Enzymes are the ingredient that can make a major difference to your laundry

Do you ever wonder what exactly goes into the laundry products you load into the washing machine? You’ll experience them as a pleasantly scented, brightly coloured gel, powder, liquid or pod – but there’s much more happening at a microscopic level to get your clothing clean.

One of the most important ingredients used in many detergents is also one of the engines of life on Earth: enzymes.

We teamed up with Ariel to bring you the facts on how detergent enzymes work, and why they make a difference to your laundry.

What are detergent enzymes?

Enzymes are molecules that make things happen. This is true in the human body, where these biological agents play a role in digestion, cell repair and many other processes. And it’s also true in laundry products, where enzymes are the catalysts for breaking up soils (like the spaghetti stain on your nice, white t-shirt) away from a surface.

Cleaning product brands include enzymes in a wide array of laundry products, often using types that are similar to the types of enzymes found in the body, such as lipases or proteases. In Ariel’s case, enzymes add cleaning power to products such as its Ariel Original Gel.

The enzymes used in laundry cleaning products have changed over the years, offering gradually better effectiveness. In most cases they are now mass manufactured, not unlike other agents such as bread yeast.

Of course, you’ll never see the molecular action of detergent enzymes with the naked eye – but you will see the difference they make when you pull your laundry out of the drum.

Why are enzymes used in laundry products?

In the simplest terms, enzymes are actives that break up soils into smaller pieces. This process kickstarts the removal of biological dirt from clothing, whether that’s grass, blood, food or various other types of mess. It’s why enzymes can help brighten whites, remove stains, lift odours and provide an all-round deep clean.

As households have discovered since the mid-20th-century, there are benefits to using cleaning products with a strong enzymatic action. You’ll use less of it to do the same work, versus a non-bio product, and you might even be able to save energy and protect your fabrics by using a cold wash setting.

Detergent enzymes are constantly under development. Every now and then, a scientific discovery or research-based innovation sparks a leap forward in how cleaning products are formulated.

For example, researchers observed how enzymes of microorganisms living on seaweed would pull away from the fronds and into the open water, taking dirt with them and cleaning the seaweed in the process. This has inspired Ariel’s own enzymatic technology used to lift dirt from laundry, which is called Purezyme, thanks to which, Ariel Original All-in-1 PODS are capable of thorough cleaning at a very low wash temperature.

Are laundry enzymes safe?

There have been questions about enzyme detergents and skin health since the 1970s, when these products began to dominate the market.

Many households were concerned that they might be causing issues such as eczema, but half a century of research since then has shown this is likely to be a myth. Multiple studies over several decades have not established a causal link between eczema and detergents, when products are used as directed.

The authors of a 2008 academic review titled ‘Enzymes, detergents and skin: facts and fantasies’ concluded that“investigations of numerous individuals with skin complaints attributed to laundry products demonstrate convincingly that enzymes were not responsible. Indeed, enzyme-containing laundry products have an extensive history of safe use.

“Thus, the supposed effects of enzymes on skin seem to be a consequence of a mythology.”

With that said, you know your body better than anyone else does, and if you feel that you’re reacting adversely to a laundry product, there’d be no harm in trying an alternative.

Of course, any good laundry detergent is formulated and manufactured in accordance with UK and international safety standards, as is the case with Ariel’s range.