C11D DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
Description
C11D covers the composition and manufacture of detergents and soaps, including formulated detergent products containing surfactants, builders, and other functional ingredients, as well as traditional soap production from fats and oils. It encompasses single-substance detergents, synthetic detergent compositions, soap manufacturing processes, resin-based soaps, and glycerol recovery as a by-product of soap-making. The subclass excludes detergency mechanisms and wash processes themselves (covered under C11C for oils and fats processing), as well as cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations that may contain detergent ingredients (classified separately).
Filing statistics
CPC subclass C11D recorded 71,260 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 5,395 in 2013 to 4,424 in 2023 (-18%), peaking at 9,286 applications in 2017. The most active applicants in class C11 are P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) (6,498 applications), HENKEL (3,445 applications) and BASF (BADISCHE ANILIN & SODA FABRIK) (2,409 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
11 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
Navigate with arrow keys, Enter to open
- C11D 1/00 Detergent compositions based essentially on surface-active compounds; Use of these compounds as a detergent
- C11D 10/00 Compositions of detergents, not provided for by one single preceding group
- C11D 11/00 Special methods for preparing compositions containing mixtures of detergents
- C11D 13/00 Making of soap or soap solutions in general; Apparatus therefor (resin soap C11D15/00)
- C11D 15/00 Manufacture of resin soap or soaps derived from naphthenic acids; Compositions
- C11D 17/00 Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties (shaping soap C11D13/14)
- C11D 19/00 Recovery of glycerol from a saponification liquor
- C11D 2111/00 Cleaning compositions characterised by the objects to be cleaned; Cleaning compositions characterised by non-standard cleaning or washing processes
- C11D 3/00 Other compounding ingredients of detergent compositions covered in group C11D1/00
- C11D 7/00 Compositions of detergents based essentially on non-surface-active compounds
- C11D 9/00 Compositions of detergents based essentially on soap (compositions containing resin soap C11D15/04)
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class C11, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 6,498
- HENKEL DE 3,445
- BASF (BADISCHE ANILIN & SODA FABRIK) DE 2,409
- ECOLAB US 1,614
- NOVOZYMES DK 1,609
- UNILEVER NL 1,468
- UNILEVER IP HOLDINGS NL 1,246
- CONOPCO, INC., D/B/A UNILEVER US 1,048
- UNILEVER GB 1,039
- FIRMENICH CH 964