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Beyond the Brand: Persil®
Henkel’s two business units, Adhesive Technologies and Consumer Brands, are united by the pioneering spirit to reimagine and improve everyday life – today and for generations to come. Building on a strong legacy of more than 145 years, our brands and products play an important role in the lives of millions of people and help to transform entire industries. In this series, Beyond the Brand, you will learn about how Henkel’s top brands are contributing to organizational goals and innovating constantly to serve and succeed on behalf of customers, consumers, and partners.
This edition’s featured brand is Persil® Laundry Detergent, which has been delighting consumers globally for over 115 years. Read on for more about the history, purpose, innovations, sustainability, and pioneering spirit that goes far beyond the brand.
Developed in 1907, Persil was introduced in Germany as the first self-acting detergent. Its revolutionary powder formula that released oxygen during washing eliminated the need for strenuous rubbing while doing laundry, serving society’s changing needs while combining innovation and continuity. Persil launched in North America in 2015, with constant innovation bringing the brand to a wider range of satisfied consumers.
The Purpose of Persil
Persil’s purpose is to help everyone look good and feel their best with laundry products that provide a deep clean, lasting freshness, and color protection. Persil believes that our clothes are important. They provide us with shelter, are embedded with memories, and help us express ourselves. When our clothes look good, we feel good, and Persil is dedicated to helping consumers look and feel their best.
Innovations from Persil
Since the Persil’s launch in North America in 2015, premium formulations and modern innovations have propelled the brand to become a household name, accompanied by celebrity partnerships and creative campaigns.
In 2024, a brand refresh recently unveiled a bright and bold new visual identity for the brand, accompanied by new packaging and graphics that highlight the benefits of Persil to help keep your clothes looking newer, longer.* Additionally, the brand introduced a new formula – Persil® Activewear Clean, specifically designed for athleticwear, athleisure wear and synthetics while also working on all fabrics. A first-of-its-kind for the brand, it fights body oil and sweat, helps maintain fabric shape and stretch, and helps eliminate odor while providing an advanced clean on performance fabrics. Check it out here!
Sustainability from Persil
Persil, along with other Henkel laundry brands, believes that as pioneers in sustainability, it is crucial to seek growth in a sustainable way. From ingredients to packaging components to delivery processes, Persil has made strides to decrease environmental impact. For example, in North America the brand has reduced the amount of plastic used in product variants and ensured a post-consumer recycled (PCR) material content of 50% in the bottle bodies of the detergent packaging. In further pursuit of a circular economy, Persil packaging is fully recyclable.**
The brand also seeks to become more sustainable through collaboration with key partners. In 2023, Henkel and Shell Chemical LP launched a collaboration to source renewable raw materials in the manufacturing of surfactants used in many of Henkel’s laundry product brands, including Persil. This initiative has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 120,000 tonnes of CO2 over the length of the five-year agreement.***
Beyond the Persil Brand
Persil has declared itself the ‘Official Detergent of Outfit Repeating,’ understanding that consumers want to wear their favorite clothes everywhere, and setting out to help them do just that. Keeping clothes ‘clean’ means much more to consumers than just stain fighting – it’s about protecting the clothes they care about, and that matters to the brand. In bringing new energy to the laundry aisle, Persil aims to celebrate shoppers’ clothing and the cherished memories interwoven in their fabrics.
With the help of partners, this art of outfit repeating has never been more fashionable. Persil teamed up with celebrated American fashion designer Christian Siriano, an expert and icon in the clothing industry, to host the first-ever 24-hour Wardrobe Refresh Hotline on TikTok™ LIVE. Over the course of 24 hours, Siriano answered questions and provided advice to help consumers outfit repeat and care for their clothes like a fashion pro. The unique event provided viewers with hours of entertainment and a fresh perspective on how to style any wardrobe’s go-to items so consumers can wear, wash, and repeat with confidence.
All of the Persil brand’s successes are achieved by an exceptional team across the organization with a commitment to problem solving and formulating solutions that align to what is best for Henkel, the brand, the communities we serve, and our customers, consumers, partners.
* vs. Leading value detergent
** When correctly disposed of, and where proper recycling facilities exist
*** Using the mass balance approach, an independent accounting process is applied enabling Shell to attribute the total tonnes of renewable feedstocks used in the process solely to Henkel.
