HENKEL LTD., HEMEL HEMPSTEAD (INDUSTRIAL ADHESIVES)

It controls leading brands like, Plastic Padding chemicals, Persil washing powder, Spee washing powder, Vernel/Silan fabric softener, Somat/Glist dishwasher tablets, Pril washing-up liquid, Schwarzkopf haircare (Cosmetics company Hans Schwarzkopf GmbH was acquired by Henkel in 1995. After the integration in 1997 the business sectors brand-name products were assigned to Schwarzkopf & Henkel Cosmetics GmbH, Düsseldorf, and hair salon products to Hans Schwarzkopf GmbH & Co KG (Schwarzkopf Professional), Hamburg, respectively), Schauma shampoo, Fa shower gel and deodorant, Diadermine skin and body care, Dial shower and hand soap, Loctite and UniBond adhesives and sealants, Pritt glue sticks, Polyseamseal caulk, and Persil abaya shampoo. Henkel's most famous brand is Persil, the first commercial laundry detergent. Before that it was only either soap flakes or actual bars of soap. The company was founded in 1876 in Aachen as Henkel & Cie by Fritz Henkel (a 28 year-old merchant who was interested in science) and two more partners.

They marketed his first product, "Universalwaschmittel", a universal detergent based on silicate. In 1878, to take advantage of the better transport links and sales opportunities, Henkel relocated his company to Düsseldorf on the Rhine (its present site). Düsseldorf was the gateway to the Ruhr region, which became the most important industrial area of the German Empire from the 19th century onward. That year, the first German brand-name detergent appeared: Henkel's Bleich-Soda [Bleaching Soda], an affordably-priced product supplied in sturdy paper bags.

Made from water-glass and soda, it was the result of Fritz Henkel's own research. The soda was obtained from Matthes & Weber in Duisburg (Henkel bought this company in 1917 and sold it in 1994). At the beginning of the Company's history, we meet a 28 year-old merchant who was interested in science Fritz Henkel.