Ariel (detergent) Automatic" powder. Though with the increasing popularity of automatic front-loading washing machines, a suitable low-suds variant "Ariel Automatic" was eventually launched in the early 1980s. The mid-eighties saw the range expanding to encompass liquid detergent and compact powder. The compact powder was originally known as "Ariel Ultra"; and was subsequently reformulated into the nineties as "Ariel Future". This was possibly in response to Unilever's launch of the ultimately doomed "Persil Power", which was seen to damage clothes. Compact powders never proved popular in the UK, so when the tablet variant appeared in July 1999, the compact version disappeared. In 2003,
Phosphates in detergent the European Union and the United States. Independent product testing noted that manufacturers reformulated their products after bans. Those reports indicated that the new products without phosphates were satisfactory. States including Maine, Florida, and Indiana in the United States began restricting or banning the use of phosphates in laundry detergent in the early 1970s, culminating in a nationwide voluntary ban in 1994. In July of 2010, 17 states followed up with bans on its use in automatic dishwasher detergent. In 2004, the European Union introduced regulations to require biodegradability in all detergents. In 2011 the European Commission announced that the