The production of antibodies relies on a wide array of raw materials. Many of these materials are utilized in various industrial applications, and their specifications have not been specifically developed for antibody production. Chemical or physical characteristics, contaminants, and impurities may vary between lots, leading to performance variability of these raw materials in antibody production, despite their effectiveness in other applications. This variability can result in process inconsistencies, yield loss, and potentially impact the characteristics and quality of the final drug product. One critical raw material, poloxamer 188, an amphiphilic surfactant used as a shear protectant, has experienced a long history of variability. We will discuss methods to control the chemical composition and attributes of poloxamer 188 to minimize variability, its impact on other bioprocess parameters, such as foaming and cell metabolism and how customizing these types of surfactants can lead to new applications in biomanufacturing.