Oxydol: The final cheapening

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supersuds

supersuds

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Well, as many of you know, Oxydol has had a complicated path since P&G spun the brand off about 10 years ago.

 

At first, it was a high-quality powder with enzymes and the traditional oxygen bleach that was marketed with allegedly "hip" graphics to appeal to a younger crowd. I found that it not only worked great, it was low-sudsing and had a very light, inoffensive scent.

 

The marketing failed, because more recently it has been sold as a cheap liquid at dollar stores. (The liquid never was very good, anyway, although some versions smelled nice, rather like the current liquid Biz, made by the same company.)

 

Today I was in a Family Dollar store and noticed a HUGE box of Oxydol marked "Classic One Cup Formula."

 

However, the ingredients list makes no mention of any oxygen bleaching agent, much less enzymes. It's just anionic "and/or" nonionic surfactants!  I love that "and/or."

 

How can it be powder Oxydol without bleach?
smiley-frown.gif


supersuds++3-21-2012-17-05-56.jpg
 
And OR!

what in the h.. is that about! Who manufactures it now? I'd love to call them and ask about "and or" just to see what they'd say.
Thanks for posting
 
Now Now...

Let's not get into a jealous tizzy fit or let our undergarments get into a wad over "Blondie's" hair. I wouldn't put it past her if she used a bottle of peroxide to achieve her look (but in viewing the pic again, are those black roots I see in the front?).

In getting back to the Oxydol, I'm going to FD tomorrow to pick up a few things. I will definitely check out the detergent aisle to see if it's available at this time in our area.

In case it isn't, is the packaging reminiscent of what's pictured in the ad or something completely different?
 
Its Kind of like!

Aunt Jemima pancake mix...Now it is just plain flour, years ago it had 4 flours and made the best pancakes ever.Now it is advertised as original...HOGWASH..its no more original than Aunt Jemimas picture!
 
I saw it too!

Dollar Tree also carries Oxydol liquid detergent. I almost bought some until i picked up the bottle and heard how watery it was. Not exactly the gel type liquid that you normally expect when using liquid detergents. I passed on the deal.

Arm and Hammer still gets my vote as the best buy if you need a low-cost alternative detergent.
 
The Original Oxydol with Bleach

Was produced with patents for activated perborate bleaching system amoung other things. Highly doubt P&G would let anyone have access to that information much less copy it with or without a license as it is still used with Tide and Gain.

IIRC when P&G first spun off Oxydol and other brands they continued producing the products for the new owners (who also IIRC were former P&G employees), but that agreement may have gone by the wayside.

P&G,Henkel and IIRC Unilever hold most if not all the major patents for activated oxygen bleaching systems. This means detergents from other brands wishing to use that technology have to find ways around.
 
I suspect you're right about the licensing/manufacturing agreement having expired or been abandoned. It might be a clue that the new Oxydol box was the same size and shape of the box of Trend on the shelf below it! Trend! Blech.

In any case, the first version of the "spun-off" Oxydol specifically listed enzymes and oxygen bleach in the ingredients and since the new one doesn't, well...it's just a cheapie nothingburger now.
 
Tide With Bleach, Oxydol & Even Biz

When at P&G shared similar formulas far as bleaching and enzymes go. Just compare the patent numbers listed on boxes of the same vintage.

TWB does such a good job of it's own housewives seldom bothered with Biz. Given Tide with Bleach is a premium brand with a price to match why should they? TWD can act as a pre-soak just as Biz.

Oxydol also suffered from having to compete with Tide. P&G upped Oxydol's formula to include not only similar activated oxygen bleaching but enzymes same as TWD, again it is no wonder P&G let Oxydol and Biz go.

Methinks Redox brands found out the same and is putting their efforts into Biz, which IIRC still contains enzymes and oxygen bleach. If that is the case why go through the effort and cost for Oxydol to have in house competition for shelf space.
 
I may have posted this before elsewhere, but if I recall correctly, back in the early/mid 1980s, I was working in Phoenix which is a popular test market. While cruising the local AJ Bayless market in Scottsdale one Saturday morning for something interesting to do my laundry with, I came upon "New Oxydol with Acti Bleach". Tried it and was immediately smitten. This stuff was a powerhouse and really did an outstanding whitening and stain removal job with low sudsing to boot - even in the early 70's GE filter flo that the Marriott Mountain Shadows Resort provided for laundry, Well to make a long story short, I immediately bought as many boxes as I could possibly stuff into my luggage to bring home. Over the next several months, I used my stash replenishing it whenever I went back to Phoenix. Strangely enough, that Oxydol never made it to national distribution. However around a year after I first discovered it, what was on our grocery store shelves? Why Tide with Bleach of course. The powder looked identical to and smelled just like the Oxydol with Acti Bleach. So this made me wonder it P&G rethought its marketing strategy and realized that they couldn't have an Oxydol product that outstripped America's favorite, and rebranded the product for the national distribution. Never could prove it, but the rest is history...

Side note, Phoenix is where I also first discovered Wisk Powder. This was in the late 80's just before the "ultra concentrated" powders were introduced. So the unconcentrated version never made it to national distribution either.

Other test market discoveries that never made it nationally or at least to the Northeast were an all fabric bleach from Clorox called "Wave". It was an OK product, but smelled great but I guess it couldn't compete with Clorox 2. My biggest disappointment was Clorox detergent. I found that in Palm Springs and my stash lasted for almost two decades. I still have two boxes left but cant make myself open them. That was a great product - loved the scent, performance and low sudsing and could never understand why it never made it. Oh, well, I digress...
 
We had the Clorox detergent around here. I think it did make national distribution around 1994 or so? But not for long. As you say it was low sudsing and I liked the way it would turn blue when water hit it.

 

Interesting about the test Oxydol. I bet you're right: P&G always wants Tide to be its top performer.

 

BTW, someone mentioned that the original Tide With Bleach smelled exactly the same as Dash. Is that your impression? I don't think I ever used Dash so I have no idea.
 
I remember that Clorox detergent...bought a box at Red Food in Chattanooga b/c I hadn't seen it before...took it home and gave it to my mom. As I recall it was a relatively compact formula...not quite as compact as Fresh Start, but more like Concentrated All. I believe it was "fully loaded" with enzymes etc so as to compete with Tide.
 
Clorox Detergent

was also fully loaded with phosphate, and that is part of the reason it was withdrawn from the market. I had heard of it, and wanted to try it, but.......

Lawrence/Maytatgbear
 
Clorox Detergent

My Mom used it religiously when it first came out, in early 1990's in both powder and supercompact.

But here's what happened: Clorox Detergent failed mainly because of a certain detergent: Tide with Bleach. Clorox lacked the marketing power that P&G had. The product was in a handful of areas when it was a supercompact powder. In 1990's San Diego, only Vons and Alpha-Beta carried it.

After Clorox Detergent was discontinued, Mom went on to Lemon Dash.
 

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