The chore of washing the laundry began to change with the introduction of washing powders in the 1880s. These new products originally were simply pulverized soap. New cleaning product marketing successes, such as the 1890s introduction of Gold Dust Washing Powder, proved that there was a ready market for better cleaning agents. Henkel & Cie, founded in Düsseldorf in 1876, pursued the opportunity, and on 6 June 1907 launched the first of its kind product, Persil. The manufacturer had found a method to add sodium perborate—a bleaching agent—to its base washing agents, creating what the marketing department called a "self-activating powder" detergent. During the washing process, oxygenated perborate forms small bubbles, doing the "work of the washboard"—saving consumers time and rendering the historic method of "sun-bleaching" unnecessary. Persil was the first commercially available self-activated laundry detergent. The invention of Persil was a significant breakthrough. The name, "Persil", is derived from two of the original ingredients, sodium perborate and silicate. The original name was deemed unsuitable as an international brand because it is hard to pronounce in some languages. Coincidentally, persil is the French word for the herb, parsley. Persil is sold in powder, liquid detergent, liquid capsule, liqui-gel, and tablet forms. There are enzymatic, non-enzymatic, and colour care formulations as well. The Persil line also includes specialist care products for wool and silk items. In the UK, Unilever markets a wide range of washing up liquids and dishwasher detergents under the Persil brand.
Markets, licensing and distribution
Henkel
Henkel AG manufactures, distributes, and markets Persil in Germany, Poland and most of Europe, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United States. Henkel markets Persil under the name "Dixan" in Greece, Italy and Cyprus; and under the name "Wipp" in Spain and China. In Belgium, where both Henkel's Persil and Dixan can be found at major retailers, the Persil brand name is given priority by Henkel in its marketing. Henkel sells its Persil formulation in France under the name "Le Chat", as Unilever owns the licence to the Persil trademark in that country. For a time, upscale German appliance manufacturer Miele acted as a direct importer of Henkel's Persil products into Canada and the United States, where they could be purchased only at licensed appliance dealers. It was marketed as a premium German detergent that was the "officially recommended" detergent for its washing machines. Due to this exclusive import agreement and specialty positioning at appliance dealerships, it retailed for up to $40/box in Canada. It was later replaced by Miele's own brand laundry products. In April 2007, Henkel announced a global relaunching of the Persil brand and packaging to mark its 100th anniversary. Persil's other sub-brands were to be redesigned shortly afterward. The anniversary also marked 100 years of self-acting detergents—of which Persil was a pioneer. Persil was introduced to Mexico in 2011. In March 2015, Henkel introduced Persil ProClean in the United States, a line of premium detergents available in Power-Liquid, Power-Caps and Power-Pearls. It was initially sold exclusively at Walmart stores. In June 2016, Henkel acquired Sun Products, the manufacturer of Wisk, and soon discontinued Wisk and replaced it with Persil. Persil ProClean was released in Canada in 2016. Power Pearls and liquid are available, including a Canada-only cold water liquid version. Caps are also available.
Unilever
markets Persil in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Latin America, Malaysia, Singapore, China, and New Zealand since acquiring rights to the brand in 1931. Unilever also sells Persil in France. In this market, the brand focuses on "natural" ingredients and "skin-friendly" formulations. It is competitively sold alongside Unilever's biggest selling detergent brand in France, "Skip". In 2007 Unilever launched its new Persil Small and Mighty variant in the UK and Ireland. A 2013 update showcased a new design of bottle that enabled consumers to use the in built, flexible plastic dosing ball as a measurer and stain removal pre-treatment device. The ball is contained in a circular cutout in the centre of the bottle and is simply filled and placed directly into the drum. Because it's made of soft, heat resistant plastic it can be washed with the laundry and makes no banging noises. This campaign was launched with the tagline "For Whatever life throws".
