The per-wash expense of capsule laundry detergents sold on the market varied by up to sixfold depending on the product.
Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) on the 19th released test results on quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness for eight capsule laundry detergent products favored by consumers. Those surveyed were products from the brands LiQ, Beat, Saenghwal Gongjakso, Snuggle, Ats, Kirkland, Tech, and Persil (in Korean alphabetical order).
According to the findings, based on the average laundry load for one- to two-person households (4 kg), the per-wash expense was cheapest at 157 won for Costco Korea's "Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean Pacs," and most expensive at 950 won for Unilever Korea's "Snuggle Capsule Laundry Detergent Huggable Cotton Clean & Care."
For a four-person household standard (7 kg), the gap was threefold, from 314 won to 950 won. Because the recommended laundry load per capsule varies by product from under 4 kg to up to 7 kg, when the load is larger, more capsules must be added.
Washing performance differed by type of stain. For everyday stains such as oil and protein, Lion Korea's "Beat Lavender Clean Capsule Detergent" was relatively superior, while for blood and ink stains, Aekyung Industrial Co.'s "Mini Power Capsule Fresh Cotton" and Henkel Home Care Korea's "Persil Discs Pro" led. For sebum secreted by the human body and red chili pigment stains, no product received a rating of "excellent."
The results also showed that caution is needed for winter washing. At 8 degrees in cold water, it took an average of 11 minutes for the capsules to fully dissolve, twice as long as in 25-degree room-temperature water (5 minutes). Four products had excellent dissolution speed in room-temperature water, but none received an excellent rating in cold water.
In the safety category, all eight products met standards for banned substances such as benzene and arsenic, container durability, and child-resistant packaging.
However, Saenghwal Gongjakso's "High-concentration Capsule Laundry Detergent Lavender Scent" contained benzyl salicylate, linalool, and citronellol—substances that can trigger allergic reactions—at or above the labeling threshold concentration (0.01%) but failed to indicate this, resulting in a noncompliant finding. Saenghwal Gongjakso responded that it would accept the agency's recommendation and distribute products with corrected labeling starting in mid-September.
The agency said, "If you follow the standard usage amount, 97.3% of detergent components are removed with just two rinses," and noted, "By reducing extra rinsing, you can save 20 L of water per wash with a drum washer and 60 L with a top-loader."