A surfactant is a substance that helps liquids spread and mix together by reducing the surface tension. It's commonly found in cleaning products, soaps, and detergents as it enables them to remove dirt and oil from surfaces. Full definition
Fetal lungs are the last organ system to mature, so premature babies are at much higher risk of developing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in which either the lungs are not fully functional or there is less amount of surfactant in alveoli. (newkidscenter.com)
It's nothing crazy fancy like using enzymes to get rid of stains, but the variations of the chemicals used here, for example Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS (among a number of others), which is people are commonly warned of, are actually plant based surfactants. (followmum.com)
Thanks to a serendipitous observation, IBS researchers at POSTECH found out that tailed pumpkin - shaped molecules, mono - allyloxylated cucurbit [7] uril (AO1CB [7]-RRB-, act as surfactant in water. (technologyalpha.net)