Ariel Sensitive Washing Powder Full Review
Posted: 25 March 2008 by Rikke Bruntse-Dahl
The discerning ethical consumer might ask why we've decided to review Ariel's washing powder -- it doesn't, after all, have an amazing reputation for being a green clean.
Well, we recently went to an eco awards bash organised by Proctor and Gamble, Ariel's parent company. The self-proclaimed Future Friendly awards are aimed at helping consumers and other brands do their bit for sustainable living. Since Ariel was mentioned as a green product because of its 'Turn to 30°C' campaign, we thought it was worth checking out.
The green premise is simple. By using Ariel 'Cool Clean' -- we opted for the Ariel Sensitive version -- you can wash your clothes clean at only 30 degrees Celcius, which can reduce energy use by up to 40 per cent, according to Ariel. Its research was carried out in 122 nationally representative households for two weeks and compared their energy consumption when using their "normal washing detergent and washing at normal temperatures" to "washing with Ariel at 30 degrees Celcius".
Unfortunately neither P&G nor the Energy Saving Trust, which endorses the campaign, mentions what the households' normal washing temperatures were. It could have been anything from 40 to 90 degrees Celcius. Ariel also encourages 'Turn to 30°C' fans to make their friends and family join in, which in principle is a good idea. Our problem with using the campaign as the argument for Ariel being a green product is that there is no way to measure whether Ariel users really do wash at 30 degrees.
Getting up close and personal with Ariel we found out that it contains more toxic ingredients than Ecover and Simply Sensitive. Examples include sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, tetrasodium etidronate and dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid. So, while the environmental impact of Ariel might be less than other detergents in terms of energy use, it might be higher in terms of contamination of the environment. We have not been able to find any publicly available reports that state Ariel's toxic impact on the environment and P&G has not answered our requests for this information either.
On the ethical front P&G doesn't look good at all. According to animal rights campaigner Uncaged, P&G has tested washing powder ingredients on rats and mice to see if they're toxic or carcinogenic. Uncaged also estimates that around a quarter of a million UK consumers have signed a pledge to boycott P&G products because of the company's animal testing track record.
When it comes to performance we can't complain. Our clothes get washed well at 30 degrees Celcius, coming out smelling incredibly clean, too. In fact, the scent is a little too strong for us. It stays in our clothes and in our drying room for days afterwards, which is slight overkill.
Our conclusion is that yes, washing at 30 is a great idea, but we've also tried doing that with Ecover and Simply Sensitive, which work just as well. We'd rather be extra nice to the environment by washing with powders that don't contain the extra chemicals Ariel does, and by supporting a company that doesn't test on animals.
Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
