Forefront of Research on Foam

Foam gives us the feeling of having washed well and is essential for a pleasant-felling wash. On the other hand, when rinsing the foam should disappear quickly without remaining in the drain.

Kao is working to develop technologies for making pleasant-feeling foam and removing it freely and efficiently, and exploring new possibilities for foam. To that end, we are aiming to understand the nature of foam by combining chemical aspects, such as the molecular structures of surfactants and interfacial properties, with physical aspects that consider the entire foam as a structure.
In this research on the nature of foam, we found that fine-textured foam spontaneously absorbs oil without collapsing^*1 . This phenomenon is not simple capillary action but due to suction pressure developed when the polygonal foam wadded with air bubbles (on the left in the video, air volume fraction: >84%) tries to eliminate the distortion in the air/water interface^*2 . This finding drastically overturned conventional wisdom.

In addition to this technology, we are applying knowledge about foaming and foam textures obtained from chemical and physical perspectives to develop washing agents such as body cleansers, including face cleansers and shampoos, as well as dishwashing detergents.
We will continue to work on research to design foam that makes daily washing an experience that feels good.