ABSTRACT

Sensitive skin, an often self-reported condition, is characterized by an unpleasant sensory experience to a variety of consumer products. Certain ingredients in consumer products, such fragrances and dyes, are believed to exacerbate skin sensitivities.

Due to an increased prevalence of people reporting sensitive skin, a variety of consumer products are formulated for people with this condition. A segment of commercially marketed laundry detergents, commonly known as free detergents, have been formulated without dyes and perfumes to accommodate skin sensitivities.

In the US and Canada respectively, 80% and 97% of dermatologist recommend the use of free detergents for their patients with sensitive skin. However, consumers have expressed dissatisfaction with free detergents, with 39% reporting they are not satisfied with their free detergent’s cleaning performance. When people switch from the leading free laundry detergent, they will switch to a non-free detergent 60% of the time, going against dermatologist recommendations and potentially further aggravating their skin sensitivities. A survey of US households with sensitive skin showed that 98.8% said that they would be more likely to consistently use a detergent that cleans better.

Herein are reported data showing Tide Pods Free & Gentle outperformed other free detergents in cleaning across a wide variety of laundry stains and in SEM visual analysis of soil residues on fibers. It is postulated that the better cleaning detergent may help drive patient compliance with dermatologist recommendations for usage of a free detergent for their patients with sensitive skin.