[6] Some applications include: Apart from laboratory use, Triton X-100 can be found in several types of cleaning compounds,[7] ranging from heavy-duty industrial products to gentle detergents.

Since the inclusion of Triton X-100 in the candidate list of substances of very high concern for authorization, pharmaceutical companies, as well as bioprocessing research groups, are in need of an alternative detergent which must at the same time be eco-friendly and effective.

Ideally, a Triton X-100 replacement should generate minimal manufacturing process change, because only then the necessary updates of regulatory filings for medicines could be realized without additional animal experiments or even clinical studies.

Therefore, an alternative virus-inactivating detergent should have physico-chemical properties similar to Triton X-100, be soluble, easy to remove, and eco-friendly, and not degrade to toxic metabolites.

In a recent study,[13] two alternatives for antiviral treatment in biopharmaceutical manufacturing have been identified: Triton X-100 reduced, as well as a novel compound which was named Nereid (after the mermaids in Greek mythology).