Why is Colgate-Palmolive still in the laundry products business?

[bongobro]

Am I the only one who finds what Colgate-Palmolive is doing these days is a bit confusing?

About a year ago, Colgate sold all of its North American laundry detergent brands to Phoenix Brands (including the rights to the Ajax brand name for laundry detergent), citing problems staying competitive in the laundry detergent field.

Yet they still make Suavitel fabric softener, which is made in a Colgate factory in Mexico and apparently has some following in Latino markets, sorta like P & G's Ariel laundry detergent.

It seems to me that if Colgate wanted to abandon the laundry field completely, why did they even bother to introduce Suavitel in the U. S.? It's like GM dropping Oldsmobile but saying, "We'll keep the Alero because a few people still like it..."--in short, that makes no sense to me at all...

 

[sudsdudeshane]

bongobro~

I agree with what you posted and I also find it very odd Colgate-Palmolive would do that. With that being said, Suavitel is a pretty awesome product and in my opinion,the only fabric softener widely available who can compete with Downy.Its also much more affordable than overpriced Downy.

 

[danemodsandy]

They kept Suavitel because people are BUYING Suavitel, LOL. When was the last time anyone thought, "Ooh, Ajax. Gotta have it!"?

 

[oxydolfan1]

Ajax, Gotta Have It

ME!!

When my store puts it on sale for $1.49 for a gigantic-sized blue bottle, I grab it!

It smells fresh and pleasant and does a surprisingly good job of whitening and cleaning (in my soft water)...

Stain removal...that's another story, but no better or worse than any of the other value liquids.

It also is fairly low-sudsing!

Fab has it's devotees as well, although I can take it or leave it personally.

 

[exploder3211]

After my experiance with the nasty scent of Downy Clean Breeze, i am wondering the same thing.. I am going to pick up some Suavitel and try it... The ajax stuff does well enough...

 

[chromacolor]

and of course my bottles of Fresh Start are still marked "Colgate-Palmolive". I can only find it in 2 stores here, so am wondering if that will be available once the old stock runs out?

 

[jamiel]

They also are the largest producer of chlorine bleach (Javex) and in the top 2 or 3 for fabric softener (Fleecy) in Canada so that may be why they bother...in Canada they are definitely the "default" brand of LCB.

 

[sudsdudeshane]

Chad~

Buy the Suavitel in either the blue or yellow bottles

 

[gyrafoam]

Love the blue bottle Suavitel and I'm not that much of a fabric softener person. The only brand I buy.

Steve 1-18 gave me some Mexican Snuggle to try. It smells great, but lacks the softening capability of the Suavitel.

IMO the Fab detergent is the best low-priced brand on the market----but clearly was not selling well. It must be because of reasons other than performance, as it really cleans VERY well.

 

[peterh770]

Thank the inflow of illegal for the popularity of Suavitel. It is much sweeter and much stronger in scent and softening than Downy. The price point can't be beat either!

Remember that C-P also sold it's Mexican detergents to Henkel, so they are completely out of the detergent business in the Americas.

P&G couldn't bring over Ariel with phosphates and introduced faux-Ariel in the box, and it bombed because it wasn't the same as the bagged, phosphated stuff.

 

[westytoploader]

OOOH THAT'S LOUD!

Morning Sun Suavitel (yellow) is my favorite fabric softener out there because of its fantastic scent, which is apparently overpowering sometimes (those of us at the Convention will know what I'm referring to by the above). Just finished off one bottle yesterday, though luckily I have 2 more bottles on hand in the Studio.

I have tried Mexican Snuggle (green tea scent with something else in addition to that; can't remember it off the top of my head) and I agree that Suavitel does a much better job with regard to the amount used.

As for CP detergents, Fresh Start is (and has been) my absolute favorite. I just wish it was available down here, though Bryan said the Safeway up there carries it and brought me a couple of bottles for the December wash-in, and we've traded some Mexican detergents for Fresh Start with Eugene as well. One of the few left with a pleasant chemical scent, though they did reformulate it sometime last year and the scent has changed a *little*, but not enough to where you really notice it. When I use up some of the other detergents I have sitting on the shelves, I'm going to stock up on more Fresh Start and order a case or two. I've never tried Ajax either, and that's another one I have in mind.

 

[jetcone]

okay

I'LL go along with all of that now:
what does Suivatel mean in english anyhow??

 

[bongobro]

more from the 'bro on Suavitel...

Hey, Jetcone, Suavitel is a condensed version of "suavizador de telas"; literally, "softener of fabrics" or "fabric softener."

The fragrance of Suavitel is the only thing that's powerful about it...to me it smells like cheap perfume...my wife has told me never to buy Suavitel again because it does not soften or control static cling...

There are still limited quantities of Fab liquid at some Big Lots closeout stores in the St. Louis area, but Fresh Start, Ajax and all the other Colgate detergent brands are pretty well gone for good...

I remember that when CP brought out Ajax Laundry Detergent, they claimed they tested it for 12 years before introducing it...

At one time, Big Lots also sold the Ultra Ariel powder ("mas chaca-chaca por su dinero")...it also smelled like cheap perfume and didn't clean all that well. In fact, I recently saw bags of Ace detergent from Mexico in one Big Lots (hilarious because Ace is the Mexican equivalent of Tide powder and the name Ace (pronounced "Ah-say" in Spanish) is the pronounciation of the verb "hace," which means "does" in Spanish (Duz?)...