A liquid heavy duty laundry detergent composition comprising a suspension of builder salt in liquid nonionic surfactant in which the stability of the composition is improved by the addition of small amounts of an aluminum salt of higher fatty acid, especially aluminum tristearate. The yield stress of the compositions can be improved with the same or lower plastic viscosity, especially at low concentrations of the aluminum salt. The aluminum salts also exhibit an antifoaming effect and can be used to boost softening.