Sustainable Chemistry Considerations for the Encapsulation of Volatile Compounds in Laundry-Type Applications

Microencapsulation of volatile compounds in fabric care products has brought extra value in a variety of laundry-type applications, allowing clothes to release pleasant scents for weeks after their last wash with minimal amounts of fragrance used. Melamine-formaldehyde is the industry standard in this regard, but polyacrylate and polyurea are also used as micro-capsule wall material in commercial laundry-type applications. Harsh storage conditions and demanding release characteristics have limited the number of viable shell wall materials and chemistries for these kinds of applications. This renders nano- and microencapsulation of volatile compounds for laundry-type applications one of the most challenging areas in the encapsulation field. The largest drawback of the current technology is the limited biodegradability of the produced microcapsules, e.g. when leaking via waste water. This review summarizes the search towards viable, high-performant and sustainable alternatives for the current technology. Fi...