While many pesticide formulations are applied alone, many are applied alongside a separate products that can be added to a tank mixture to modify its action , called an adjuvant. Adjuvants can act as water softeners, pH regulators and, most commonly, surfactants. Adjuvants too, despite lacking active ingredients, are also more frequently being researched ), as it is becoming apparent that effective adjuvant components (essentially active ingredients but for adjuvants), can also have considerable non-target toxicity .