Abstract: A composition for a hair treatment agent comprising as essential components: a chelating agent having a specific chelating value with respect to the chelation of the calcium ion, and a polymer compound selected from a group consisting of cationic polymers containing quaternary nitrogen, and peptides of an average molecular weight of 40 to 10,000, or their derivatives. The composition provides a perm-treatment with a good finishing effect by depressing absorption of calcium to the hair when it is perm-treated. It also serves as a shampoo, by further formulating an anionic or amphoteric surface active agent, which gives an excellent effect of suppleness and smoothness after washing and rinsing to hair which is damaged from a perm treatment.

Abstract: A detergent composition is disclosed, which comprises (A) 0.1 to 40% by weight of at least one kind of anionic or amphoteric surface active agents and (B) 0.05 to 4% by weight of at least one kind of quaternary ammonium salts represented by the following formula (I) or (II): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a mixture of (a) a branched alkyl group represented by ##STR2## and (b) a linear alkyl group represented by CH.sub.3 --(CH.sub.2).sub.n -- wherein R.sub.7 represents a methyl or ethyl group, m is an integer to make the carbon atom content of the branched alkyl group to 8 to 16, and n is an integer of 7 to 15), with a ratio (a)/(a)+(b) being 0.1 to 1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently represent a benzyl group, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 independently represent an alkyl group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, R.sub.6 represents a group ##STR3## or an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and X.sup.

Abstract: A novel detergent composition comprising as a main detergent active ingredient a secondary amidoamino acid or its salts of the following general formula (I): ##STR1## The detergent composition has low irritativeness and good detergency, so that it is appropriately used as hair and skin detergents for babies, dish wash detergents and the like.

Abstract: Lactic acid esters of an .alpha.-branched fatty acid possessing an excellent hair conditioning effect are disclosed. Typical example is sodium 2-heptylundecanoyl acid lactate prepared by the reaction of 2-heptylundecanoic acid and lactic acid in the presence of an alkali such as sodium hydroxide. This compound gives a shampoo composition in conjunction with an anionic surface active agent, and a hair rinse composition when a quaternary ammonium salt is formulated. The compositions have excellent conditioning effects on use such as good slipperiness and hair curling formation or retention performance.

Abstract: A water-soluble viscosity increasing agent consisting essentially of: (i) an ester of a 40 to 400 moles ethylene oxide adduct of polyhydric alcohol and a C.sub.8-36 branched fatty acid, (ii) an ester of polyethylene glycol having average molecular weight of 2,000 to 20,000 and a C.sub.8-36 branched fatty acid, and (iii) a 40 to 400 mole ethylene oxide adduct of an ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a C.sub.8-36 branched fatty acid. The viscosity increasing agent can increase the viscosity of solutions of various surface active agents, while maintaining their stability and solubility in the solutions. When it is formulated to a detergent suitable for washing textiles, tablewares, human skins, hairs and the like, it can provide a detergent composition with a proper viscosity as well as a good detergency.

Abstract: The detergent compositions of the present invention comprising a phosphate surfactant and an amidoamine amphoteric surfactant; a hydroxysulfobetaine, aliphatic lactylate, or aliphatic glycolate, have excellent foam characteristics such as foaming property, foaming power, and rapidity of foaming, as well as excellent low-temperature stability, detergency, and mildness to the skin and hair. Therefore, these compositions can be effectively employed for shampoos and cleaning agents for infants which require not only good detergency but also a low incidence of skin irritation.

Abstract: Novel liquid shampoo compositions comprise the following components (A), (B) and (C):(A) 5 to 30 wt % of at least one surface active agent,(B) 0.05 to 5 wt % of a skin sensation inducing aromatic chemical such as menthol and camphor, and(C) 1/2 to twenty times by weight based on the amount of component (B) of a modified cyclodextrin, represented by the following formula (I) or (II): ##STR1## The shampoo compositions in which the specific odor of component (B) is effectively depressed by component (C) have a sufficient pharmaceutical effect on use and have good stability at low temperature.