Delivering market leading car wash rinse aid and drying agents for automatic and manual car wash systems
Evonik offers a comprehensive portfolio of high‑performance ingredients designed to deliver fast drying, spot‑free finishes, high gloss, and long‑term surface protection in automatic and manual car wash systems. Our car rinse system solution brings together esterquats, hydrophobic oils, formulation aids, and effect additives to create highly stable, easy‑to‑formulate microemulsions that perform consistently under all wash conditions.
Why choose Evonik’s car rinse and rinse aid formulations?
Evonik’s rinse‑aid technology relies on synergistic components that work together to create powerful, stable microemulsion systems:
| Component Type | Function | Category | Key Evonik Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quaternaries | Build microemulsion backbone | Emulsifiers | CARSPRAY®, REWOQUAT® |
| Hydrophobic oils | Turbo spreading, water push off | Spreading agents | REWOCARE® |
| Formulation aids | Solubilize cationics, stabilize systems | Co‑emulsifiers & hydrotropes | REWOPAL® |
| Effect additives | Hydrophobicity, shine, anti‑static | Gloss & drying enhancement | TEGOPREN® |
Formulation requirements for high-performance car rinse aids and microemulsions
To achieve consistent, high‑quality results in automatic and manual car wash rinse cycles, high‑performance car rinse aid formulations must meet several key criteria. Evonik’s ingredients are engineered to support formulators in creating stable, efficient, and easy‑to‑process microemulsions that perform reliably across regions, climates, and water qualities.
Key formulation requirements include:
- Clear, stable dilutions to e nsure predictable performance in both concentrate and use‑dilution formats
- Robust cold and heat stability, preventing phase separation in diverse climate conditions
- Compatibility with soft to very hard water, ensuring consistent performance and drying across geographic locations
- Rapid water displacement and strong beading behavior for faster blower drying and reduced spotting
- Flexible dilution ratios (1:500 to 1:1000) to suit various car wash systems and dosing equipment
- Low foam performance optimized for high pressure rinse arches and blower stages
These requirements help formulators deliver spot free drying, high gloss, and reliable hydrophobic performance - core expectations in today’s global vehicle care market.
Highlight products for superior car wash, drying, gloss and hydrophobic performance
CARSPRAY® 800 is a readily biodegradable cationic emulsifier designed for high‑performance car wash rinse aids. It delivers fast drying, strong water beading, and high gloss in both automatic and manual wash systems, and emulsifies mineral seal oils as well as renewable ester oils.
Key Benefits:
- Globally registered and can be used in all regions
- Fast water film elimination
- Superior beading and sheeting at low use levels
- Excellent emulsification of biodegradable and traditional oils
- Protects car finish and promotes high gloss
- Substantive to surfaces for durable performance
- Readily biodegradable and globally available
- Compatible with reclaim systems
REWOQUAT® CR 3099 is an oleic‑acid‑based esterquat optimized for automatic car wash rinse formulations, providing rapid water displacement, high gloss, and strong hydrophobicity for premium drying performance.
Key Benefits:
- Rapid water‑film breakup
- High gloss, hydrophobic finish
- Reduces static charge
- Dispersible in water
- Compatible with non‑ionic & amphoteric surfactants
- Solvent‑free
- Effective from acidic to slightly alkaline pH
- Not compatible with anionic surfactants
REWOCARE® DOC is a high‑efficiency spreading oil used in advanced car rinse microemulsion systems to deliver extremely fast water displacement, impressive gloss, and strong low‑temperature stability.
Key Benefits:
- Turbo spreading hydrophobic oil
- Very low viscosity for fast droplet movement
- Outstanding low temperature stability
- Brilliant appearance/gloss on lacquer surfaces
- Biodegradable
- pH stable from 3 to 12
- Excellent antifoam properties for blower stage optimization
TEGOPREN® 6922 is a silicone quaternary compound that enhances sheeting, beading, gloss, and durability in car rinse formulations while preventing static and redeposition.
Key Benefits:
- Accelerates drying via improved beading
- Creates a glossy, hydrophobic surface
- Strong surface affinity, even in acidic/hard water
- Anti‑static and anti‑redeposition performance
- No build‑up over repeated washes
- Water‑dilutable and ideal for clear formulations
- Suitable for 2‑in‑1 shampoo/rinse‑aid systems
REWOPAL® MPG 40 is a non‑ionic hydrotrope that stabilizes cationic car rinse microemulsions, ensuring clarity, low foam, and robust performance across water qualities and climate conditions.
Key Benefits
- Excellent solubilizer for cationic rinse aid ingredients
- Supports clear microemulsion formation
- Works across wide pH ranges and hard water conditions
- Non foaming – ideal for high pressure rinse arches
- Very low pour point (< −25 °C)
- High flash point, low evaporation rate
- Compatible with anionic, cationic, amphoteric and non ionic surfactants
- Biodegradable & free of silicone, microplastics, nanoparticles, and palm oil
- Used widely in vehicle rinse aid formulations
Partner with Evonik for superior car rinse chemistry and microemulsion expertise
Whether you’re formulating premium drying agents, high‑gloss rinse aids, or sustainable microemulsion systems, Evonik delivers the chemistry, technical expertise, and global support to help your products outperform in any car wash environment.
FAQ
Car rinse technology works by combining advanced microemulsion chemistry with hydrophobic surface modifying agents to deliver fast drying, superior water beading, and a spot free car wash finish. The process begins with the stable handling of the microemulsion, which must maintain excellent cold stability in both concentrated and diluted formats to prevent phase separation in low temperature environments.
Once applied, the microemulsion hydrophobizes the vehicle surface, ensuring optimal contact for efficient water displacement. As an effect, water from the washing process is pushed aside, encouraging uniform beading across the entire car body. In the final stage, fast moving water droplets can easily be removed by the air drying step, resulting in a streak-free, glossy and spotless finish, typical for a high-performance car rinse and drying systems.
