THE ROLE OF SURFACTANTS IN LIQUID SOAPS AND ITS ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES
excellent resistance to hard water, and is suitable with various kinds of surfactants. Mixing anionic and cationic surfactants is not recommended. The aim of this paper is to show the influence of individual surfactants and their mixtures on the final properties of liquid soaps as well as the antimicrobial activity of surfactants and the advantages of biosurfactants. The highest antimicrobial activity is reported for surfactants containing 10-14 carbon atoms in their chain. The toxicity of cationic surfactants is the highest, then follow anionic and the last one is nonionic. Biosurfactants show the same functionality as the chemical synthetized surfactants, but biosurfactants are more environmentally friendly, with lower toxicity and biodegradable ability.