Aqueous composition comprising oligomeric esterquats

A process for the manufacture of a stable medium viscosity fabric softening composition, said composition comprising (a) from about 1 to 20 wt. % of an oligomeric esterquat, obtainable by reaction of an alkanol amine with (i) a polycarboxylic acid;

• and (ii) a fatty alcohol or a fatty acid;
• or (iii) a mixture of a fatty alcohol and a fatty acid, followed by partial quaternization (leading to a mixture of oligomeric esteramine and of esterquat);
• and (b) at least about 0.2 wt % dipropylene glycol;
• and wherein said fabric softening composition is free of isopropanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and polyglycols;
• said process comprising (a) melting said oligomeric esterquat;
• (b) dispersing the melted material of step (a) and said dipropylene glycol in hot water;
• and (c) thereafter cooling said hot water, and wherein a thickening agent or mixture of thickening agents is added to the hot water of step (b) or after the cooling step of (c), which thickening agent is selected from the group consisting of (i) non-ionic water-soluble cellulosic polymer derived from the condensation of cellulose and ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide;
• (ii) ethoxylated and/or propoxylated fatty alcohol polyurethane associative thickener;
• and (iii) cationic polyacrylate copolymer.