Published: October 1, 2026
Q: How long does it actually take to develop a new critical cleaning detergent?
A: Longer than most people expect. When our senior chemist Marius Dräger and associate chemist Nick Di Grandi sat down to talk about the development of Halojet® Low-Foam High Emulsification Cleaner, the numbers were striking: four to five years in development while balancing other critical projects, roughly three of those years in active formulation work, and approximately 160 different formulations tested before the product was stable and performing the way we needed it to. The video below captures that conversation directly from the chemists who built it.
The process is not linear. It moves through cycles of develop, test, redevelop, and retest, and only after that internal iteration does a formulation move into field testing with real-world soils and substrates. Halojet launched in our 80th year as a company, and that timing reflects something important: a detergent reaching the market under the Alconox name has already survived a rigorous, multi-year gauntlet that most formulations do not survive.
That history matters when you are selecting a cleaner for a critical application. Every Alconox detergent represents that same depth of development and testing, not a quick reformulation.
Halojet is a low foaming, high emulsifying detergent for efficient removal of metal oxides, soils, buffing compounds, oils, particulates, chemicals and solvents, and mold releases in automated, manual, or ultrasonic cleaning. Corrosion inhibited and free rinsing for reliable results and no interfering residues. Biodegradable and does not ship as a hazmat. Dilute 3:100. pH ~10
Do you have a critical cleaning question for the experts at Alconox, LLC? Search TechNotes to see if it’s been answered before or Ask Alconox.
To request any Alconox, LLC detergents for free, please complete the questionnaire at Get Sample. For more information about any one of our Alconox, LLC detergents, consult the technical bulletin for each product. Or click here to access each of our detergent’s Safety Data Sheets
Have a clarifying question? Submit it here. cleaning@alconox.com
