Magazine: Laundry detergent innovations follow the changing trends

Washing habits are developing dynamically, in part because the proportions of fabrics and coloured clothes changed very much in the last few years.

Anita Boros, PR manager of Procter&Gamble told our magazine that cotton, silk and wool used to make up the bulk of a washing and the clothes were mostly white or light, but today nearly 75 percent of clothes people wear are coloured and they are made from various fabric types (e.g. polycotton). Ágnes Erdődi, Henkel’s Persil brand manager informed that for Henkel research and innovation are top priorities in the rapidly developing laundry detergent category. In the next period the company will concentrate on acquiring and integrating the Spotless group, and on taking over the Dylon brand. Szandra Csendes, marketing intern of Unilever’s household chemicals and cosmetics division revealed to us that most consumers in the region use the bottle cap for portioning fabric softener; Hungarians tend to pour it directly from the bottle into the washing machine. DunaPro is the distributor of traditional Hungarian laundry detergents Viola and fabric softeners Bip, and it is also them who distribute Clorox bleaches plus the Sano product line from the second half of 2015. Brand manager Eszter Szvák told that it is very important to follow changing consumer needs and to shape the assortment accordingly. Viktória Kürti, the company’s Clorox brand manager added that multifunctional products are the most popular. In the eco segment Italian market leader brand Winni’s is available in Hungary too. Szilvia Madari, managing director of the distributor Flyfit Kft. explained that consumers are slowly learning the difference between ‘green’, eco and organic products. Procter&Gamble’s Ariel laundry detergent is now available in innovative 3in1 capsule version, called Ariel 3in1 pods. Research conducted by the brand found that 79 percent of women use some kind of pre-treatment for removing stains from clothes, but quite often these simply don’t do the job. Thanks to its pre-treat cap, with Ariel liquid detergent stubborn stains can be pre-treated before washing and the stains are removed without damaging the clothes’ fabric. Henkel is present in practically all washing categories with its Persil, Tomi, Biopon and Perwoll brands. Gels and powders still dominate the laundry detergent market but there is a restructuring taking place. For instance capsule products such as Persil Duo-Caps and Persil Power-Mix are conquering consumers’ hearts. The company keeps compacting its detergents so that consumers can use less from them, thereby putting smaller burden on the environment. Another direction of going ‘greener’ is washing at lower temperature. Persil developed the ColdZyme technology in this field: these powder- and gel-format detergents are already efficient when used at 20°C. Tomi’s formula was also compacted and products got a new design too. Tomi brand manager Bernadett Vékásy told that new Tomi Max Effect makes clothes perfectly clean and fresh. Perwoll brand manager Dóra Benczúr revealed that the market leader fine detergent had also been improved. Products in the Perwoll ReNew+ product range (Color, Black and White) preserve the colour of clothes. Perwoll Sport&Active takes care of special fabrics used for making sports clothing and Wool&Silk helps such clothes stay in shape. DunaPro acquired traditional Hungarian brands Ultra, WU2, Komfort, Viola and Bip in 2008. Shoppers are loyal to these gold old brands, which offer value for money in their own categories. Viola laundry detergents also have the capacity to attract new buyers. Viola White and Viola Color are available in four sizes from the autumn of 2015. The company also has innovative, high-prestige brands in its portfolio, such as Israeli brand Sano. These products offer added value and they also represent an economical solution, thanks to the concentrate format. Organic and sensitive Sano products are becoming increasingly important in the portfolio. Flyfit’s Winni’s products are made from ingredients of plant origin and they are free from artificial colouring and additives. Every product – both detergents and fabric softeners – is sold as a concentrate and can be used for white and coloured clothes alike. Thanks to the refill packaging, their environmental burden is reduced by 78 percent. The most popular product is 1.5-litre Winni’s Lavender liquid detergent. Latest product: Winni’s detergent with Eco-pack Verbena and Aleppo soap. P&G finds it important to use alternative forms of communication to get the message through to those consumers who can’t be reached otherwise, for instance the online campaign of Ariel 3in1 pods is a good example of this. n