Although the plastic many-in-one detergent pods, as we know them, seem like a supermodern product—the concept actually originates a half-century back. The first laundry pods, or better said tabs, were first founded in the 1960s. It was a compact tab comprising detergent powder in the granular form, invented by the Procter & Gamble science team. A decade later, the tablets vanished from the market, making space for the new products.
It wasn’t until the middle 1990s, that not one but two detergent manufacturers decided to relaunch a convenient single-dose packaging. Unilever and Henkel both introduced a similar product – detergent pods, followed by a variety of colorful, soluble sachets. At the beginning of the millennium, also arrived powder dishwasher tabs, firstly sold in Europe.
And now they are here to stay.