There is an old proverb, “Clothes maketh the Man.” This is very true because people always judge you from the clothes you wear. Wearing sparkling clean clothes can make people glance at you for a second time. It can also help you walk through the airport security without much of a frisking. Jokes apart, clean clothes are always great to wear. They can give you the respect that you deserve.
Who do you think should receive the credit when you wear clean clothes? Does the credit go to the laundry boy or to the detergent powder that played a great role in washing the clothes? Naturally, the detergent should take the cake (pun intended).
India is a huge country with a varied population. Each person has his or her own preferences as far as detergents are concerned. Some people go by the name of the detergent whereas some go by the quality. There might be thousands of detergent brands in India. We shall examine the top ten best detergent brands 2022 for you.
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10. Ghadi
At No 10, we have a local detergent brand, Ghadi. Manufactured by Rohit Surfactants Pvt Ltd, a Kanpur-based company, this detergent brand has risen through the ranks. It has become popular throughout India. One should credit the popularity of this detergent powder to its catchy tagline, “Pehle Istemaal Kare Phir Vishwas Kare.” Literally translated it means that you should use the detergent and then trust it. It lives up to the reputation as a high-quality detergent.
9. Fena
Launched in 1976 by Dalip Jolly and his brother Pradeep Jolly, Fena has survived the test of time to attain the No 9 spot in 2022. The very fact that this detergent powder has been able to survive for nearly four decades is a tribute to its excellent bleaching qualities. This detergent is available all over India at reasonable rates. The makers of the detergent have moved with the times and made the requisite adjustments to its composition to suit the washing machines today.
8. Wheel
There was a time in India when Nirma used to rule the roost. Hindustan Unilever Ltd saw the need to have a competition with Nirma. They designed the Wheel detergent cake and subsequently graduated to the Wheel detergent powder. Introduced in 1987, it became the prime adversary to Nirma. People started preferring Wheel because of its low price as compared to Nirma. This was the first detergent powder to come in a variety of flavors such as Lemon, Orange, Gold, and Jasmine, etc.
7. Rin
Hindustan Unilever Ltd is a giant in the detergent manufacturing field. One of the first detergents to roll out of its stable was the Rin bar. This blue colored bar became a household name all over India. Subsequently, they brought the Wheel detergent powder to counter the success of Nirma. In 1994, they came out with the Rin detergent powder. Today, you have various brands of Rin flooding the market such as Rin matic, Rin Refresh, etc.
6. Henko
For a very long time, people used to compare detergents based on their ability to clean white clothes. Henko should be the first detergent powder that brought the concept of washing colored clothing into the scene with its new brand, Henko Stain Champion. Manufactured by Jyothy Laboratories, this detergent conducted a nationwide campaign to demonstrate the ability of this product to remove dried food and ink stains from clothes. This made this detergent very popular. Even today, this is one of the better detergents to maintain the luster of colored clothes.
5. Tide
Now, we come to the top five brands of detergents in India. At No 5 is Tide. Manufactured by Procter and Gamble in the first decade of this century, Tide was the answer to Surf Excel and Ariel. This detergent has the reputation of making the white clothes look whiter. This detergent is very soft on the hands as well. It entails that this detergent does not contain the harsh chemicals that other detergents usually have. Tide has a beautiful tagline, “White ho to Tide ho.”
4. Nirma
Launched in 1969 as a detergent cake as a competitor to Surf, Nirma became a household name with its detergent powder. The credit for launching this detergent goes to Karsanbhai Patel. At one point in time, this detergent was the least expensive of all. The powder was effective as well. Hence, Nirma became famous. The fact that Nirma still rules the rural hinterland in India proves the fact that it is a good detergent fit to rank in the top five. Having its base in Ahmedabad, this detergent is now available all over India.
3. Patanjali
Launched under the auspices of the spiritual Guru, Baba Ramdev, Patanjali has entered the Indian market in a big way. Today you have the Patanjali products in every genre. However, the detergent market has picked up tremendously. Manufactured without using any kind of harsh bleaching chemicals, Patanjali is very soft on the hands. The fragrance of the detergent powder lasts for a very long time. Compatible to use with all washing machines, Patanjali has taken the Indian FMCG market by storm.
2. Surf Excel
There was a time when the only detergent available was Surf. Originally launched by Unilever in 1948 in Pakistan, Hindustan Unilever Ltd brought the detergent Surf to India in 1959. The original blue colored Surf has now changed to Surf Excel. However, even today people swear by the name of Surf. The name Surf was symbolic with washing for a long time. Practically, every home has used Surf at one point in time in India. This detergent brand is very famous in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well.
1. Ariel
Procter and Gamble is the biggest competitor to Hindustan Unilever Ltd. Launched in 1967 in the United Kingdom, Ariel found its way into India in the 1990’s. It has topped the charts many a time since its arrival in India. One can say that they have revolutionised washing in India. It was an expensive product at the time of its launch. However, it had tremendous quality. It was the perfect answer to the king of the detergent market, Surf. Even today, you have a tremendous competition between Surf and Ariel in all the forums. Today, you have the Ariel washing powder available in different names such as Ariel Matic, etc. This is the most ideal detergent for use inside a washing machine.
Hindustan Lever is the undisputed king as far as detergents are concerned with Procter and Gamble not far behind. Nirma has been the perennial challenger to these top two multinationals. Today, you have the Patanjali brand making waves all over the place. It will not take time before the sense of nationality will prevail and hence, make Patanjali as the top detergent manufacturer in India.
