UK Detergents - Facts & Figures

[aquacycle]

Good afternoon Campers!

One of my colleagues in the sales department at work let me snoop around their Statista account earlier today and I managed to pull off some detergent info.

Persil is still the biggest selling detergent brand in the UK, but this is split across it's bio and non-bio formats. Non-Bio powder is still it's biggest seller.

Sales figures for 2015 (rounded to 2 decimal places) were:

Ariel: 4.86 million
Bold: 3.96 million
Persil Non-Bio: 3.34 million
Surf: 3.13 million
Daz: 3.08 million
Fairy: 2.80 million
Persil Bio: 2.29 million
Tesco: 2.01 millon
Asda: 1.31 million
Sainsburys: 1.16 million
Morrisons: 802,000
Ecover: 518,000
Surcare: 245,000

Other: 2.43 million

Of the market share, 47% of all detergents sold are powders, 23% liquids, 20% liquitabs, 9% tablets and 1% Compact Powders (whatever that means these days!).

I could've broken it down by brand and given stats for each format of detergent within each brand, but I didn't have time unfortunately. Still some pretty interesting info though, although I'm suprised Bold is so high.

 

[grwasher_expert]

So most people still stick to using powders,they are not affected by the massive promotion for liquid and capsules by the companies.I'm surprised that Persil non-bio powder has a greater market share than persil bio.Do most people in the UK have sensitive skin?

 

[aquacycle]

Do most people in the UK have sensitive skin?

There is a huge myth in the UK that non-bio detergents are better for sensitive skin or kinder for babies/children. Despite studies proving this to be nonsense, it's still very much embedded into people's minds. Infact, GP's in the UK recommend using non-bio for anybody with eczema, psoriasis or contact dermatitis.

Back when biological detergents were a new thing, there were reports of some causing skin irritation. Shortly after, staff working at the Lever Bros plant in Port Sunlight broke out in rashes and developed breathing difficulties due to over-exposure to large quantities of isolated enzymes. These 2 facts caused a bit of a media frenzy, so much so that in 1983 when Persil final went biological with "New System" and non-bio (or original Automatic as it was known) was being phased out, there was such an outcry from British housewives that it was brought back.

There are parts of the world where non-bio just doesn't exist, yet those skin conditions are identified world-wide? Go figure.

I know people who have never used a biological detergent, purely for the fear that it will someone cause their skin to fall off. And rather than saying "oh, I've never tried it", in true British set-in-our-ways-stuck-on-a-highhorse fashion, it's not uncommon to hear "I don't like biological, it's too harsh/my skin is too sensitive/it's not safe for children" etc etc

I feel it's only getting worse too as more people are using quick wash (due to modern washing machines taking much longer) which usually skips a rinse, leaving more residue behind and increasing the risk of irritation.

 

[grwasher_expert]

There are parts of the world where non-bio just doesn't

Here in Greece,almost all detergents in either powder,liquid or capsules form,contain enzymes.Cheaper brands contain only 1 enzyme,while most primary brands contain more complicated enzyme coctails.The only non-bio detergents are some special liquid detergents for delicates and wools and maybe some detergents designated for baby clothes.

 

[aquacycle]

Cheaper brands contain only 1 enzyme

Some of our not-so-cheap detergents only contain 1 enzyme. Bold and Surf are both mid-range detergents, but only contain 1 enzyme. Whereas Ariel and Persil both contain 4.

 

[grwasher_expert]

British Surf is equivalent to our Omo,which is a secondary brand focusing on scent.Bold is a scent-oriented brand too.Those brands have focused more on leaving fresh scent on garments and removing tough odors rather than fighting difficult stains,therefore their enzyme formula is much simpler.

 

[aquacycle]

Not traditionally. Surf always used to be marketed as being a no-nonsense detergent. High performing without the high price tag. In the late 90's, Surf powder boxes included a list of 99 stains that it could remove first time.

Only in recent years has it focused more or scent

 

[michael]

Persil non bio

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a big box of Persil non bio on offer at Waitrose. I haven't used this for ages, having used Persil bio always. I have to say, the whites seemed much whiter from the non bio.Maybe it was an optical illusion, but the towels and sheets seemed to glow!
There were no tea towels so I don't know how it would cope with stains, but for whiteness, I was impressed

 

[aquacycle]

That's the thing with non-bio powders, they tend to be more bleach heavy to compensate for the lack of enzymes. Good for boil washing, not so good at lower temps

 

[zanussi_lover]

Persil Non Bio

Persil Non-Bio Powder only contains 5-15% bleaching agents, like the bio version.

Fairy Non-Bio Powder, which is what I use on a regular basis as I like the smell and that it softens clothes making them more comfortable without adding extra fabric conditioner, it makes my sheets and towels that little bit softer, and nicer than having scratchy itchy feel.

 

[hoovermatic]

Hi Jim - My partner is Greek, although he has lived in the UK since 2007. In the last couple of years he has bought an apartment in Athens and we stayed there in the summer. He has an h-axis Brandt machine in his bathroom which naturally I honed in on the minute I walked in the apartment! All of the symbols/programmes are in Greek but I noticed that the maximum spin speed was only 500rpm, even on a cotton wash. As a result, the laundry came out really 'wet' in comparison to our machine in the UK. With the weather in the high 30's low 40's, drying laundry wasn't an issue but I wondered if this is common in Greece? I didn't have time to look around in electrical stores to make a comparison. Can you shed any light?

 

[hoover8pulse]

Interesting statistics, thank you for those!

According to Liam, Persil is the best seller, followed by Bold. People must obviously love that Bold has the scent factor to it, as this is one of the most important thing for quite a lot of the general public when purchasing a detergent. I will say though that the new version of Bold is actually much better than the previous version and is a lot closer to the Aqua/Ocean Clear from the 2000's.

GP's recommend non bio because it's easy to blame skin irritation on the enzymes, whereas irritation is caused by perfumes, colours, dyes and scents etc. It's easy to blame it on a product the parents are using as opposed to actually sorting out the problem with prescriptions creams etc. When my older brother was little (so late 80's) he had really bad eczema (as do all of us siblings do but it's gone a lot as we've grown up) and my mum took him to the doctor and they recommended she try Persil Non Bio, and if that didn't work to try Fairy, and both brought him out in an even worse rash! Eventually, she settled on Daz which irritated none of us despite being bio.

Also (a bit off topic so apologies), another thing mum was told was to keep washing outside when it's raining as it apparently rinses the chemicals out. Is this true? I'm not sure whether it is as some detergents are designed to stay in the clothes, but she still does it now sometimes.

Detergents with one enzyme are normally found at the bottom end of the market, like Surf (which contains protease, but the Sensations range also include Mannanase and Amylase in their formulations - that is for liquids and capsules only, the powder only has protease). That said, Surf still performs pretty well, and manages to get out most stains.

 

[grwasher_expert]

Spin speeds on greek machines

Hi hoovermatic.In fact,machines in greece come with variable spin speeds.Cheaper models (€ 150-200) tend to have less powerful motors,therefore slower spin speeds (up to 500-600 rpm).As price goes up,you can find more fast-spinning models that have stronger and more durable motors and can spin up to 800,1000,1200,1400 or even 1600 rpm.Also top-loaders tend to have slower spin speeds than front loaders(never seen a top loader that spins faster than 1000 rpm,most of them spin up to 600 or 800 rpm).But generally the most common maximum spin speed for a mid-range machine is 800 or 1000 rpm.My Candy front loader spins up to 1000 rpm.Machines that can spin faster than 1200 rpm are pretty expensive and people here don't favor them because as you said the sun is shining all year round,so drying isn't an issue,so they don't want to spend more money for a feature they don't really need.Most people don't even own a dryer.Sun is always for free.And on cold and dreary winter days when humidity is high,and heating is on,we use to lay clothes on radiators to dry.

 

[liamy1]

Thanks

Aquacycle, really interesting.

Hi too - Hoover8

I know you're not a fan at all of Bold AquaC, but as Hoover8 mentions, they have really stepped up their game in the latest formulation. Cleans brilliantly, softens better than I can ever remember it doing before, and the smell is like what it was 10-15 years ago.

Can't remember if it was 2014 or the year before, but yes, Bold was the 2nd best selling detergent (behind Persil, which AFAIK always has been in number 1).

Suppose this could be because it goes on offer somewhere regularly, the value aspect (2in1) and as Hoover mentions; the scent; (I think, but not 100% that Lavender and Chamomile is their most popular).

 

[liamy1]

GRWasher

Agree with everything AquaC said, Non Bio is a huge myth here in the UK. A lot of parents on the various parenting sites (Mumsnet etc), will not touch anything but a Non Bio (but will still happily load up on the Vanish, heavy scent softeners etc - go figure).

Personally, I find Fairy Non Bio better; cleans better, definitely softens better (when not using a seperate softener), but Persil Non Bio does have a really nice smell, and is still a good detergent; it's just that for some reason it can leave clothes like cardboard, when Persil Bio doesn't :/

I am surprised that when looking at an individual level, that Persil Bio is lower than Surf and Daz. As we all know Persil bio is the best detergent going (I do like Ariel bio slightly more, but Persil bio is equally as good).

 

[liamy1]

Enzymes

Bold is the only other detergent besides Ariel that P&G will put the Cellulase enzyme into. It's the most expensive enzyme, so should imagine it's too dear to put it in Daz and of course it won't appear in Fairy.

Unless Unilever are not disclosing their full ingredients, I haven't seen it in any Unilever product.

 

[dixan]

P&G don't use cellulase in their powders anymore. As far as I know, they put cellulase only in capsules.
In fact they even removed dye transfer inhibitors from their colour powders after the last reformulation.

 

[aquacycle]

cellulase doesn't contribute any actual cleaning, the addition of cellulase to the washing powder breaks down micro fibrils on cotton, brightening the color of the washed clothes.

During use, small fibers are raised from the surface of cotton thread, resulting in a change in the texture of the fabric, and the brightness of colors is lowered.
Cellulase removes the small fibers without damaging the major fibers and restores the fabric to its former condition.

Persil Bio powder contains Subtilisin (protease), Lipase, Amylase and Mannanase. As far as I'm aware, it is the only detergent that contains mannanase.

http://https//isbibbio.wikispaces.com/biological+washing+powders+and+enzymes

 

[hoover8pulse]

Mannanase

The new Surf Sensations has that in also.