Process for preparing brightener-containing liquid detergent compositions with polyhydroxy fatty acid amines

In a process for preparing a clear, isotropic highly-built liquid detergent composition comprising one or more conventional anionic, nonionic or cationic detersive surfactants, optional detersive adjuncts, and optical brighteners, the improvement which comprises adding said optical brighteners to said liquid detergent composition in the form of a premix comprising:

• (a) from about 1% to about 20% by weight of one or more optical brighteners;
• (b) from about 10% to about 60% by weight of one or more polyhydroxy fatty acid amides of the general formula ##STR21## where R.sup.1 is H, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 hydrocarbyl, 2-hydroxy ethyl, 2-hydroxy propyl, or mixtures thereof, R.sup.2 is a C.sub.5 -C.sub.31 hydrocarbyl group, and Z is a polyhydroxyhydrocarbyl having a linear hydrocarbyl chain with at least 3 hydroxyl groups attached to the chain, or an alkoxylated derivative thereof;
• and
• (c) from about 20% to about 89% by weight of a liquid carrier which is a member selected from the group consisting of water and mixtures of water and a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 monohydric alcohol, whereby a liquid detergent composition comprising at least about 8% by weight of said detersive surfactant, from about 0.01% to about 2% by weight of said optical brightener, from about 0.5% to about 15% by weight of said polyhydroxy fatty acid amide, from about 10% to about 50% by weight of builder and from about 30% to about 77% by weight of liquid carrier is secured.