Persil and Tide are very similar, big-name laundry detergents. Both are marketed as powerful cleaners that can remove tough stains and odors better than other products on the market. So, which is better?
There’s no easy answer because of how similar these detergents are. Still, there has to be a winner, so we’re going to take a look at the products they offer and answer some pressing comparison questions to determine which is the better laundry detergent.
Are you curious about the difference between these two brands and which is the better laundry detergent? You’re in the right place! Read on as we review the products from Persil and Tide to determine which is the better laundry detergent.
What’s The Difference Between Persil and Tide?
Tide and Persil are very similar laundry detergents. They both offer stain removing, deep cleaning laundry detergent products based on a similar formula. So, what’s the difference between these two?
The difference lies in their range of products. Tide offers more products than Persil, including a powered detergent and a line of detergents with Downy. We’re going to dive deeper into their products later in this guide!
Persil
Persil was first developed in 1907 and is part of the Henkel family. This detergent became one of a kind as it continually evolved to find new ways to solve laundry-related issues and produce more modern products.
They launched the first-ever phosphate-free detergent in 1986 and have continued this trend throughout the years. This company has a focus on sustainability and is 100% cruelty-free.
What Products Does Persil Offer?
If you love brands that offer a wide variety of laundry detergents, then you’ll love Persil! They have a huge selection of products to choose from, so let’s dive right in and do a brief review of each.
Persil Original Liquid Laundry Detergent
The Persil Original Liquid Laundry Detergent is powered by their ProClean formula meant to penetrate deep into the fibers of your clothing to deliver a thorough clean and long-lasting freshness. This detergent lifts tough stains and odors while leaving your clothes with a pleasant, fresh scent. You can also get this product in a 2x concentrated version that can tackle the toughest stains and messes.
Persil Liquid Laundry Detergent With OXI
This detergent combines all the deep cleaning benefits of their ProClean formula with the stain-lifting power of OXI. Persil Detergent with OXI eliminates tough stains, whitens clothes, brightens clothes, and provides long-lasting freshness. All of their products are safe for use in all washing machines, including high efficiency, and are effective when used with all water temperatures.
Persil Liquid Laundry Detergent, Intense Fresh Scent
Tough stains and strong odors don’t stand a chance against the Persil Intense Fresh Scent Detergent. This product removes tough stains and odors while imparting a strong, fresh scent to your laundry. You can also get this product in a 2x concentrated formula for laundry that needs extra odor-fighting care.
Persil Liquid Laundry Detergent, Free & Sensitive
This product is free of dyes, perfumes, and has been dermatologist-tested to be safe for use for people with sensitive skin. Persil Free & Sensitive is fueled by their ProClean formula without any of the common irritants or allergens. Remove stains and freshen your clothes while protecting your skin with this product.
Persil Liquid Laundry Detergent, Odor Fighter
This detergent is meant for the toughest odors. You can use Persil Odor Fighter on your activewear, your kid’s gym clothes, and all the laundry that needs a powerful clean and total odor elimination. While destroying all those tough odors, this detergent also works well to lift stains and provide your clothes with lasting freshness.
Persil Liquid Laundry Detergent, Stain Fighter
Persil Stain Fighter is their most powerful formula yet. It can clean even the most heavily soiled laundry and destroy stains that have penetrated deep into the fibers of your clothes. This product is great for kid’s play clothes, kitchen towels, and other laundry that needs complete stain elimination.
Persil Liquid Laundry Detergent, Active Scent Boost
Persil redefines the meaning of long-lasting freshness with their Active Scent Boost Detergent. This product will penetrate deep into the fibers of your laundry to destroy tough odors and stains while imparting a fresh scent that lasts for up to 100 days! Never worry about that fresh scent fading a couple days after washing again with this product!
Persil Disks Laundry Detergent
These laundry detergent disks have all the power of Persil’s ProClean formula without any mess or spills! You can get these disks in the original, active scent boost, stain-fighter, and with OXI formulas.
How To Use Persil Laundry Detergent?
Persil’s detergents are super easy to use, and their disks are even more convenient! For the disks, you simply drop one into your washer and run a load as normal. Their liquid detergents take a little more effort as you need to measure out 46ml and then add it to your washer’s dispenser or drum.
What Are The Ingredients in Persil Laundry Detergent?
Persil uses SmartLabel to make sure their list of ingredients is easily accessible right from their website. Here’s the list of ingredients found in their original laundry detergent.
- Water
- Sodium laureth sulfate
- Laureth-12
- Sodium C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate
- Sodium citrate
- Sodium C12-18 alkyl ether sulfate
- C12-18 fatty acids sodium salts
- Propylene Glycol
- Polyethyleneimine alkoxylated
- Sodium metaborate
- Tetrasodium EDTA
- Fragrance
- Sodium formate
- Sodium Chloride
- Disodium Distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate
- Protease enzyme
- Amylase Enzyme
- Dimethicone
- Silicone Emulsion
- Enzymes
Is Persil Laundry Detergent Toxic?
Persil laundry detergent contains several toxic ingredients that can be harmful to your health. EWG gave this product an F rating for safety, indicating that their ingredients are fairly risky. Certain chemicals in their formula, such as sodium borate, have been known to cause developmental/reproductive issues with prolonged exposure.
This product is safe when used as intended, but accidentally ingesting it or allowing it to come into contact with your eyes is cause for concern. If that happens, you should immediately seek medical attention.
Tide
Tide is part of the Proctor and Gamble family, and was officially launched in 1946. By 1949, it became the most popular laundry detergent in the US. This detergent, along with the invention of washing machines, drastically changed the way people did their laundry because it was the first detergent of its kind to easily remove stains as well as clean clothes.
Tide continued to produce new products that offered modern solutions as new laundry-related headaches arose. This company has advanced with the times and is now working on ways to become more environmentally friendly with their PurClean line.
What Products Does Tide Offer?
Tide is one of the most well-known and used laundry detergents in the US. They have a huge selection of products available, so we’re going to go through and do a quick review on each.
Tide Original Laundry Detergent
Tide’s Original Laundry Detergent has been in staple in homes across America for decades. This detergent gives your clothes the deep clean they need while whitening, brightening, and freshening them. This product is safe to use with all washers and can be used in all temperature settings.
Tide PurClean Laundry Detergent
This plant-based detergent has been EPA certified to be safer for you and the environment than conventional laundry detergents. Tide PurClean Detergent comes in a honey lavender fragrance and works well to eliminate odors and stains from your clothes while leaving them with a pleasant, fresh scent.
Tide Free & Gentle Laundry Detergent
Tide Free & Gentle is free of perfumes and dyes. It’s hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested to be safe for people with sensitive skin. This detergent is recommended by both the National Eczema Association and the National Psoriasis Association.
Tide Plus Febreze Laundry Detergent
If you’re looking for all the power of Tide’s original formula plus the amazing fragrances of Febreze, then Tide Plus Febreze is the perfect detergent for you! This detergent will give your clothes the deep clean they need while leaving them with a pleasant, long-lasting fragrance. This detergent uses a 4-in-1 technology that comes a powerful detergent, stain remover, color protector, and long-lasting Febreze fragrances.
Tide Simply Laundry Detergent
Tide Simply is a line of laundry detergents all about savings you money while giving your clothes the deep clean they need! These detergents work with a 2-in-1 formula that combines concentrated detergent with long-lasting fresh scents. You can get this detergent in a variety of fragrances, or in a Free & Clear version. There’s also a version with OXI for heavily soiled laundry.
Tide Plus Downy Laundry Detergent
When you want powerful cleaning and laundry that comes out soft as a cloud, then Tide Plus Downy is the perfect product for you! This product uses Tide’s powerful formula to get your clothes odor, stain, and mess free while working with Downy to perfectly condition your clothes. You can get this product in an April Fresh scent or a Free & Clear version for those with sensitive skin.
Tide Ultra Oxi Laundry Detergent
The Tide Ultra Oxi detergent uses a powerful 4-in-1 combination of concentrated detergent, stain remover, color protector, and Oxi to really eliminate even the oldest and toughest stains from your laundry. This formula penetrates deep into the fibers of your clothing to lift and remove stains even at the deepest levels while protecting the color and integrity of your clothes.
Tide Hygienic Clean Laundry Detergent
Tide Hygienic Clean detergent uses 10 concentrated cleaning actives to achieve a deep, hygienic clean. Your laundry is covered in more invisible dirt and odor-causing residue than visible ones, and this detergent powers through those invisible residues to leave your clothes extra clean and smelling great!
Tide Plus Bleach Laundry Detergent
When you have laundry that needs some extra whitening, Tide Plus Bleach is a great choice! This product provides 6x the whitening power as compared to their original formula, and will remove stains from even the most soiled laundry.
Tide Pods
Tide has transformed their original formula and other collections into pre-dosed pods to make doing your laundry the easiest chore in your home! These pods are filled with the same powerful formula without any risk of spills or messes. Tide Pods come in Original, Plus Downy, Hygienic Clean, Simply, Plus Febreze, Ultra Oxi, and ColwaterClean varieties.
Tide Powder
For those who enjoy using powdered detergents, Tide has you covered! Tide Powder detergents come in their Original formula as well as Ultra Oxi, Free & Gentle, Plus Downy, and Plus Bleach. These powdered detergents work just as well as their pod or liquid detergent alternatives.
How To Use Tide Laundry Detergent?
Tide has made all versions of their laundry detergent incredibly easy to use. Their pods are the simplest, as you merely drop one into your washer with your laundry and then run a load as normal.
For their powder and liquid detergents, just follow these easy steps:
1. Add laundry to washing machine.
2. Measure liquid or powder detergent to the appropriate bar (bar 2 for medium loads, bar 4 for large loads, and bar 5 for full HE loads).
3. Start washer and add detergent.
And that’s it! Washing your clothes with Tide is an easy and effective process.
What Are The Ingredients in Tide Laundry Detergent?
The ingredients are going to vary a little depending on which product you’re using specifically. However, these are the ingredients in their original laundry detergent and can serve as a guide for the ingredients found in their other products.
- Water
- Sodium laureth sulfate
- Sodium alkylbenzenesulfonate
- C10-16 Pareth
- Polyethyleneimines Alkoxylated
- Propylene Glycol
- Sodium Citrate
- Alcohol
- Sodium Borate
- Sodium Salts
- Pentasodium Pentetate
- Fluorescent Brightener
- Phenylpropyl Ethyl Methicone
- Calicum Formate
- Sodium Cumenesulfonate
- Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- Enzymes
- Fragrances
- Colors
Is Tide Laundry Detergent Toxic?
Tide’s PurClean detergent is non-toxic, but their other detergents contain potentially harmful chemicals. Some of the ingredients in their original detergent, such as sodium borate, can cause negative health effects if ingested.
To protect your health, make sure you only use this product as intended. Contact a medical professional if you have any concerns after using this product.
Comparison Questions (Persil vs Tide)
Is Persil or Tide More Affordable?
It can be difficult to compare the affordability of two similarly priced products. That’s why it’s helpful to break down the pricing to the cost per ounce, so you can really see which brand is giving you the best bang for your buck.
Here’s a table showing the cost per ounce of Tide’s original detergent vs Persil’s original detergent.
Brand | Cost Per Fluid Ounce |
Tide | $0.14 |
Persil | $0.24 |
As you can see from the table above, Tide is a good 10 cents cheaper per fluid ounce than Persil. This would definitely add up over time and makes Tide the more affordable choice.
Which Detergent is More Powerful?
Tide and Persil both use an impressive range of different cleaning agents, enzymes, and surfactants in their detergents. Their ingredients are actually incredibly similar, which means their effectiveness is going to be equally similar.
Reading through customer reviews and other sources show there’s no clear-cut winner between these two brands. Most people feel that Tide and Persil do an excellent job of cleaning their laundry, removing stains, and eliminating odors.
However, Tide has more products that are targeted for specific purposes, such as their Tide Plus Bleach product. In terms of brightening your clothes, it appears that Tide is more powerful.
Which Provides a Larger Variety of Products?
While Persil maintains an impressive variety of products, they’re no match for Tide’s various detergent collections and products. Tide has powder detergents and an entire line of detergents that contain Febreze for added fragrance. Persil doesn’t offer much in the way of fragrances, so Tide definitely a larger variety of products.
Which Product is More Environmentally Friendly?
Tide and Persil’s original detergents both contain several ingredients that are considered harmful to people and the environment. These powerful chemicals have given both an F rating from EWG, and makes neither particularly environmentally friendly.
The only exception is Tide’s PurClean products. This detergent is plant-based and EPA Safer Choice Certified. This sets Tide apart from many other big name detergent brands, including Persil, and makes them the more environmentally friendly detergent.
Related Questions
What Does Persil Smell Like?
While Persil doesn’t offer a selection of fragrances like most detergents do, they are scented. Their fragrance is described as being sweet with green citrus notes. Many reviewers have stated that it smells like a combination of apples or peaches and citrus.
Is Persil Cruelty Free?
Persil is cruelty free. This brand is dedicated to providing safe products without testing on animals. Their parent company, Henkel, doesn’t allow animal testing on any of their products or brands.
Is Tide Cruelty Free?
While Tide has made strides to become more eco-conscious with their PurClean detergent, they aren’t entirely cruelty free. Their products are tested on animals, but it’s unclear if this brand does the testing themselves or send products to a lab to have the testing done for them.
The Verdict – Which Is Better?
Tide and Persil are both big name laundry detergents with an impressive variety of products. Their ingredients are very similar, which means their effectiveness is fairly similar. So, which is the better laundry detergent?
Tide is the better laundry detergent. Unlike Persil, they have a larger variety of products and fragrances to choose from and they have an eco-friendly option with their PurClean detergent. Tide is also slightly more affordable than Persil so, if you’re looking to make the switch to one of these detergents, you should go with Tide!
Jamie is the Founder of My Home Dwelling. He is a homeowner and enjoys sharing his homeowner tips with others. He has real estate experience working as a new home construction Realtor. Jamie has worked on numerous residential construction sites helping with interior and exterior renovations. He loves refinishing furniture, DIY home projects, and sharing his knowledge online.