Laundry detergent is a type of detergent (For cleaning, softening and color protection) that is added for cleaning laundry, commonly mixtures of chemical compounds. Laundry detergent can be divided into laundry powder, liquid laundry detergent and Softener.
These substances are usually alkyl benzene sulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate (of detergents) is less likely than the polar carboxyl (of soap) to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water.
Detergents work because they are amphiphilic - partly hydrophilic (polar) and partly hydrophobic (non-polar). Their dual nature facilitates the mixture of hydrophobic compounds (like oil and grease) with water.
Powder Detergent falls into four (4) major groups:
• Heavy duty detergents (high and low foaming),
• Light duty detergents,
• Soap powders, and
• Soda products.
The growing importance of healthier lifestyles with rising concerns among individuals about health and hygienic living, free of germs, bacteria, dust, and dirt has led to rise in per capita spending on household cleaning products including laundry detergents.
From the past few years, the fragrance is playing a vital role in household cleaning products as consumers are increasingly looking for products that offer strong pleasant odor, which, in turn, makes vendors to differentiate their products.
In addition, factors such as an increase in household expenditure, growth in the real estate sector owing to growth in residential units, has increased the demand for laundry detergent products across the globe.
Rising demand from different industries such as hotels, textile industry, restaurant, hospital, and others is boosting the growth of the laundry detergent market. The e-commerce is expected to be the key factor driving laundry detergent product growth because of easy accessibility and convenience among the working-class.
However, increasing the availability of fake products initially sold by established brands with the rising prices is affecting the market growth and this factor is hampering the laundry detergents market. As well, Issues regarding the safety of children consumption laundry detergent products acted as a restraint to market growth.
The product is in great demands in Nigeria. Considering the estimated national population of two hundred million (200,000,000) and per capita consumption of four point five (4.5) kilogrammes, the national demand for soap is estimated at seven hundred and eighty-seven thousand, five hundred (787,500) tons of powder detergents per annum.
