What is in Tide laundry detergent powder?

Answer 1

Dodecyl benzene sulfonate, the chemical basis for Tide, is the first heavy-duty synthetic detergent which began it's U.S. distribution in 1946.
Prior to the debut of Tide, laundry was washed with soap flakes.

Laundry detergents, in general, typically consist of ionic and anionic surfactants which act as the detergent to remove the dirt from the clothes, perfume, phosphors which make clothes appear whiter(it is these that show up under ultraviolet light)and also (various) anticaking agents are added in order to prevent the powder from becoming one large box-shaped clump in the presence of moisture.