German consumer testing of household and personal care goods

Recent consumer product testing in Germany has demonstrated that discount and private-label brands frequently outperform premium name brands in household categories.

Evaluations of laundry detergents by Stiftung Warentest and F.A.Z. Kaufkompass showed that budget options, such as Aldi's Tandil brand, achieved high ratings for stain removal, surpassing more expensive products like Persil. Similar results were found in dishwasher tablet testing, where Lidl's W5 and dm's Denkmit brands received top ratings for cost-effectiveness and performance compared to major brands like Somat and Finish.

In personal care, Öko-Test evaluations of facial cleansing milks highlighted that many private-label options, including Balea and Shisara, achieved top scores and low prices, while some specific name-brand products received unsatisfactory ratings due to certain ingredients.

Newer testing by Stiftung Warentest and other independent reviewers reinforces these findings, particularly in the dishwasher tablet category. Aldi’s ‘Power Force All-in-One’ and Rossmann’s ‘Domol Ultra Power All-in-One’ emerged as top performers, costing approximately 9 cents per tab. These discount options significantly undercut premium brands like Finish and Somat, which can cost up to 27 cents per wash. Additionally, Lidl’s W5 Multi-Active All in 1 and dm’s Denkmit Multi-Power Revolution received high ratings for cleaning power and limescale protection. Laundry tests continue to show that Aldi’s Tandil brand performs at a level comparable to or better than established brands like Persil when removing tough stains such as coffee and mustard.