Germany's Drugstore Halves Laundry Cost

At DM in Munich, a 50-wash box of Denkmit powder costs €6.95. On the next shelf, 50 washes of Persil Discs are €13.45. Same count, half the money.

What the data shows

Across eight weeks of German detergent prices, the per-wash gap between drugstore own-label and every named pod brand is not close.

Denkmit is 51% cheaper than Persil per wash, and 52% cheaper than everdrop — the premium eco challenger that stakes its brand on being the better choice. A household that buys Denkmit pays €0.16 per load. The everdrop shopper pays more than double for the same clean laundry, inside a nicer box.

In packs she actually carries out of the store: Denkmit's 80-wash powder is €9.95. Ariel's 80-wash liquid is €19.95. Persil Discs at 50 washes are €13.45, against the matching 50-wash Denkmit Classic powder at €6.95.

Why this happens

DM is Germany's largest drugstore chain. Denkmit is DM's private label — formulated by contract manufacturers, sold only on DM shelves, priced without the marketing budget that sits behind a Persil or an Ariel. Henkel and P&G need their pods to pay for television, football sponsorships, and the decades of brand equity that make a German shopper automatically reach for the red box. Denkmit doesn't. Its job is to sit on the shelf and undercut — that's what drugstore private label is for.

The everdrop number is the quiet surprise. everdrop sells itself as the eco-forward challenger to the Henkel mainstream; its per-wash price sits higher than Persil's. In this category, the eco premium is charged on top of the brand premium — not instead of it.

What it means for you

A two-wash-a-week household runs through about 100 loads a year. On Denkmit that's €16. On Persil, €32. On everdrop, €33. Every single one produces the same clean t-shirt. If the brand on the box is worth €16 a year to you, keep buying it — but know that it is a tax, not a chemistry upgrade.

Data source: Based on 218 price records across 113 German pod-detergent SKUs between 2026-01-26 and 2026-04-05. Data reflects real shelf prices as reported at time of purchase.

Products referenced in this story

Real shelf prices as reported by Sivix contributors. Tap any product to see current prices.

• Denkmit Vollwaschmittel Pulver Classic, 80 washes DE · €9.95 · €0.12/wash →
• Denkmit Pulver Classic, 50 washes DE · €6.95 · €0.14/wash →
• Persil Universal Discs, 50 washes DE · €13.45 · €0.27/wash →
• Ariel Vollwaschmittel Flüssig, 80 washes DE · €19.95 · €0.25/wash →
• everdrop Colorwaschmittel Pulver, 19 washes DE · €6.19 · €0.33/wash →