Tools / Surfactant active matter
Surfactant active-matter calculator
Wash formulas are written in raw-material percentages, but foam, mildness and salt curves track active matter. Enter each surfactant’s documented activity and the grams you will weigh. The page reports active grams per line and the blend’s overall activity.
Active grams = activity % ÷ 100 × raw-material grams. Blend activity = total active grams ÷ total raw grams × 100. This is composition math, not a mildness or use-level claim.
Active g—
Active g—
Activity must be 0–100. Amounts cannot be negative.
- Total as-is g
- 0
- Total active g
- 0
- Blend activity %
- 0
Activity belongs on the TDS/COA for that lot — 70%, 30%, 38% and “as 100%” are different starting points. Do not invent an activity number to force a target.
How the calculation works
A raw material sold at 70% active is 0.70 grams of surfactant molecule per gram of as-is material. Two kilos of that grade contribute 1.40 kg of active matter. When several surfactants sit in one blend, the page sums as-is mass and active mass separately, then divides. Water, solvents and salts that travel with the raw material are the difference between those two totals.
Worked example
A cleanser trial weighs 12.0 g of a 70% anionic, 8.0 g of a 30% amphoteric and 4.0 g of a 50% nonionic. Active matter is 8.40 g + 2.40 g + 2.00 g = 12.80 g. The 24.0 g surfactant blend is 53.33% active as a mixture. Those figures describe the weigh-up. They are not a recommended surfactant ladder or a “gentle” threshold.
Common mistakes
Copying a published “10% surfactant” formula while using a 30% betaine as if it were 100% active underdoses the amphoteric by a factor of three. The opposite error — treating a 70% paste as 70% of the formula line and then applying 70% again — double-counts. Activity also drifts between lots; yesterday’s 70% is not a license to skip this week’s COA.
When the datasheet still wins
The TDS still sets electrolyte content, pH, viscosity response and any impurity limits. Active-matter math will not tell you whether the blend will thicken with salt, stay clear, or pass a challenge test. For rinse-off preservation and surfactant-for-cleanser architecture, read the matching MO-LAB guides and the supplier documents together.