The difference between emulsifiers and surfactants

A surfactant is a substance containing hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Surfactants are substances with fixed hydrophilic and oleophilic groups, which can be oriented on the surface of the solution and can significantly reduce the surface tension. Emulsifiers are just one kind of surfactant, or can be said to be a property, emulsifiers can also be used as penetrants.

Emulsifier is a kind of surfactant, the function of surfactant is to emulsify, there are other, the main function of surfactant is: There are many kinds of surfactants such as stain removal, emulsification, solubilization, suspension aid, foaming and defoaming, sterilization, etc. According to the classification of use, there are emulsifiers, demulsifiers, antistatic agents and detergents, foam stabilizing agents, defoaming agents, dispersants, etc. These uses can be distinguished by the size of the HLB value. Surfactants range widely and include emulsifiers. Surfactants have HLB values ranging from 0 to 40, while emulsifiers are approximately 2 to 15, with 2-8 being oil-in-water emulsifiers and 9-15 being oil-in-water emulsifiers.