- Unilever’s latest homecare innovation, Persil Wonder Wash, harnesses the growing trend of short-cycle washes with 15-minute laundry detergent, using cutting edge Pro-S Technology™
- Launch is supported in the UK with multi-million Pound Campaign[1] featuring 8-time gold Olympic medallist Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man!
Unilever has announced the launch of a Persil Wonder Wash, a new science-backed innovation responding to evolving laundry needs and the changing technology in consumers’ homes. Unilever used cutting-edge robotics and AI to develop Wonder Wash, a laundry detergent specifically designed for outstanding performance even in a 15-minute cycle.
Growth in hybrid-working patterns adopted since the pandemic as well as an increase in hyper-convenience, has led to a shift in the type of laundry consumers are doing. Reduction in daily commutes has meant that while clothing still picks up invisible grease and grime, the majority (70%) of the clothing we wash now contains no visible stains[2].
As a result, over two thirds (78%) of washing machine owners choose a cycle that lasts less-than-30-minute at least once a week, with the short cycle category currently predicted to grow 21% globally YOY[3]. Research also shows that ‘short wash’ searches have grown by 89% within the past year[4].
This, coupled with the rise of washing machines with cycle settings as short as 15 minutes, has created a new consumer need – an effective product that can perform even in the shortest cycles, and without leaving a sticky residue.
Using cutting-edge Pro-S Technology™ for the first time*, together with robotics and AI, Persil Wonder Wash has been designed to directly address the existing short cycle concerns of shoppers, including the desire to save on the cost of energy.
Wonder Wash has been designed for high-performance in cycles as short as 15 minutes, while still being suitable for longer cycles. Unilever scientists have developed a blend of fast-acting ingredients, which activate as soon as the cycle begins, tackling everyday grime and malodour compounds in a matter of minutes, and in the most challenging washing conditions. With 35 patents pending, the innovation is set to create a new category of laundry products.
Wonder Wash is available in stores from this month in the UK and comes in three variants, Speed Clean Non Bio, Odour Defy and Ultra Care, in a 31 or 55 wash pack. The Speed Clean Non Bio variant is superior on odour and fragrance, whilst being gentle next to skin, the Odour Defy variant contains extra odour-fighting agents and the Ultra Care variant protects clothing by maintaining and restoring colours wash after wash.
Helping to make the launch of Persil Wonder Wash unmissable in the UK, the launch is supported with a multi-million-pound campaign[5] running from May and featuring Usain Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist coined ‘the world’s fastest man’. The campaign’s key tagline is “Fast Just Got Better” and will include TV, out of home audio, digital and social investment as well as consumer product sampling. In store, Persil is due to unveil a series of activations including unmissable front-of-store activations, homecare aisle takeovers, alongside Usain Bolt-branded POS, bringing theatre to the shopper experience.
Eduardo Campanella, Business Group President, Unilever Home Care, said:
“Until now, laundry detergents have not kept pace with changing consumer behaviours. By harnessing people’s enthusiasm for short cycles for everyday stains, we’re opening up the potential for a new category of short cycle products within laundry. This breakthrough in fast-acting cleaning will come to consumers around the world under Persil, one of Unilever’s 30 Power Brands – where we’re really focusing our investment and bringing through bigger and better innovations.
“As part of Unilever Home Care’s Clean Future Strategy, not only is this about delivering an unmissably superior laundry experience, but reducing environmental impact by encouraging the use of shorter, energy-saving cycles. Using over a century in detergent-development, we’ve overcome a real technical challenge to offer outstanding performance even in the shortest timeframe and the difficult washing conditions of the short cycle.”
Persil Wonder Wash is available across grocery and convenience channels from April 2024. The bottle body contains 35% recycled plastic, and the pack is recyclable.
* The Pro-S Technology™ blends fast acting bioenzymes and other proprietary ingredients including molecule release technology engineered explicitly for short and cold wash cycles.
[1] Gross Media Spend
[2] Data source: Toluna Survey, November 2022.
[3] Consumer Quals LoveBrand FR, January 2023
[4] Toluna Nov 2022, (Google Keyword planner MAT -1 Nov 2021 vs MAT Nov 2022), Mintel GNPD data – 2020 – 2021)
[5] Gross media spend
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