Evaluated Alternative Surfactants for Cleaning of Greasy and Oily Soils Stepan Company offers several surfactants that have been reviewed and approved under the surfactant screen of the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Standard and listed on the CleanGredients online database, that clean greasy and oily soils. These surfactants are primarily used to formulate household, institutional, and industrial cleaning products, and serve as a starting point for the formulator when selecting environmentally favorable ingredients.