Sunlight

Sunlight has been making hygiene and cleanliness affordable around the world since the 1880s.

Unilever founder William Hesketh Lever launched the Sunlight Soap brand in the UK in 1885. At the time, Victorian England was plagued by poverty and ill health, and he wanted to revolutionise hygiene, bringing it within the reach of ordinary people.

Formulated with fresh lemon extracts to cut through grime and grease, Sunlight harnessed the power of natural ingredients.

More than 100 years later

Sunlight is now found around the world, and is used for cleaning dishes, clothes and skin.

The power of lemons has been the secret to Sunlight’s degreasing power for decades and lemons are still a key ingredient in the formula. We also use other natural products, such as lime, vinegar and green tea to maximise the results, and minimise the number of chemicals in our products and in the environment.

Sunlight was the world’s first packaged, branded laundry soap – and now it’s available across four continents, sold as Vim, Quix and Svelto. It also lent its name to Unilever’s Port Sunlight research and development site, created by William Hesketh Lever in 1888.

Sunlight and sustainability

In 2011, the teams behind Unilever’s Sunlight brand in Durban, South Africa, led a programme to fit solar water heaters at homes in a local low-income community. 

In partnership with Inti Solar, manufacturers of solar water heating and lighting systems, the Sunlight Solar initiative is installing low running cost domestic water heaters in a bid to reduce energy consumption, promote renewable energy and provide a reliable source of hot water for households.