Liquid detergent composition in the form of lamellar droplets containing a deflocculating polymer

A liquid detergent composition comprising from 25% to 60% by weight of non-soap detergent active material and 1 to 60% by weight of electrolytes to form a dispersion of lamellar droplets in an aqueous continuous phase, the composition having a pH of less than 12.5 and yielding no more than 2% by volume phase separation when stored at 25.degree. C. for 21 days from the time of preparation and further comprising from about 0.01 to about 5% by weight of a deflocculating polymer having a weight average molecular weight of from 500 to 500,000, wherein said deflocculating polymer comprises a combination of a hydrophillic backbone comprising monomer units selected from:

• a) one or more ethylenically unsaturated hydrophillic monomers selected from the group consisting of unsaturated C.sub.1-6 acids, ethers, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones or esters;
• and/or
• b) one or more polymerizable hydrophillic cyclic monomer units;
• and/or
• c) one or more non-ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable hydrophillic monomers selected from the group consisting of glycerol and other polyhydric alcohols;
• wherein said polymer is optionally substituted with one or more amino, amine, amide, sulphonate, sulphate, phosphonate, hydroxy, carboxyl or oxide groups;
• and at least one hydrophobic side chain comprising monomers selected from siloxanes, saturated or unsaturated alkyl and hydrophobic alkoxygroups, aryl and aryl-alkyl groups, and mixtures thereof;
• with the proviso that said deflocculating polymer may not include partially esterified copolymers of maleic anhydride or substituted maleic anhydride.