COMPARATIVE TEST

Detergent Bars

Are they one and the same thing?

Earlier, detergent bars used to be made from natural materials, they looked almost the same—a brownish cube, and did the same job. Today, detergents are more likely to be a mixture of synthetic chemicals and additives cooked up in a huge chemical plant. Moreover, brown cubes have become colourful bars, their efficiency has comparatively increased, and their market has become much bigger. Almost every fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company has a detergent bar brand available on the retail shelves. In order to find out if manufacturers of detergent bars are complying with regulatory standards and which one performs better on parameters that a consumer may consider before buying, Team tested 11 topselling brands. Talking of performance, consumers should note that higher efficiency in cleaning may be at the cost of the environment – ingredients like phosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) are known to have adverse effects on the environment. Low-cost ingredients are also used to replace the phosphate in detergent bars, but even they may be harmful for the environment.

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