Sun Products
Sun Products was a United States-based manufacturer of laundry detergents, fabric-care products, household cleaners, and retailer-brand cleaning products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Sun Products was a United States-based consumer-products company focused on laundry care, fabric softeners, dishwashing products, and other household cleaning goods. Its corporate predecessor was established in 1975 by Dan Huish as Huish Detergents, Inc. The business initially developed around the manufacture of retailer and store-brand laundry and dish detergents, eventually becoming a major North American supplier of private-label cleaning products while also operating consumer brands of its own. The company expanded through acquisitions and portfolio transactions. In 2007, Vestar Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in the business. During the same year, Sun Products acquired the White Rain hair-care brand from Diamond Products Company. White Rain was later sold to High Ridge Brands in 2012. In September 2008, Vestar acquired Unilever's North American laundry business, covering the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The acquired portfolio included All, Wisk, Surf, Sunlight, and Snuggle, and was combined with Huish Detergents to create The Sun Products Corporation. Sun Products operated a mixed business model. Its branded portfolio included All laundry detergent, Snuggle fabric softener and related fabric-care products, Sun and Sunlight laundry products, Surf detergent, and Wisk, which was subsequently discontinued. The company also manufactured products for retailers, making it an important behind-the-scenes supplier in North American laundry and dish care. Its manufacturing network included facilities in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Pasadena, Texas; Dyersburg, Tennessee; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Research and development activities were located in Trumbull, Connecticut; Salt Lake City, Utah; Bentonville, Arkansas; and Toronto, Ontario. By 2010, Sun Products was described as holding the second-largest share of the North American fabric-care market, a category estimated in the reference material at approximately $10 billion. The company was also reported to have annual sales of about $2.0 billion, although that figure is historical and should not be treated as a current financial measure. Henkel announced an agreement on June 24, 2016, to acquire Sun Products for $3.6 billion. Following the transaction, Sun Products became part of Henkel's North American consumer-goods operations. In July 2017, operations moved to Stamford, Connecticut, to consolidate with The Dial Corporation and to be closer to Henkel's North American headquarters in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The business was subsequently renamed Henkel North American Consumer Goods, and by 2018 Sun Products no longer operated as an independent corporate entity.
History
Sun Products traces its origins to Huish Detergents, Inc., founded by Dan Huish in 1975. The company developed as a manufacturer of laundry and dishwashing detergents, with particular strength in retailer and store brands. This private-label orientation gave it a role distinct from a conventional consumer-brand company: it supplied cleaning products sold under retailers' own names while also building a portfolio of proprietary brands. The business changed ownership and expanded its portfolio during the 2000s. Vestar Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in 2007. That year, Sun Products also bought the White Rain hair-care brand from Diamond Products Company, adding a category outside its core laundry and household-cleaning operations. White Rain was later divested to High Ridge Brands in 2012. A more consequential expansion followed in September 2008, when Vestar acquired Unilever's North American laundry business. The transaction covered operations and brands in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, including All, Wisk, Surf, Sunlight, and Snuggle. These operations were combined with Huish Detergents to form The Sun Products Corporation. The resulting company was both a branded-product operator and a contract and private-label manufacturer for retailers across North America. The company's portfolio covered laundry detergents, fabric softeners, related fabric-care products, dish products, and other household cleaners. Wisk was later discontinued, while All, Snuggle, Sun, Surf, and Sunlight remained among the brands associated with the company. Sun Products also maintained production sites in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Pasadena, Texas; Dyersburg, Tennessee; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Its research and development footprint included Trumbull, Connecticut; Salt Lake City, Utah; Bentonville, Arkansas; and Toronto, Ontario. The reference material describes Sun Products as the second-largest participant in the North American fabric-care market in 2010 and reports historical annual sales of approximately $2.0 billion. These figures belong to the period described and are not current company data. The company's scale and retailer-manufacturing capabilities made it strategically relevant to Henkel, which agreed on June 24, 2016, to acquire Sun Products for $3.6 billion. After the acquisition, Sun Products was integrated into Henkel's North American consumer-goods organization. In July 2017, operations moved to Stamford, Connecticut, to consolidate them with The Dial Corporation and to place them nearer Henkel Corporation's North American headquarters in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. By 2018, the business had been renamed Henkel North American Consumer Goods. Sun Products therefore became a historical corporate identity and portfolio platform within Henkel rather than an independent operating company.
- 2018
Business renamed under Henkel
[1]The consolidated operation was renamed Henkel North American Consumer Goods, ending Sun Products' independent corporate identity.
- 2017
Operations relocate to Stamford
[1]The business moved operations to Stamford, Connecticut, as part of a consolidation with The Dial Corporation and Henkel's North American activities.
- 2016
Henkel agrees to acquire Sun Products
[1]Henkel agreed to purchase Sun Products for $3.6 billion.
- 2012
White Rain is divested
[1]Sun Products sold White Rain to High Ridge Brands.
- 2008
Unilever North American laundry business is acquired
[1]Vestar acquired Unilever's laundry business in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, including several major laundry brands. The assets were combined with Huish Detergents to create The Sun Products Corporation.
- 2007
Vestar acquires a majority stake
[1]Vestar Capital Partners acquired majority ownership of the business.
- 2007
White Rain joins the portfolio
[1]Sun Products acquired the White Rain hair-care brand from Diamond Products Company.
- 1975
Huish Detergents is founded
[1]Dan Huish founded Huish Detergents, the predecessor of Sun Products, as a manufacturer of laundry and dish detergents.
Products and positioning
A North American laundry and household-cleaning manufacturer combining branded consumer products with large-scale private-label and retailer-brand production.
Laundry detergent
All
All was one of the principal laundry-detergent brands associated with Sun Products after the company combined with Unilever's North American laundry business.
Fabric care
Snuggle
Snuggle was a major fabric-care brand in the acquired North American portfolio, associated primarily with fabric softeners and related laundry products.
Laundry detergent
Sun
Sun was a laundry-care brand included among the consumer brands operated by Sun Products.
Laundry detergent
Surf
Surf was part of the North American laundry portfolio transferred from Unilever and subsequently managed within Sun Products.
Laundry and household cleaning
Sunlight
Sunlight was among the laundry-related brands brought into Sun Products through the 2008 acquisition of Unilever's North American laundry business.
Laundry detergent
Wisk
Wisk was a laundry-detergent brand acquired with Unilever's North American laundry portfolio. It was later discontinued.
Hair care
White Rain
White Rain was a hair-care brand acquired by Sun Products in 2007. It was outside the company's principal laundry focus and was sold to High Ridge Brands in 2012.
Private-label household cleaning
Retailer-brand laundry and dish products
Sun Products manufactured laundry and dishwashing products for retailers and store brands across North America. This private-label manufacturing business was a central part of the company's historical operations.
Brand decisions
2017
Consolidate North American operationsStrategyBackground
After the Henkel acquisition, Sun Products' operations were consolidated with The Dial Corporation and positioned closer to Henkel's North American headquarters.
Action taken
Operations were relocated to Stamford, Connecticut.
Aftermath
The consolidation preceded the 2018 renaming of the business as Henkel North American Consumer Goods.
2016
Henkel acquisition of Sun ProductsM&ABackground
Henkel sought to expand and consolidate its North American consumer-goods business through the purchase of Sun Products.
Action taken
Henkel North American Consumer Goods Inc. agreed to acquire The Sun Products Corporation for $3.6 billion.
Aftermath
Sun Products was integrated into Henkel's North American organization and ultimately ceased operating as an independent company.
Acquisition price. $3.6 billion (Agreement announced June 24, 2016)
2012
Sell White RainM&ABackground
Sun Products had acquired the White Rain hair-care brand in 2007, adding a business outside its core laundry and household-cleaning categories.
Action taken
The company sold White Rain to High Ridge Brands.
Aftermath
Sun Products returned its portfolio focus toward laundry, fabric care, dish products, and household cleaning.
2008
Combine Huish Detergents with Unilever's North American laundry businessM&ABackground
Vestar Capital Partners controlled Huish Detergents and acquired Unilever's laundry operations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Action taken
The acquired operations and brands, including All, Wisk, Surf, Sunlight, and Snuggle, were combined with Huish Detergents to form The Sun Products Corporation.
Aftermath
The combination created a larger North American branded and private-label laundry-care company.
Sources1 sources
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