SA8 (detergent)

SA8 is a brand of washing detergent produced by Access Business Group, part of the Alticor group of companies, and sold by Amway and Quixtar. SA8, introduced in 1960, was the second product to be sold by Amway. Amway's first product was L.O.C. (Liquid Organic Cleaner), one of the world's first biodegradable, concentrated multi-purpose cleaners. Like L.O.C., SA8 was biodegradeable, one of the first such washing detergents on the marketplace. [http://www.amway.com/en/HomeCare/home-care-heritage-sa8.aspx]

The product was also one of the first concentrated detergents, meaning much less powder was needed per wash. The product was ideally suited for the direct selling industry as Amway distributors could explain the cost benefit of the concentration. In later years other brands such as Tide also developed concentrated and biodegradable versions, cutting in to SA8's advantages.

"Consumer Reports"

In the January 2007 issue of "Consumer Reports", SA8 with Bioquest was rated as the best performing laundry detergent, scoring 99 out of a possible 100 (the next best, Tide with Bleach, scored 87) [http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/cooking-cleaning/laundry-detergents-1-07/overview/0107_soap_ov.htm] . It was the only detergent to score "excellent" in all three categories of "Cleaning", "Keeps dirt off", and "Keeps dye off". It does not contain Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) which are considered toxic to the environment [http://www.sierraclub.org/toxics/nonylphenol_ethoxylates3.pdf] .

SA8 was not rated as a "Best Buy" by Consumer Reports due to their calculated cost of 61c/load. However their calculations are disputed by Quixtar [http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1165931119325620.xml&coll=6&thispage=2] who claim it costs around 23c/load, in line with competitors.

External links

* [http://www.amway.com/en/HomeCare/sa8-10319.aspx SA8 range product information on Amway.com]