Product Review: Victoria Natural Herbal Laundry Powder

Victoria Laundry Powder has been around for several years—maybe more than a decade, even—and in the last couple of years, has been readily available in the major supermarket chains. It’s actually something I intentionally seek out in a supermarket, even though I won’t be buying it, just to see if the supermarket has it in stock.

This fascination I have with Victoria Laundry Powder dates back to several years ago. For a time when I was younger, my mother and I developed a reaction to regular, commercial detergents. A family friend recommended Victoria to us, and we started using it on our clothes—and our rashes quickly left. It’s really great for people who have sensitive skin because, since it doesn’t use any harsh detergents, and is made from completely natural ingredients, it doesn’t leave a residue on your clothes that can cause rashes and irriations. This also means that it’s gentle on the hands, and it won’t cause wounds for those who do a lot of hand washing.

Victoria also claims to be completely biodegradable. I unfortunately don’t have the resources to test if this claim is true, but taking them at their word, this is a good thing—this means that it won’t release chemical contaminants into the soil and into our groundwater.

If you read the box, you’ll also notice that the primary ingredient of Victoria Laundry Powder is coconut oil; it really made me think that the late Dr. Dayrit is right, the coconut is the tree of life, providing livelihood for so many people—not only the coconut farmers, but the workers who manufacture Vitoria Laundry Powder as well.

You’ll also notice the number of awards the product has received for its quality and innovation, which were given by international bodies. To tell you the truth, I had no idea that we actually produced such a product, and I found it a bit embarassing to realize that other countries acknowledged what a great product it is long before we did.

So, does it really work? One fear I had when first trying this product out was whether it was actually strong enough to remove dirt and stains. Since the product is marketed as “natural” and “biodegradable,” I had the somehwat illogical assumption that it would also be less tough on dirt and stains. I shouldn’t have worried—it works just as well as ordinary detergents. Some tough stains may need further treatment, but it definitely took care of the everyday dirt and grime of clothes. A collegue of mine uses it to wash her baby boy’s clothes and lampin/reusable cloth diapers, since Victoria is gentle enough for a baby’s skin, but tough enough to clean out all the dirt. And you actually use less detergent!

There’s one feature, though, of Victoria Laundry Powder that really takes a lot of getting used to—which is that there will be less suds than what we’re used to from our commercial chemical laundry detergents. Hindi mabula ang Victoria Laundry Powder. However, is this really such a bad thing? Consider that what makes all the suds in regular laundry powder are a kind of chemical called surfactants. Consider too that having a lot of suds/bubbles in your laundry makes the clothes much, much more difficult to rinse, which creates two problems:

1. it’s more likely that your clothes will still have detergent residue, potentially causing skin irritation; and
2. because it’s harder to rinse, you have to use more water to rinse your clothes well.

All things considered, I’m not surprised that Victoria Laundry Powder has received all sorts of awards and still continues to sell despite a complete absence of advertising and marketing. It’s a great product, keeps all its promises, with only one drawback: the price tag. It sells for around Php147.75 for a 1 Kilo box. But considering that you only need to use half the amount of powder to wash the same amount of laundy, I think it’s a good deal.

Victoria Natural Herbal Laundry Powder

Available at: Major supermarket chains such as SM and Rustans. “Green” specialty stores like EcoMarket in Market Market! and EchoStore in Serendra, Bonifacio Global City Taguig. You can also contact the manufacturer, Dalia Herbal Community Herbal Enterprises, Inc., at (632) 6354926. Their office is at Bo. Kapitolyo in Pasig.

Price: Around Php147.75 for a 1 Kilo box.

Pros: Multi-awarded internationally. Good for the environment because it’s biodegradable. Good for those with sensitive skin and for people whose skin reacts badly to harsh chemicals. Gentle enough for use with baby clothes. Tough enough to really take out dirt. You use less powder to wash the same amount of clothes.

Cons: Noticeably more expensive than regular chemical/commercial detergent powders.