Clean Insights Issue 5: Cleaning Science

Abstract background with swirling orange, blue, and white colors and the text “CLEAN INSIGHTS ISSUE NO. 5.”

In-depth perspectives and expert analysis for today’s laundry care leaders.

Issue No. 5

Exploring the Future of Laundry Detergent Formats

Some of the most exciting innovations in the laundry detergent industry today are happening in formats. These innovations are driven by consumer demand for more high-performing, sustainable, and convenient products, while also keeping pace with regulatory changes and advances in laundry appliances.

In this issue of Clean Insights, we’re taking a deep dive into formats. We’ll explore the surprising overnight success of unit doses in China and then examine the emerging trend of waterless formats, such as sheets and tiles. But first, let’s take a step back and trace the journey of laundry detergent formats from the start.

The Evolution of Detergent Formats

The first commercially available laundry detergent, Persil, a granulated powder released in 1907 by the German maker Henkel, was considered a scientific breakthrough and a major improvement over the laundry soap bars used at the time, which left a scum residue on clothing washed in hard water.

Fast forward a few decades and liquid detergents emerged, providing consumers with greater convenience through easier measuring, dissolving, and pre-treatment options. However, developing liquid formats proved to be much more chemically complex than granules, a challenge that continues today. Formulators must ensure that all the active ingredients, from surfactants to enzymes, remain stable throughout the life cycle of the detergent. For this reason, P&G didn’t release its liquid version of Tide until 1984.

Next came the introduction of unit dose detergents (pods or tablets) offering even more convenience for consumers with their pre-measured doses and portability. Though this format didn’t achieve instant success. Several global brands attempted to introduce single-dose tablets starting in the 1960’s in the U.S and European markets. These early failures showed that offering convenience was not enough; unit doses needed to match or exceed the performance of existing formats, all while delivering value to customers.

Brands kept innovating the unit-dose format and in the early 2010s, liquid detergent pods gained uptake in the U.S. and Europe. Today, laundry pods have become the fastest-growing detergent category across the U.S., Europe, and certain regions of Asia.

A timeline titled “The Evolution of Detergent Formats” showing key milestones from 1907 to 2024, including the introduction of powders, liquids, tablets, and pods.

The Laundry Lens

As we’ve seen with the journey of unit doses, simply introducing an innovative new format doesn’t guarantee instant success. More often, consumers gradually embrace new formats over time. For detergent makers, when launching any new innovations, it’s important to consider the timing of the product release and the context of your regional market.

“The success of a new detergent format goes beyond your innovation

How you promote the product and the claims you put behind it will also determine whether it ultimately sticks with consumers,”

says Tatiana Goncharova,
Global Business Segment Leader at IFF.

A woman in a business suit with short blonde hair and glasses

By the numbers

Title graphic reading “Global Laundry Detergent Market, By Format 2024 (USD Million)” with green globe illustrations in the background.

Map of the Asia Pacific region with text showing detergent format trends: powder and liquid decreasing, unit doses increasing.

Map of the EEMEA region with text showing upward trends in powder, liquid, and unit dose detergent formats.

Map of Western Europe with data on powder, liquid, and tablets trends.

Map of Latin America showing trends in powder, liquid, and unit dose formats.

Map of North America showing trends in powder, liquid, and unit dose formats.

China’s Swift Shift

Contrary to the global trend of slow acceptance, Chinese consumers have swiftly adopted newer, more convenient detergent formats for their laundry routines. This rapid uptake is driven by China’s booming economy over the past decade, leading to an expanding middle class that readily welcomes these innovative formats.

China’s detergent format revolution

75% average annual growth in unit dose usage since 2018

Bar chart showing China's laundry detergent format market share in 2018 and projected for 2024.

Laundry Lens

The successful launch of unit doses in China shows the importance of understanding local consumer habits and preferences when unveiling new products. Detergent makers were recently reminded of this, following an unsuccessful attempt to introduce high-concentrated liquid formulas to the market. These were seen as offering less value with their smaller packaging size.

“The unit dose is successful because it offers clear consumer benefits:

convenience with smaller packaging and multi-functionality,”

says Lynn Meng,
Asia Pacific Business Segment Lead at IFF based in Shanghai.

Woman with short bob cut black hair of east Asian heritage in a black blazer and white shirt with a gray background and purple geometric shapes.

Some Chinese detergent pods include up to seven chambers each claiming to offer a different benefit. These pods also have consumer-appealing designs in various colors and shapes, such as flowers or animals. Despite the novel designs, Chinese laundry pods are not considered a super-premium product and can be produced at lower costs than in Europe and North America.

Container of colorful laundry detergent pods labeled

Source: Nice

Colorful heart-shaped detergent pod with Chinese text and bubbles highlighting its features.

Source: Liby

Colorful gel detergent capsules with a white container labeled

Source: Watson private label

A big part of the success story of unit doses in China is tied to the country’s booming e-commerce market, where consumers make virtually all their household purchases online. Chinese detergent brands have relied heavily on influencers on social platforms such as Little Red Book and Douyin (Tik Tok) to introduce unit doses directly to consumers. This social sales approach has made the information more trustworthy, says Meng, as it comes from individuals sharing their experiences.

“For big brands outside of China, there might be learnings

in how they can move more towards a sales pitch on these channels versus just a corporate branding pitch,”

says Annemarieke van Heeswijk,
Marketing and Communications Lead at IFF.

woman with red hair in a green top with arms crossed, standing in front of a geometric background with hexagonal patterns and purple graphic elements.

3 trends to watch in unit doses

Infographic highlighting trends in laundry pod formats across Europe and the U.S.

The Debut of Game-changing Formats: Water-less Detergents

While laundry sheets failed to take off in China many years ago, new versions of this liquid-less format are emerging in the U.S. and E.U., designed to meet the rising consumer demand for more sustainable and convenient detergent options. Leading the pack, Procter & Gamble recently launched Tide Evo, a multi-layered detergent square for U.S. markets.

These waterless products generally use recyclable cardboard packaging, eliminating the need for plastic detergents bottles, and offer a compact, easy-to-use solution for laundry. But despite their innovative design and eco-friendly appeal, it’s important to consider the product’s overall environmental impact and performance.

Laundry sheets are produced using an energy-intensive heat process that can reach up to 90 degrees Celsius. This method can impact the stability of the enzymes and other ingredients used in these products. Furthermore, most of these products are produced by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in China for export, adding another layer to their sustainability footprint.

A graphic showing that laundry sheet usage has climbed from 5% in 2022 to 8% in 2024. Source: Mintel/UK.

The Laundry Lens

To better understand the performance of laundry sheets, our applications team recently conducted an internal benchmarking study on several versions currently available on the market. Despite many of these brands listing enzymes (protease) as ingredients, the study found that these sheets did not clean as effectively as liquid detergents, especially when it came to enzymatic stains. This is likely due to the large difference in dosing between sheets and liquid formats.

“The detergent dose in sheets is about ten times less than in a standard HDL

resulting in poorer cleaning performance which we found in our internal tests,”

says Grace Lau,
Senior Application Specialist, IFF Palo Alto, who led the study.

A woman with long brown hair wearing glasses, in a blue denim jacket and white top standing in front of a green background with a blue geometric design.

However, this performance gap highlights an opportunity for innovation. The shift towards liquid-less formats is a great leap for the industry. And history has taught us with unit doses that innovative formats often initially stumble due to a mix of factors, such as performance issues or lack of market readiness.

Today’s laundry brands must persist in refining and innovating these waterless products. Numerous brands, ranging from boutique to multinationals, are working on these formats and ultimately it will be the big players to drive mass consumer acceptance.

By the numbers

To learn more about the ASTM stains, visit here

Bar chart comparing detergent dosage and active ingredient content across laundry formats.

Bar graph comparing stain removal performance of laundry sheets and standard HDLs at recommended dosage.

Bar graph showing proteolytic stain removal performance of laundry sheets with protease claims.

Scatter plot showing U.S. consumer perceptions of stain frequency and difficulty across various stain types.

Importance of partnership

At IFF, we’re continually innovating our enzymes for detergent formulas to be more stable and enhance cold-water washing. We work closely with our customers on developing powerful enzymes suitable for multiple formats to high-efficiency laundry detergents (HDLs) to unit doses.

Continuous Innovation

As detergent formats continue to evolve in response to consumer needs, technological advances and regulatory changes, detergent brands are faced with some key challenges. It’s not just about meeting these evolving demands, but surpassing them by setting new standards for convenience, performance, and sustainability. This evolution calls continuous innovation, collaboration, and a strategic approach to shape the future of detergent formats.