Company secrets aside, makers of laundry detergents, shampoos, toothpaste, and other personal care products can come clean with Stepan Company. Stepan makes basic and intermediate chemicals, including surfactants, specialty products, phthalic anhydride, and polyurethane polyols. Surfactants, the company's largest sector, are used as cleaning agents used in consumer products like detergents, toothpastes, and cosmetics. Stepan's surfactants are also used in commercial and industrial applications ranging from emulsifiers for agricultural insecticides to agents used in oil recovery. The company also makes phthalic anhydride and other polymers, as well as specialty chemicals for food and pharmaceutical uses.