more preferably 0:1 and 0.12:1 , even more preferably 0:1.

6. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises between 1 wt.% and 30 wt.% of said first surfactant system, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 2.5 wt.% and 25 wt.%, more preferably between 5 wt.% and 20 wt.%, even more preferably between 7.5 wt.% and 15 wt.%.

7. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition is substantially free of linear alkyl benzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate, and/or secondary alkane sulphonates, preferably wherein the composition is substantially free of anionic surfactants.

8. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises between 0.01 wt.% and 10 wt.% of said at least one dye fixative, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 0.05 wt.% and 5 wt.%, more preferably between 0.1 wt.% and 4 wt.%, even more preferably between 0.25 wt.% and 3 wt.%, most preferably between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.%.

9. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises between 0.5 wt.% and 30 wt.% of hydrogen peroxide, based on the total weight of the composition, preferably between 1 wt.% and 25 wt.%, more preferably between 2.5 wt.% and 20 wt.%, even more preferably between 5 wt.% and 15 wt.%, most preferably between 5 wt.% and 10 wt.%.

10. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition further comprises a dye transfer inhibitor, preferably selected from polyvinylalcohol, fatty amides, sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrollidone, polyvinylimidazole, polyvinyloxazolidone, polyamine N- oxide polymers, copolymers of N-vinylpyrollidone and N-vinylimidazole, and combinations thereof, more preferably wherein the composition comprises between 0.01 wt.% and 10 wt.% of said at dye transfer inhibitor, based on the total weight of the composition, most preferably 0.05 wt.% and 5 wt.%, most preferably between 0.5 wt.% and 2.5 wt.%.

11. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition has a pH measured at 20°C of less than 7, preferably less than 6, more preferably between 3 and 6, even more preferably between 3.5 and 5.5.

12. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition is a liquid, preferably having a viscosity measured at 100 rpm and 20°C of between 1 mPa-s and 10 mPa-s, more preferably of between 2.5 mPa-s and 7.5 mPa-s, even more preferably of between 3 mPa-s and 6 mPa-s.

13. The laundry composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the composition is a laundry additive.

14. Method of washing a garment, comprising: washing a garment with the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13; or - washing a garment with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13; or adding a laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13 to a bucket with water and soaking for a predetermined length of time; or a) pre-treating the garment with the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13; and b) washing the pre-treated garment of step a) with the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13, or a laundry detergent composition, or with a mixture comprising a laundry detergent composition and the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13.

15. Use of the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13 as a laundry additive.

16. Use of the laundry composition according to any of the claims 1-13 for the removal of stains from a garment.

17. Use of the laundry additive according to claim 13 in a detergent system comprising the laundry additive according to claim 13 and a laundry detergent composition for reducing or eliminating colour fading and/or colour transfer of garments being washed with said detergent system.