▁agents ▁( sil icate ), ▁creating ▁what ▁the ▁market ing ▁department ▁called ▁a ▁" self - activ ating ▁pow der " ▁d eter gent . ▁During ▁the ▁was hing ▁process , ▁o xygen ated ▁per bor ate ▁forms ▁small ▁b ub bles , ▁doing ▁the ▁" work ▁of ▁the ▁was h board " — s aving ▁consum ers ▁time ▁and ▁rendering ▁the ▁historic ▁method ▁of ▁" sun - ble aching " ▁( by ▁lay ing ▁clothes ▁out ▁in ▁the ▁sun ) ▁unnecessary . ▁ ▁Pers il ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁commer cially ▁available ▁self - activ ated ▁la und ry ▁d eter gent ▁( com bin ing ▁ble ach ▁with ▁the ▁d eter gent ). ▁The ▁in vention ▁of ▁Pers il ▁was ▁a ▁significant ▁break through . ▁The ▁name , ▁" Pers il ", ▁is ▁derived ▁from ▁two ▁of ▁the ▁original ▁ing red ients , ▁sod ium ▁per bor ate ▁and ▁sil icate . ▁The ▁original ▁name ▁was ▁de emed ▁un su itable ▁as ▁an ▁international ▁brand ▁because ▁it ▁is ▁hard ▁to ▁pron ounce ▁in ▁some ▁languages . ▁Co inc ident ally , ▁pers il ▁is ▁the ▁French ▁word ▁for ▁the ▁her b , ▁par s ley . ▁ ▁Pers il ▁is ▁sold ▁in ▁pow der , ▁liquid ▁d eter gent , ▁liquid ▁caps ule , ▁li qui - gel , ▁and ▁table t ▁forms . ▁There ▁are ▁en zym atic , ▁non - enz ym atic , ▁and ▁colour ▁care ▁( cont aining ▁en zym es , ▁but ▁ble ach - free )