Soaps and Detergents Industry include laundry soaps, synthetic detergents, and toilet soaps including bathing bars. These are consumer items and technology, quality, marketing and distribution determine the success of units in this sector.

Detergents and toilet soaps are delicensed.The industry has developed both in the small-scale and organized sector. Laundry Soap is reserved for manufacture in Small Scale and 90 per cent of the production of laundry soap is in the small-scale sector. Toilet soap is, however, dominated by the multinational units. 

There are at present 54 units engaged in the manufacture of Soaps & Detergents. The production of soap during 2005-2006 was 4,86,533 tonnes and Detergents was 9,28,222 tonnes. During the FY2007 (up to December), the production of soap has been 3,68,584 tonnes and that of detergents 7,13,682 tonnes, respectively. The export & import of soaps during 2005-06 was 15,344 tonnes and 35,579 tonnes. The export & import of Detergents during 2005-06 was 32,342.02 tonnes and 20,547 tonnes, respectively.

References: Annual Report Ministry of Commerce & Industry