Persil the ""work of the washboard""—saving consumers time and rendering the historic method of "sun-bleaching" (by laying clothes out in the sun) unnecessary. Persil was the first commercially available self-activated laundry detergent (combining bleach with the detergent). The invention of Persil was a significant breakthrough. The name, "Persil", is derived from two of the original ingredients, sodium perborate and silicate. The original name was deemed unsuitable as an international brand because it is hard to pronounce in some languages. Coincidentally, "persil" is the French word for the herb, parsley. Persil is sold in powder, liquid detergent, liquid capsule, liqui-gel, and tablet
Purex (laundry detergent) their bleach product. By 1946, Purex began to produce its first light-duty, dry detergent, under the brand name Trend. On July 31, 1956, Purex acquired the Manhattan Soap Company best known for its "SweetHeart" soap. In 1975, Purex liquid laundry detergent was introduced. Purex liquids began the use of its distinctive blue plastic bottle in 1981. In 1982, Purex Industries, Inc. was acquired in a leveraged buyout by Gibbons, Green and van Amerongen Ltd., the predecessor of Leonard Green & Partners. In 1985, the household and consumer products business of Purex Industries, Inc. was acquired by Greyhound Corporation and was