A new production method could help pave the way for greener fabric softeners.

However, a team of scientists led by Evdokia K. Oikonomou and Jean-François Berret has set out to devise a new method to look more closely at the interaction between cotton fabric and fabric softeners as a first step toward developing more eco-friendly products.

The researchers studied how a double-tailed cationic surfactant, which is often used in commercial fabric softeners, would combine with natural cellulose nanocrystals—a stand-in for cotton—using multiple techniques, including light scattering and optical and electron microscopy.

In the study, the researchers showed that the concentration of surfactant affected vesicle size also affected how these vesicles arranged themselves, sometimes nesting within each other to form multiple layers.

This technique could speed up manufacturer assessment of fabric softeners’ efficiency and potentially help get newer, more environmentally friendly products to the market faster.

Fabric softeners main ingredients are surfactants, which are compounds that stick to clothing during the rinse cycle and make them feel softer.

Many scientists believe that surfactants work by forming a lubricating layer on clothing, but no one has been able to explain how the softeners work on a molecular level.