Persil (also known as Dixan, Wipp, or LeChat) is a brand of laundry detergent currently and originally made by Henkel & Cie; but which is now also licensed for manufacture, distribution, and marketing in several countries by Unilever. Henkel and Unilever both manufacture their own formulations. Introduced in 1907, Persil is notable because it was the first commercially available “self-activated” laundry detergent.  The name, Persil, is derived from two of its original ingredients, perborate and silicate  It is Unilever’s premium brand in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Persil is sold in many forms, with several “environment friendly” products.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia