SUNLIGHTAND LIFEBUOY SOAPS-PART2 Dear friends,
This is 2ndpart of the posting concentrating to other washing products from HindustanUnilever and other interesting topics to curious members. Hope an interesting reading. I am thankful for the response from members for the firstpart of the posting. I have responded to all. Gopalakrishnan 20-06-2025 Sunlight detergent powder stillavailable in India, even after changing to liquid form. Sunlight Detergent Powder absolutely exists and is widelysold in India. It was officially revived as a powder detergent by HindustanUnilever (HUL) in 2004.Thereason you might think it has not appeared is because HUL uses a highlyspecific regional cluster strategy for Sunlight, making it dominant in somestates but virtually invisible in others. Where is Sunlight PowderAvailable in India? Instead of launching Sunlight nationwide to compete directly with SurfExcel or Tide, HUL selectively sells Sunlight powder in regionswhere the brand has profound historical trust. Primary Hubs: It is a massive market leader in West Bengal and Kerala.It is also sold in states like Odisha. The Marketing Strategy: In these specific states, HULintegrates Sunlight heavily with local culture, rolling out special campaignsduring major festivals like Durga Puja and Onam. Speciality withSunlight detergent Powder /liquid While most Indian detergents focus on "removing toughstains" or "making clothes look whiter," Sunlight powder carved out aspecific niche: "Colour Lock Technology". The Promise: It is formulated specifically tocare for vibrant, colourful clothes, promising to prevent fading and keep themlooking fresh and bright for up to 40 washes. The Line-up: If you live in or visit theseregions, you can find it everywhere from local grocery stores to major onlineplatforms like Big Basket and Amazon India. It is sold alongside its newer sibling, Sunlight MaticLiquid Detergent. Watch how Hindustan Unilever advertises the Colour Locktechnology of Sunlight powder in its primary regional markets: Other massive washing brands of Hindustan Unilever are Surf Excel, Wheel, and Rin. What are all otherlaundry soaps by Hindustan unilever? Apart from Sunlight, Unilever owns a massive global portfolioof laundry soaps and detergents. The company uses a "segmentationstrategy" to offer brands across the premium, mid-tier, and mass budget categories. The Premium Segment-SurfExcel: Originallylaunched in India in 1959 simply as Surf, it is Unilever's flagship premiumbrand in South Asia. Known for its famous Dirt is Good slogan, it dominates thepremium market with powders, liquid detergents, and advanced three-chamberlaundry capsules. Persil & OMO: This brand group forms Unilever'spowerhouse "Dirt Is Good" global line. Sold as Persil in the UK andWestern Europe, and OMO across Latin America, Australia, and parts of Europe,these brands lead Unilever's cutting-edge biotech and eco-friendly detergentinnovations. Skip: Unilever's premium stain-removalbrand heavily marketed in South Africa, Spain, France, and parts of SouthernEurope. The Mid-Tier / ValueSegment Rin: A household legend in India andBangladesh introduced in 1969. Rin began specifically as a laundry soap bardesigned to give superior "whiteness" to clothes. Today, the brandincludes Rin DetergentPowder and liquids, serving as a direct mid-market option. Surf (Global Variant): While Surf Excel is premium, thebasic global Surf brand is a highly popular, mass-premium choice in the UK,Philippines, and the Americas. It is heavily marketed around sensory fragranceexperiences rather than just heavy stain removal. The Mass Economy Segment Wheel (Active Wheel): Launched in India in 1985 specificallyto provide an ultra-affordable, high-foaming laundry solution forbudget-conscious and rural consumers. It is highly popular for hand washingclothes and remains one of the largest-selling economy detergent brands inSouth Asia. Ala: Unilever's leading economydetergent and fabric care brand across Latin America, specifically dominant inArgentina and sections of Brazil. Breeze: A value-focused laundry detergentline distributed primarily across Southeast Asia, including Malaysia,Singapore, and Thailand. Specialized Fabric Care Comfort: While not a soap or detergent,Comfort is Unilever's premier global fabric conditioner brand. It is used as apost-wash rinse to add softness, long-lasting fragrance, and anti-wrinkleproperties to clothes. The globalcounterparts to India’s household names, which are not sold inside India underthese names, include: 1. OMO (The Global"Surf Excel") This is Unilever’s largest global laundry brand. Sold throughout Europe,Latin America, the Middle East, and Australia. OMO uses the exact same"Dirt is Good" philosophy and core enzyme chemistry as Surf Excel inIndia. 2. Persil (UK, Ireland,France & China)In specific premium Western markets, Unilever holds the license to manufactureand sell Persil (sharing the trademark globally with German firm Henkel). Ifyou buy a premium Persil liquid capsule or detergent pod in London or Paris,you are using the European market equivalent of India's top-tier Surf Excel Matic line. 3. Radiant (Australia& New Zealand) Amid-to-premium market detergent built for stain removal and colour protection.Formulated on the exact same manufacturing blueprints as India’s Rin and Sunlight products tofocus heavily on fabric brightness. 4. Skip (South Africa& Southern Europe) A premium, tech-forward detergent line marketed heavily toward automaticwashing machines. It serves the identical consumer demographic and machine-carestandard as Surf ExcelMatic. Viso (Vietnam & Indonesia)A budget-friendly, high-foaming detergent engineered heavily for hand washingand semi-automatic machines. The Connection: It is the regional twin of India'smass-market Active Wheelformulation My note- When fromforeign countries members of the familybring these items paying huge prices , they are one and same in India availablein a different name for 1/3 of the price. Other toilet soapsfrom Hindustan unilever Apart from Lifebuoy, Unilever owns a diverse and highlysuccessful global portfolio of toilet and personal bathing soaps. To capturedifferent consumer needs, the company splits its soap brands into premium beauty, skincare, health,and budget categories. The major toilet soap brands owned by Unilever globally andin India include: The Beauty & Skincare Segment Dove: Unilever's global crown jewel inpersonal care. Launched in 1957, Dove Beauty Bar is technically not asoap; it is a"syndet" (synthetic detergent) bar formulated with 1/4 moisturizingcream. It targets skin nourishment and mildness rather than deepgrease removal, making it a massive success for sensitive skin. MY note- Mostly familymembers bring Dove from foreigncountries even now telling there is difference between Indian and foreign soaps!!!. Lux: Introduced in 1925, Lux isUnilever's oldest global beauty soap. It has historically been marketed as the "soap of movie stars," featuring high-profile celebrityendorsements. The product focus centers on fine fragrances, rich lather,and affordable luxury. Pears: Originally crafted in 1789 and acquired by Unilever, Pears is the world’sfirst mass-markettransparent soap. It is made using a unique aging process with high glycerinecontent and natural oils, positioning it as a gentle, pure choice for delicate ordry skin. Different colour Pears The original Pears soap is famous for being a translucent, amber-brown bar that produces a verylight, creamy lather. Because it is a pure glycerin-based soap, it contains farfewer synthetic foaming agents than standard white beauty bars. Instead of athick, billowy foam, it naturally creates a minimal, lotion-like latherdesigned to protect theskin barrier from drying out. Over the years, the brand has introduced different colouredvariations targeting specific skin benefits while maintaining that same iconic,translucent glycerin base. The Different PearsSoap Colours Amber-Brown (Pure &Gentle): This is theoriginal, heritage formula. It contains 98% pure glycerin and naturaloils. It has a very nostalgic, herbal, and slightly medicinal scent,designed purely for gentle hydration without stripping moisture. Bright Blue (Soft &Fresh): This variantblends glycerin with mint extract. It is formulated specifically for hotsummer weather to give a cooling, refreshing sensation while washing. Green (Oil Clear / AloeVera): There are twogreen variants depending on the region. The primary one is the Lemon Flower / Mint extractversion meant for oil control. The second is the Naturale Aloe Vera bar meant to sootheand detoxify sensitive skin. Bright Yellow(Naturale Vitamin C):A newer addition that infuses glycerin with Vitamin C extracts. It focuses onskin brightening and removing dullness. Pink/Red (Naturale Pomegranate): This variant uses pomegranate extracts toprovide antioxidant properties. It is marketed for deep skin revitalization anda natural glow The Natural &Wellness Segment Hamam: A highly popular regional brandlaunched in 1931 and predominantly sold in South India (especially Tamil Nadu). It is a traditional herbal soapformulated with neem, tulsi, and aloe vera, marketed for natural protectionagainst skin issues like prickly heat and rashes. Rexona: While globally famous fordeodorants, the Rexona soap bar remains a highly popular bathing soap inseveral markets, including Indiaand Brazil.It is infused with natural oils and positioned around long-lasting freshnessand sweat protection. Hamam soap became Rexona.But again Hamam started appearing.Reason Interesting answer to my query Your remembrance is spot-on and 100% correct. You arerecalling a major corporate branding battle from the early 2000s when HindustanUnilever tried to kill off the Hamam brand and merge it into Rexona, only forfurious loyal customers to force them to bring it back. The CorporateTakeover Originally, Hamam was not a Unilever brand. It was launchedin 1931 by the Tata Group under their company TOMCO (Tata Oil Mills Company). It becameIndia’s legendary Swadeshi (homegrown) natural neem and tulsi soap. In 1993, Tata sold TOMCO to Hindustan Unilever (HUL).Suddenly, HUL ownedHamam, but they already had their own old, established natural oil soap brand:Rexona. The"Rexona-Hamam" Forced Merger By the early 2000s, HUL launched its global "PowerBrand" strategy. To cut down on advertising costs, they decided toeliminate duplicate brands. Because Rexona and Hamam were both marketed asnatural skincare soaps, HULcorporate executives decided Hamam must die. HULcompletely stopped nationwide TV commercials for Hamam. They cross-branded the packaging, printing"Rexona-Hamam" on the wrappers to ease people into the change. Eventually,the soap inside the green wrapper was changed to the Rexona formula, and Hamamwas wiped off store shelves. Why Hamam Rose From the Dead The strategy backfired. Hamam's customer loyalty—especiallyacross South India (and specifically Tamil Nadu) —was ferociously strong. Mothers and loyal users hated the Rexona formula replacement.They refused to buy Rexona, causing HUL’s market share in the natural soapcategory to plummet. Realising they were losing millions ofcustomers to local herbal rivals, HUL panicked, completely abandoned themerger, and officially brought Hamam back. Today, Hamam continues to survive and thrive as a dominant,regional power brand. I will continuestarting with Liril appearance,popularity, disappearance and re appearance in the next posting -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/425421994.1262062.1781939076842%40mail.yahoo.com.
