Introducing MMB, a high-performance alternative to ethanol
Ethanol is widely used in many personal care and home care formulations due to its chemical inertness, good compatibility with water, and its good solubilizing and antibacterial properties. It is also widely available and inexpensive. However, despite the many benefits, there is an emerging trend to replace ethanol in detergents and air fresheners. Due to its high inflammability and volatility, ethanol is a challenge to handle in terms of shipping and storage. In addition, it is currently being evaluated by ECHA for a potential reclassification as reprotoxic category 2. To avoid undesirable labels on finished products, formulators are starting to look for alternative solutions.
For detergents and air fresheners, Kuraray’s specialty solvent MMB (methoxymethylbutanol) is an excellent alternative that can not only replace ethanol fully or partly but also offer additional benefits.
Longer-lasting air fresheners with MMB
Air fresheners often rely on ethanol as the solvent of choice. Ethanol enables the fragrance to mix well with water and the scent to spread in whole room quickly. However, after a few minutes when the ethanol has completely evaporated, the perfume disappears as well. Extending scent longevity is a key challenge in the air freshener industry which MMB help address effectively. MMB is a colourless liquid solvent robust towards oxidation. It is not only safer for users than ethanol, it is also biodegradable and storage-friendly as it is biodegradable and not a dangerous good. Benefits of MMB for air fresheners include:
Optimal solubilsation of fragrances: MMB is amphiphilic and compatible with a wide range of aroma chemicals ensuring clear and stable solutions for water-based air freshener systems. In addition, MMB can help prevent recrystallization over time of challenging fragrances such as vanilin and ethyl vanillin.
Improved evaporation profile: MMB has a unique evaporation profile. Compared to other solvents like DEP or DPG, MMB has a low sensitivity to humidity and will evaporate even in humid atmospheres. Unlike ethanol which evaporate fast without regard to the conditions, MMB evaporates more slowly and steadily which will enable the perfume to fill in the room for a longer period. Formulators can fine-tune the ethanol/MMB ratio to achieve the precise evaporation they want or go for fully ethanol-free formulations.
Ideal for water-based systems: MMB and water have a special synergy and will evaporate together over time resulting in a steady evaporation and strength of perfume. Additionally, MMB has a higher flash point than ethanol, (71°C vs 16°C). With as little as 10 % water in a MMB system, the flash point becomes non-measurable, leading to completely safe solutions.
MMB advantages in air care
- High flash point
- Unique evaporation profile
- Excellent solubilser
- Low sensitivity to humidity
- Enables alcohol-free, non-flammable formulations
- Broad compatibility with aroma chemicals
MMB as an alternative to ethanol in detergents
Ethanol is commonly used in window cleaners, degreasers, all-purpose cleaners and laundry detergents for its degreasing properties, antibacterial action and solubilizing power. Moreover, its high volatility is a plus since consumers want surfaces to dry as fast as possible after cleaning. However, manufacturers seeking safer and more label-friendly alternatives are increasingly turning to MMB. Benefits of MMB for detergents include:
Low impact on enzyme activity: Enzymes are proven to be powerful for stain removal, but they are also known to be easily inhibited by other chemicals. Tests conducted by Kuraray and Novozymes demonstrated that MMB has a low impact on enzymes activity and is the preferred solvent to use along with them compared to ethanol. In the tests, the activity of protease (protein soil removal enzyme) in formulations with 6% of MMB and 6 % of ethanol after being kept for four weeks at 37°C was measured. The activity of the enzyme was evaluated by measuring the absorbance of tyrosine released by decomposition of the protein and the formulation with MMB showed the best remaining activity. With MMB, formulators can therefore either claim a longer shelf-life of their enzyme-based finished product or use less enzymes in their formulation to improve cost in use.
Superior degreasing power: MMB has powerful degreasing properties and is a good ingredient for oven cleaners, stain removers, all-purpose cleaners, etc. An IKW performance test of two all-purpose cleaners containing either 4% ethanol or 1% MMB as hydrotrope showed that the formulation with 1% MMB matched the benchmark whereas the formulation with 4 % ethanol underperformed. The test proved that MMB is not only more efficient than ethanol, but also that it can be used at a lower amount for a better performance allowing an optimized cost-in-use formulation.
Enhanced formulation stability: As mentioned for the air fresheners, MMB has good solubilizing properties which extends to other ingredients than fragrances. Some surfactants can be tricky to solubilize and mix with other components of detergent formulations. In such cases, MMB often helps achieve clear, stable detergent systems with consistent viscosity and excellent visual appearance over time throughout storage.
MMB advantages in detergents
- Biodegradable
- Very low impact on enzyme activity
- Excellent for stain removal formulations
- Strong degreasing properties
- Enables reduced surfactant levels
- Stable in both acidic and basic formulations
- Non-irritant
- Good alternative to glycol ethers
Looking to go ethanol-free?
Contact us to learn more about MMB or to explore how we can support your next ethanol-free formulation.
