Cascade (brand)

Last updated

Cascade
Product type Dishwasher detergent
Owner Procter & Gamble
CountryUnited States
Introduced1955;70 years ago (1955) [1]
Website cascadeclean.com

Cascade is a brand of automatic dishwasher detergent manufactured by Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1955, it is the most popular dishwasher detergent brand in the US. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

Cascade was developed by Procter & Gamble in 1955 as a specialized product for automatic dishwashers. Its creation stemmed from a business decision to differentiate the company's cleaning products. Before Cascade, the company had marketed Tide as a multi‑purpose detergent, including for dishwashing, but found Tide powder did not leave dishes sufficiently shiny. The company identified a market for a product specifically formulated for increasingly popular automatic dishwashers. [1]

A patent for an "automatic dishwasher detergent composition" that became part of the Cascade brand was granted to Procter & Gamble chemists Dennis Weatherby and Brian J. Roselle. The patent, issued on December 22, 1987, described a formula that included a class of dyes to give the detergent a lemon-yellow color without staining dishware and the dishwasher interior. [4] [5]

The brand's formulation has evolved over time. In 2010, Cascade reformulated to remove phosphates (such as sodium triphosphate) in response to environmental regulation and concerns about eutrophication of waterways. [6] [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Conte, Annemarie (February 26, 2025). "How I Came to Love the Dusty Powdered Dishwasher Detergent of My Childhood". Wirecutter. The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  2. "Cascade Safety and FAQ". Cascade Detergent. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  3. Blau, Max; Younes, Lylla (December 20, 2021). "The Dirty Secret of America's Clean Dishes". ProPublica. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  4. Cabrera, Claudio E.; Jacobs, Julia (February 24, 2019). "Seven Black Inventors Whose Patents Helped Shape American Life". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  5. "Dennis Weatherby". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  6. McCoy, Michael (January 24, 2011). "Goodbye, Phosphates". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  7. "What Are Phosphates in Detergent?". Cascade Detergent. Retrieved September 23, 2025.