DE3588115T2 - Concentrated plasticizer compositions based on quaternary ammonium-containing cationic surface-active compounds - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to aqueous concentrated compositions or formulations based on surface-active quaternary ammonium compounds, which serve in particular as fabric softeners for textiles; it also relates to the preparation of these formulations.

Concentrated fabric softeners are products that are increasingly desired by both the technicians who develop the formulations and by users. These products offer numerous advantages over conventional fabric softeners, which contain approximately 4 to 6% quaternary ammonium salts, while maintaining the same properties.

For the consumer, they generally have an attractive price, are packaged in smaller containers (they therefore take up less volume) and are often more economical. For the manufacturer, the packaging is smaller for the same active ingredient, which means that the packaging and packaging costs are lower, storage, transport and transport costs are lower and production capacity is higher. The only disadvantage of these formulations is that they are more difficult to manufacture, particularly in terms of stability and fluidity. These formulations must remain sufficiently fluid to flow correctly into the washing machine distribution systems, although dilution of the Formulations for this purpose are always possible, even if this is annoying.

Such concentrated fabric softeners are proposed in the prior art. In particular, they have been described:

- in patent US-A-3 681 241 fabric softener formulations containing two essential ingredients, namely:

. a quaternary ammonium salt and

. an alkylaminoimidazolinium alkyl sulfate;

- in patent FR-A-2 303 892 fabric softeners containing four essential ingredients, namely:

. a quaternary ammonium salt,

. a polyoxyethylene oleyl ether,

. Urea and

. a water-soluble ammonium salt.

The aqueous concentrated fabric softener formulations according to the invention contain, based on the total weight of the composition, 10 to 25% by weight of at least one cationic surfactant of the quaternary ammonium compound type, which is selected from:

a) quaternary ammonium salts of the general formula

where:

- R₁ and R₂, which are identical or different, independently represent alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms₁, optionally interrupted by one or more ester, ether or amide functional groups or polyalkoxylated chains containing 1 to 5 ether functions,

- R₃ and R₄, which are the same or different from one another, each independently represent long-chain alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, optionally linked to one another by one or more double bonds, the groups being interrupted by at least one functional ester, ether and/or amide group, and

- X⊃min; is an anion chosen from chloride, bromide₁, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate or phosphate,

b) Alkylimidazolinium salts or their hydrolysis products of the formula

where:

- R5; an alkyl group having 8 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds,

- R6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy or carboxy groups,

- R�7 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms,

- R8 is an alkyl group having 9 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds,

- Y⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate or phosphate anion,

- in combination with a viscosity-reducing salt present in such a large amount that the viscosity of the composition is less than 300 mPa s, the viscosity-reducing organic salt being selected from:

a) amine salts having a molecular weight in the range from 150 to 450 of the general formula

where:

- R�9;, R₁₀, R₁₁, which are the same or different from one another, independently of one another, represent hydrogen or alkyl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and

- Z- a chloride, bromide, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, formate, acetate, lactate, gluconate or glutamate anion,

b) quaternary ammonium salts with a molecular weight of 100 to 450 of the general formula

where:

- R₁₂ is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms,

- R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and

- A⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate or phosphate anion,

c) amine, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of mono- or polycarboxylic acids containing in their anionic part 5 to 8 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy functions, and containing one or more carboxy functions, the molecular mass of which is in the range 150 to 450,

d) quaternary polyammonium salts of the formula

where:

- R₁₆ is an alkyl group which preferably contains 1 to 3 carbon atoms,

- R₁₇, R₁₇, R₁₇ and R₂₀ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions,

- A⊃min; an anion preferably selected from chloride, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, bromide and phosphate,

- n is an integer from 1 to 6,

- m is an integer from 1 to 12, where the carbon chain connecting the nitrogen atoms is optionally interrupted by one or more ether, ester or amide functions.

The formulations according to the invention can also contain non-ionic surfactants as emulsifiers and stabilizers.

Any cationic surfactants based on quaternary ammonium salts having at least one higher alkyl chain can be used in the formulations according to the invention. These surfactants are practically insoluble in water at concentrations of 5 to 20% by weight or more.

Examples of cationic surfactants acting as fabric softeners for textiles are the following compounds: dimethyl-di(fatty alkyl)-ammonium chloride, where fatty alkyl is understood to mean alkyl of hydrogenated tallow, dimethyl-di(fatty alkyl)-ammonium chloride, where fatty alkyl is understood to mean alkyl of tallow, dimethyldi(tallow)-ammonium methyl sulfate, dimethyl-di(fatty alkyl)-ammonium chloride, where fatty alkyl is understood to mean alkyl of palm oil, dimethyl-dihexadecyl-ammonium chloride, dimethyl-dioctadecyl-ammonium chloride, diethyldihexadecyl-ammonium chloride, dieicosyl-dimethyl-ammonium chloride, di(2-stearoyloxyethyl)methyl-2-hydroxyethyl-ammonium methyl sulfate, di(2-palmitoyloxyethyl)methyl-2-hydroxyethyl-ammonium methyl sulfate, di(2-alkyloyloxyethyl)methyl-2-hydroxyethyl-ammonium methyl sulfate, the lactate, gluconate or acetate of N,N-bis(2-alkylamidoethyl)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)amine and the ethoxylated or propoxylated products with fatty chains of tallow, oleic acid, palm oil, hydrogenated tallow or stearic acid; the lactate, gluconate or acetate of N,N-bis(2-alkylamidoethyl)-N-(2-hydroxypropyl)amine and the ethoxylated or propoxylated products with fatty chains of tallow, oleic acid, palm oil, hydrogenated tallow or stearic acid; the chloride or Methyl sulphate of N,N-bis(2-alkylamidoethyl)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyl-ammonium and the ethoxylated or propoxylated products with fatty chains of tallow, oleic acid, hydrogenated tallow, palm oil and stearic acid; the chloride or methyl sulphate of N,N-bis(2-alkylamidoethyl)-N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-N-methyl-ammonium and the ethoxylated or propoxylated products with fatty chains of tallow, oleic acid, palm oil, hydrogenated tallow and stearic acid; the chloride or methyl sulphate of N,N-bis(alkyl)-N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-N-methylammonium with fatty chains of tallow, oleic acid or palm oil; the chloride or methyl sulphate of N-alkyl-N-(2-alkylacetate)-N,N-dimethylammonium with a fatty chain of tallow, palm oil, hydrogenated tallow, oleic acid or stearic acid.

The imidazolinium compounds include in particular 1- methyl-1-(alkyl(fatty alkyl)amido)ethyl-2-alkyl(fatty alkyl)- 4,5-dihydroimidazolinium methoxysulfate, where fatty alkyl is understood here to mean alkyl of tallow, 2-methyl-1- (alkyl(fatty alkylamido)ethyl-2-heptadecyl-4,5-dihydroimidazolinium chloride, where fatty alkyl is understood here to mean alkyl of palm oil, 2-heptadecyl-1-methyl-1-(2-stearylamido)ethyl-imidazolinium chloride and 2-lauryl-1-hydroxyethyl-1-oleyl-imidazolinium chloride.

One or more cationic surfactants are present in the formulation according to the invention at a concentration of at least 10% by weight. Below these concentrations, stable and low-viscosity emulsions with a viscosity of less than 300 mpas are easy to prepare. The choice of the concentration of cationic surfactants is made depending on practical considerations. The concentration of the cationic surfactants can be in the range of 10 to 25% or more, but it is generally in the order of 15 to 20 wt.%.

The other essential component of the formulations according to the invention is an agent which lowers the viscosity of concentrated emulsions based on cationic surfactants of the quaternary ammonium type in order to produce formulations which are easily pourable at normal temperatures.

It is well known that the addition of salts, generally inorganic, to emulsions containing at least 4% cationic surfactants can significantly reduce viscosity; however, the use of these salts very quickly limits the concentration and the emulsions thus prepared become too viscous on storage or separate into two phases even at normal temperatures.

The viscosity-reducing agents used in the formulations according to the invention are organic salts whose particular structure gives them high effectiveness against cationic surfactants, but also against water (via their ability to form hydrogen bonds with water). These combined effects make it possible to obtain a surprising reduction in viscosity, together with good stability over time and without risk of separation.

The special structure of organic salts is due to the presence of several electronegative atoms selected from oxygen, nitrogen, halogens, etc. and which are capable of forming hydrogen bonds with water molecules.

The viscosity reducing agents include a) amine salts, b) quaternary ammonium salts, c) amine, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of mono- or polycarboxylic acids and d) quaternary polyammonium salts as defined above.

The molecular weight of the quaternary ammonium salts defined above is generally in the range from 200 to 2000 and preferably from 200 to 1200.

Examples of organic salts that are particularly preferred according to the invention include: the gluconates and glutamates of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine and triethanolamine; N,N,N-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methylammonium chloride or methyl sulfate; N,N,N-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-ethylammonium chloride or ethyl sulfate; N,N-(bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride or methyl sulfate; N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-ethyl-N-methylammonium chloride or methyl sulfate; N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N,N-diethylammonium chloride or ethyl sulfate; gluconic acid and glutamic acid as well as their sodium, potassium and ammonium salts.

Examples of the quaternary polyammonium salts suitable according to the invention include N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)-N,N'-dimethylethylene diammonium dichloride or dimethyl sulfate of the following formula

where A is chloride or methyl sulfate.

Other agents that can be used in the compositions according to the invention are non-ionic surfactants such as alkoxylated fatty alcohols, alkoxylated alkylphenols, alkoxylated carboxylic acids and alkoxylated ethanolamides. These agents have a complementary action as emulsifiers and stabilizers, but they are not always necessary and, according to the invention, they are never used alone but only in combination with the organic viscosity-reducing salts. They only serve to complement the action of the salts: their HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) value must be in the range from 6 to 15.5 and is preferably in the range from 8 to 15.5.

It is of course possible to use a combination of these salts and non-ionic salts, but only in low concentrations. The total content of organic salts and non-ionic agents must be less than the total content of cationic surfactants and is preferably less than 30% of the total weight content of the cationic surfactant(s). The ratio of the weight of cationic surfactants to the weight of organic salts and non-ionic agents is preferably in the range from 10:3 to 100:1.

It is also possible and even advisable to add, in addition to the cationic surfactants, the viscosity-reducing organic salts and the non-ionic agents present in the formulation, functional additives and finishing agents such as dispersants, complexing agents, bactericides, antistatic Agents, colourants, optical brighteners, organic solvents, perfumes, according to the desired effects, with or without stabilising agents, if these effects are not already provided by the cationic surfactant(s), the organic viscosity-reducing salt(s) and the non-ionic agent(s).

The preparation of the concentrated formulations based on cationic surfactants according to the invention generally consists in mixing the components by pouring hot water at about 30 to 60 °C into the molten cationic surfactant(s) while stirring, or conversely, the cationic surfactants are poured into the hot water, the water optionally containing the perfume(s) and the non-ionic agent(s); to this end, after cooling to about 20 to 30 °C, the viscosity-reducing organic salt(s) are added in a sufficient amount, as well as any other additives.

The invention further relates to the use of organic salts selected from

- quaternary ammonium salts with a molecular weight of 100 to 450 of the general formula

where:

- R₁₂ is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms,

- R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms₁, which are optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and

- A⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate or phosphate anion,

-quaternary polyammonium salts of the formula

where:

- R₁₆ is an alkyl group having preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms,

- R₁₇, R₁₇, R₁₇ and R₂₀ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions,

- A⊃min; an anion preferably selected from chloride, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, bromide and phosphate,

- n is an integer from 1 to 6,

- m is an integer from 1 to 12, the carbon chain connecting the nitrogen atoms being optionally interrupted by one or more ether, ester or amide functions,

for the preparation of aqueous concentrated fabric softener compositions having a viscosity of less than 300 mPa s, the compositions containing, based on the total weight of the composition, 10 to 25% by weight of at least one cationic surfactant of the quaternary ammonium compound type and optionally a non-ionic surfactant as a stabilizer and emulsifier.

Any cationic surfactants based on quaternary ammonium salts having at least one higher alkyl chain can be used in the above-mentioned fabric softener compositions. These surfactants are practically insoluble in water at concentrations of 5 to 20% by weight or more. Preferred cationic surfactants are the quaternary ammonium salts and alkylimidazolinium salts defined above.

The invention further relates to the use of organic salts selected from

a) Amine salts with a molecular weight of 150 to 450 of the general formula

where:

- R�9;, R₁₀, R₁₁, which are identical or different from one another, independently of one another represent hydrogen or alkyl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and

- Z- a chloride, bromide, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, formate, acetate, lactate, gluconate or glutamate anion,

b) quaternary ammonium salts with a molecular weight of 100 to 450 of the general formula

where:

- R₁₂ is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms,

- R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and

- A⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate or phosphate anion,

c) amine, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of mono- or polycarboxylic acids containing in their anionic moiety 5 to 8 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy functions, and containing one or more carboxy functions, the molecular weight of which is 150 to 450,

d) quaternary polyammonium salts of the formula

where:

- R₁₆ is an alkyl group which preferably contains 1 to 3 carbon atoms,

R₁₇, R₁₇, R₁₇ and R₂₀ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions,

- A⊃min; an anion preferably selected from chloride, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, bromide and phosphate,

- n is an integer from 1 to 6,

- m is an integer from 1 to 12, the carbon chain connecting the nitrogen atoms optionally being replaced by one or more Ether, ester or amide functions are interrupted,

for the preparation of compositions containing 10 to 25% by weight of at least one cationic surfactant of the quaternary ammonium compound type, selected from:

a) quaternary ammonium salts of the general formula

where:

- R₁ and R₂, which are identical or different, independently represent alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, optionally interrupted by one or more ester, ether or amide functional groups or polyalkoxylated chains containing 1 to 5 ether functions,

- R₃ and R₄, which are identical or different, each independently of the other, represent long-chain alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, optionally linked to one or more double bonds are connected, wherein the groups are interrupted by at least one functional ester, ether and/or amide group, and

- X⊃min; is an anion selected from chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate or phosphate,

and

b) Alkylimidazolinium salts or their hydrolysis products of the formula

where:

- R5 is an alkyl group having 8 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds,

- R6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy or carboxy groups,

- R�7 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms,

- R�8 represents an alkyl group having 9 to 25 carbon atoms optionally substituted by one or several double bonds are connected to each other,

- Y- a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate or phosphate anion.

example 1

17.65 g of a solution of 85% N-methyl-N,N-di[2-(C₁₄₋₁₈-alkoxy)ethyl]-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium methyl sulfate are mixed with 81.30 g of tap water at 40 ºC at 40 ºC with gentle stirring. After cooling to 20 ºC, a pseudoplastic emulsion is obtained which has the appearance of a mobile gel and whose viscosity is of the order of 500 mPa s. 0.5 g of N-methyl-N,N,N-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium methyl sulfate is then added to this emulsion. A liquid emulsion is obtained which is stable at 20 ºC and whose viscosity is of the order of 50 mPa s. It is now possible to add other additives, such as colorants and perfumes, to this liquid emulsion, which contains 15% cationic surfactant as a fabric softener.

Example 2

18.65 g of an alcoholic solution of 85% N-methyl;N,N- di[2-(C₁₄₋₁₈-alkoxy)ethyl]-N-2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium methyl sulfate containing 1 g of nonylphenol ethoxylated with 14 ethylene oxide units are mixed with 80.35 g of tap water at 40 ºC at 40 ºC with gentle stirring. After mixing, 0.5 g of sodium gluconate is added and the mixture is allowed to cool with stirring. A liquid emulsion is obtained with a viscosity of around 50 mPa s.

Claims (9)

1. Aqueous and concentrated fabric softener composition for textiles and fibres, characterized in that it contains: - 10 to 25% by weight, relative to the total weight of the composition, of one or more cationic surfactants of the quaternary ammonium compound type, chosen from: a) quaternary ammonium salts of the general formula where: - R₁ and R₂, which are identical or different, independently of one another, represent alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, optionally interrupted by one or more functional ester, ether and/or amide groups or polyalkoxylated chains containing 1 to 5 ether functions, - R₃ and R₄, which are the same or different, each independently of the other, represent long-chain alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, which may optionally be linked to one another by one or more double bonds wherein the groups are interrupted by one or more functional ester, ether and/or amide groups, and - X⊃min; an anion chosen from chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate and phosphate, b) Alkylimidazolinium salts and their hydrolysis products of the formula where: - R5 is an alkyl group having 8 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds, - R6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy or carboxy groups, - R�7 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, - R8 is an alkyl group having 9 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds, - Y⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate or phosphate anion, - in combination with a viscosity-reducing salt present in such a large amount that the viscosity of the composition is less than 300 mPa s, the viscosity-reducing organic salt being selected from: a) amine salts having a molecular weight in the range from 150 to 450 of the general formula where: - R�9;, R₁₀, R₁₁, which are identical or different from one another, independently represent hydrogen or alkyl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and - Z- a chloride, bromide, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, formate, acetate, lactate, gluconate or glutamate anion, b) quaternary ammonium salts with a molecular weight of 100 to 450 of the general formula where: - R₁₂ is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, - R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and - A⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate or phosphate anion, c) amine, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of mono- or polycarboxylic acids containing in their anionic part 5 to 8 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy functions, and containing one or more carboxy functions, the molecular mass of which is in the range from 150 to 450. d) quaternary polyammonium salts of the formula where: - R₁₆ an alkyl group preferably containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms, - R₁₇, R₁₇, R₁₇ and R₂₀ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, - A⊃min; an anion preferably selected from chloride, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, bromide and phosphate, - n is an integer from 1 to 6, - m is an integer from 1 to 12, where the carbon chain connecting the nitrogen atoms is optionally interrupted by one or more ether, ester or amide functions. 2. Composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it also contains at least one non-ionic surfactant as a stabilizer and emulsifier. 3. Composition according to claim 2, characterized in that the nonionic surfactant is selected from alkoxylated fatty alcohols, alkoxylated alkylphenols, alkoxylated carboxylic acids and alkoxylated ethanolamides, whose HLB value is from 6 to 15.5, preferably from 8 to 15.5. 4. Composition according to one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the weight ratio of the cationic surfactants to the total weight of the stabilizing non-ionic additives and the viscosity-reducing organic salts is 10:3 to 100:1. 5. Composition according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it contains one or more functional additives and finishing additives chosen from dispersants, complexing agents, bactericides, antistatic agents, colorants, optical brighteners and perfumes. 6. Use of organic salts selected from b) quaternary ammonium salts with a molecular weight of 100 to 450 of the general formula where: - R₁₂ is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, - R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and - A⊃min; a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate and phosphate anion, and d) quaternary polyammonium salts of the formula where: - R₁₆ is an alkyl group which preferably contains 1 to 3 carbon atoms, - R₁₇, R₁₇, R₁₇ and R₂₀ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, - A⊃min; an anion preferably selected from chloride, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, bromide and phosphate, - n is an integer from 1 to 6, - m is an integer from 1 to 12, the carbon chain connecting the nitrogen atoms to one another being optionally interrupted by one or more ether, ester or amide functions, for the preparation of aqueous concentrated fabric softener compositions having a viscosity of less than 300 mPa s, said compositions containing from 10 to 25% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of one or more cationic surfactants of the quaternary ammonium compound type and optionally contains a non-ionic surfactant as a stabilizer and emulsifier. 7. Use of organic salts selected from a) Amine salts with a molecular weight of 150 to 450 of the general formula where: - R�9;, R₁�0;, R₁₁, which are the same or different, independently of one another represent hydrogen or alkyl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and - Z- a chloride, bromide, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, formate, acetate, lactate, gluconate or glutamate anion, b) quaternary ammonium salts with a molecular weight of 100 to 450 of the general formula where: - R₁₂ is an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, - R₁₃, R₁₄, R₁₅ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, carboxy or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, and - A⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate or phosphate anion, (c) amine, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of mono- or polycarboxylic acids containing in their anionic part 5 to 8 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy groups, and containing one or more carboxy groups, the molecular weight of which is 150 to 450, d) quaternary polyammonium salts of the formula where: - R₁₆ is an alkyl group which preferably contains 1 to 3 carbon atoms, - R₁₇, R₁₇, R₁₇ and R₂₀ are alkyl groups having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, optionally substituted with one or more hydroxy, carboxy and/or sodium carboxylate groups and optionally interrupted by ester, ether and/or amide functions, - A⊃min; an anion preferably selected from chloride, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, bromide and phosphate, - n is an integer from 1 to 6, - m is an integer from 1 to 12, the carbon chain connecting the nitrogen atoms to one another being optionally interrupted by one or more ether, ester or amide functions, for the preparation of compositions containing 10 to 25% by weight of one or more cationic surfactants of the quaternary ammonium compound type, selected from: a) quaternary ammonium salts of the general formula where: - R₁ and R₂, which are identical or different, independently of one another, represent alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, optionally interrupted by one or more functional ester, ether and/or amide groups or polyalkoxylated chains containing 1 to 5 ether functions, - R₃ and R₄, which are the same or different, each independently of one another, are long-chain alkyl or hydroxyalkyl groups having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, which are optionally linked to one another by one or more double bonds, where the groups are interrupted by one or more functional ester, ether and/or amide groups, and - X⊃min; an anion chosen from chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate and phosphate, and b) Alkylimidazolinium salts and their hydrolysis products of the formula where: - R5 is an alkyl group having 8 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds, - R6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms, optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy or carboxy groups, - R�7 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, - R8 is an alkyl group having 9 to 25 carbon atoms, optionally linked by one or more double bonds, - Y⊃min; is a chloride, bromide, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, acetate, lactate, formate, gluconate or phosphate anion. 8. Use according to one of claims 6 and 7 for the preparation of compositions containing a non-ionic surfactant selected from alkoxylated fatty alcohols, alkoxylated carboxylic acids and alkoxylated ethanolamides whose HLB value is 6 to 15.5, preferably 8 to 15.5. 9. Use according to one of claims 6 to 8 for preparing compositions in which the weight ratio of the cationic surfactants to the total weight of the stabilizing non-ionic additives and the viscosity-reducing organic salts is 10:3 to 100:1.