Alcohol ethoxylates belong to the class of compounds which are synthesized via the reaction of a fatty alcohol and ethylene oxide, resulting in a molecule that consists of two parts one a carbon-rich, fatty alcohol and the second part a hydrophilic, polyoxyethylene chain.

This dual structural aspect of ethoxylated alcohol containing a hydrophobic portion (water-hating) with a hydrophilic component (water-loving), enables them to mix and solubilize oil and water by lowering the interfacial energy associated between them. These properties of ethoxylated alcohol gives them the general connotation of Surfactants or surface active agents.

The surfactant action of these ethoxylated alcohol is seen whenever oily substances are exposed to water or any surface. These alcohol ethoxylate have different properties, like excellent detergency, high and low-foaming, as well as, ethoxylates that are rapid surface-wetting agents. These Ethoxylated alcohols find use in many industrial practices as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, degreasers and emollients in many lines of commercially available products. These ethoxylated alcohol also serve many commercial markets, like Home & Personal Care products, Agrochemicals, Paints & Coatings, Oil & Gas and Industrial & Institutional Cleaning.

Natural fatty alcohols, differs in its distribution of carbon chains and hence can provide different ethoxylated alcohol structures and properties depending on the plant from which they were extracted. Fatty alcohol ethoxylate are surfactant, which are commonly used as components of cleaning detergents and formulation in the industrial, commercial, and domestic markets. Fatty alcohol ethoxylate find large-scale applications in detergents (wetting agents, emulsifiers, personal hygiene products (shampoos, emollients, foam boosters, Viscosity builders), leather (degreasing, wetting), textile paints and agriculture (emulsifiers, dispersion) process.