It is possible to lower the carbon footprint of e.g. a laundry detergent by replacing part of the petrochemically-derived surfactants by a biosurfactant, which is not only fully biobased, but also made biologically. Is this, however, already green washing (or just greenwashing)? Starting from the fact that Rhamnolipids are produced by enzymes, it should not come as a surprise that biosurfactants are inherently compatible with proteins. Likewise, the lack of interaction with cationic groups of a protein is also the reason why the deposition of cationic polymers on hair is greatly improved, in case the classical anionic surfactants in a conditioning shampoo was completely replaced by Rhamnolipids. Likewise, in laundry detergents, substituting only a small portion of the classical surfactants by biosurfactants is hardly sufficient to utilize their full potential: Green washing requires new formulation concepts, based on the special properties of biosurfactants. In addition, biosurfactants must have some compatibility with microorganisms, at least with their producers, while inhibiting others. This is an important aspect, since it is commonly expected by consumers that washing hands using soap helps to fight microbes. A selective antimicrobial action might thus help to reduce harmful germs while protecting the natural skin microbiota.
