Sunlight (cleaning product)

Sunlight household soap was introduced by the British company Lever Brothers in 1884. It was the world's first packaged, branded laundry soap.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/651938.stm | title=Unilever: A company history | work=BBC News | date=22 February 2000 | access-date=July 9, 2011}} Designed for washing clothes and general household use, the success of the product led to the name of the company's village for its workers, Port Sunlight. The soap formula was invented by a Bolton chemist named William Hough Watson, who also became an early business partner. Watson's process created a new soap, using glycerin and vegetable oils such as palm oil rather than tallow (animal fats).{{cite news |url=http://en.presidentpost.id/2010/03/22/unilever-providing-enjoyable-and-meaningful-life-to-customers/ |title=Unilever: Providing Enjoyable and Meaningful Life to Customers |work=The President Post |date=22 March 2010 |first=Jeannifer Filly |last=Sumayku}} William Lever and his brother James Darcy Lever invested in Watson's soap invention and its initial success came from offering bars of cut, wrapped, and branded soap in his father's grocery shop. This was an early labour-saving device for the housewife as commercially made soap was bought in long bars before this. Sunlight soap was eventually supplanted by modern products made from synthetically produced detergents rather than naturally derived soaps.

The soap's appearance in Lumière Brothers films may be an early example of product placement.Lehu, J-M, Branded Entertainment: Product Placement & Brand Strategy in the Entertainment Business, Kogan Page, 2007, pp 19-20 In 1971, Lever rebranded Sunlight as a washing-up liquid in the UK. The new packaging for Sunlight Lemon Liquid had a large picture of a lemon and only featured the words "washing up liquid" in small letters. There were complaints that children might mistake the product for lemon squash and drink it. The matter was discussed in the House of Lords. The company responded by changing its packaging.{{Cite Hansard|house=House of Lords |title="Sunlight Lemon" Washing-up Liquid |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1971/dec/01/sunlight-lemon-washing-up-liquid |date=1 December 1971 |volume=326 |column_start=262 |column_end=266}}

In several markets (e.g., Belgium and the Netherlands), Sunlight soap has survived as a personal wash product rather than a laundry detergent.

Sunlight is still used in some markets as a brand by Unilever (the successor of Lever Brothers). In Sri Lanka, Sunlight laundry soap has a market share of more than 75%,{{cite web |url=http://www.unileversrilanka.com/ourbrands/homecare/sunlight.asp |title=Sunlight |website=Unilever Sri Lanka |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222182629/http://www.unileversrilanka.com/brands/homecarebrands/sunlight.aspx |archive-date=22 February 2012}} and won the "brand of the year" award in 2004. South Africans use the brand for bath soap, dishwashing liquid, washing powder, and fabric conditioner.{{cite web |url=http://www.unilever.co.za/ourbrands/homecare/sunlight.asp |title=Our Brands: Sunlight |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122202940/http://www.unilever.co.za/ourbrands/homecare/sunlight.asp |archive-date=22 January 2010 |website=Unilever South Africa}}

The brand was also used in the Philippines during the 1990s as detergents. It was discontinued until it was revived in 2015 as a liquid dishwashing detergent traded alongside the Surf line.{{cite web |url=http://www.fda.gov.ph/consumers-corner/household-urban-hazardous-notification/233094-sunlight-dishwashing-liquid-kalamansi-100-power-1 |title=Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid Kalamansi 100 Power |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222113203/http://www.fda.gov.ph/consumers-corner/household-urban-hazardous-notification/233094-sunlight-dishwashing-liquid-kalamansi-100-power-1 |archive-date=22 December 2015 |website=Food and Drug Administration |location=Philippines }}

However, production for Ireland and the UK ceased in 2009 due to low demand; it is available only as an import. In Norway, it was taken over by Lilleborg in 1930.{{cite web |url=http://www.lilleborg.no/eway/default.aspx?pid=232&trg=MainPage_6464&MainPage_6464=6844:0:4,962:1:0:0:::0:0 |title=Lilleborgs historie i korte trekk |website=Lilleborg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912051842/http://www.lilleborg.no/eway/default.aspx?pid=232&trg=MainPage_6464&MainPage_6464=6844:0:4,962:1:0:0:::0:0 |archive-date=12 September 2007 |language=no}}

In 2003, exclusive licensing rights to the Sunlight brand for dishwashing detergents in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico were sold along with several Unilever brands to Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Group,{{cite news |title=Unilever Agrees to Sell Four Home Care Brands to Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20031208005467/en/Unilever-Agrees-Sell-Home-Care-Brands-Lehman |work=Business Wire |date=8 December 2003 |language=en}} which established Phoenix Brands LLC for the purpose.{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=8058440 |website=Bloomberg Business |title=Company Overview of Phoenix Brands LLC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306220428/http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=8058440 |archive-date=6 March 2016}} In 2008, the North American trademark rights to Unilever laundry brands including Sunlight were acquired by Sun Products Corporation.{{cite news|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080909005577/en/Vestar-Capital-Partners-Completes-Acquisition-Unilever-Laundry|title=Vestar Capital Partners completes acquisition of Unilever laundry business and merger of Unilever unit to Huish Detergents|work=Business Wire|date=9 September 2008|access-date=5 April 2018}} In early 2010, Sun Products acquired the American and Canadian business rights to the Sunlight brand.{{cite web|url=http://www.sunproductscorp.com/BrandsHistory.aspx| title=Our Brands, Our History |website=Sun Products Corporation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206163530/http://www.sunproductscorp.com/BrandsHistory.aspx |archive-date=6 February 2015 |url-status=dead}} Sun Products was itself acquired by Henkel North American Consumer Goods in 2016. As of 2024, Henkel discontinued dishwashing products in Canada; only the laundry products remain. {{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sun-products-m-a-henkel-kgaa-idUSKCN0ZA0KA| title=Henkel buys laundry care firm Sun Products in $3.6 billion deal| date=24 June 2016| work=Reuters}}

The Sunlight brand was used by JohnsonDiversey Professional Products in Canada and the USA in 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.jdbrands.com/ctlg/default.asp?product_id=44 |title=Sunlight |website=Johnson Diversey Consumer Branded Professional Products Catalog |access-date=28 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051217224538/http://www.jdbrands.com/ctlg/default.asp?product_id=44 |archive-date=17 December 2005 |url-status=dead }}

In Turkey in the summer of 2010, washing-up liquids produced under the brand Cif began marketing with the new compound brand Sunlight Cif. As well as the regular liquid, a concentrated washing-up liquid was introduced in three varieties (lime, lemon, and orange); when it comes into contact with water, it turns into a gel which remains in the sponge longer than regular washing-up liquid.{{cite web |url=http://www.unilever.com.tr/brands/homecarebrands/sunlightcif.aspx |title=Sunlight Cif |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130092513/http://unilever.com.tr/brands/homecarebrands/sunlightcif.aspx |archive-date=30 November 2010 |website=Unilever Turkey |language=tr}}

• Ivory soap

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Sunlight (soap)}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100806045606/http://www.unilever.com/brands/homecarebrands/sunlight/index.aspx Sunlight] brand on official Unilever website
• [http://www.sunlightsoap.co.uk/ SunlightSoap.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405104844/http://www.sunlightsoap.co.uk/ |date=2019-04-05 }} (importers)
• [http://www.sunlightdish.com/ Sunlight - Henkel North America]

{{Unilever}}

{{Henkel}}

Category:Laundry detergents

Category:Soap brands

Category:British brands

Category:1884 introductions

Category:Unilever brands

Category:Henkel brands