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How did Persil, the world's first commercial laundry detergent, first come into being and how did it become popular?
The Story of Persil, the World's First Laundry Detergent
persil washing powder was invented at the beginning of the 20th century by professor herman giessler and dr herman bauer from stuttgart, germany. these two professors mixed ordinary soap with an oxygen-rich salt and found that when the mixture dissolved in water, oxygen was released, which removed stains without damaging clothes. the name persil was created by combining the original ingredients, 'per' from perborate and 'sil' from silicate.

In the early 20th century, people washed their clothes using bar soap. this new 'scientific' washing powder was different from what people were used to and it took some time to become popular.



before the first world war, persil was sold in small packs of 147 ml, about 140 g. the soap had to be made into a paste before use and was mostly used by hand washers and in very simple top-opening washing machines. the packs were small because at that time people washed their clothes once a week - on wash day - and the majority of people could only afford to buy a small pack.

the lever brothers (now known as unilever) company bought persil in 1919 and supplied the product to england. the initial advertising and packaging was simple and the product was promoted as "the great oxygen washer". the advertising and packaging emphasized the importance of the product as a good thing for "white laundry". the persil logo was used on all products and is basically the same logo used today.



in october 1939, a new persil was launched, which no longer needed to be made into a paste before use. In 1941, advertising and packaging used the theme "persil washes whiter", claiming that the powder was for an all-white wash. Throughout the 1950s and 60s persil worked on many improvements to the product and the packaging continued to support the concept that persil "washes whiter".

In the 20th century, the invention of the front-loading automatic washing machine was a major advance in the technology people had in their homes, and this new machine made doing laundry much easier.

lever brothers responded by producing "persil automatic", their first product designed specifically for the new front-loading machine. with automatic washing machines making laundry much easier, people started washing their clothes more often and larger packs of products were produced.



during this period most of the housework was done by women. easier washing gave people more time and really helped women who had a job outside the home, giving them time for housework and time to spend with their families.

in 1988 persil automatic liquid was launched in 1, 2 and 3 liter packs. it was designed to be easier for people to use than powder. after the second world war more women started working. In 1982, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority publicly recognized Persil's efforts to reflect the changing role of British mothers.