Who makes Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean HE Liquid Laundry Detergent, 146 Loads, 194 fl oz?
As of August 10, 2026, evidence points to First Quality Enterprises (Home Care Products division) as the manufacturer of Kirkland Signature Ultra Clean HE Liquid Laundry Detergent, 146 Loads, 194 fl oz, but no tier 1–3 source names the link directly.
The common claim
What’s commonly claimed, and what the evidence supports
Top-ranking answers name Henkel (via the Huish Detergents to Sun Products to Henkel lineage) as the maker of Kirkland liquid laundry detergent. The lineage is real (2008 merger coverage described Huish as a private-label detergent maker for stores including Costco, and Sun Products' corporate office appears as the manufacturer on a 2017 Kirkland laundry-pacs SDS), but for the liquid the claim is outdated and was never precisely documented: no public document directly names the liquid's maker, Costco's posted SDS for it lists only Costco (in a Henkel-format document bearing Henkel's medical-emergency phone line), a 2020 SDS for the lavender variant named KIK International as supplier, and Henkel sold its entire North American retailer-brands detergent business to First Quality Enterprises on April 1, 2025. Evidence now points to First Quality's Home Care Products division, with KIK International documented as the supplier of at least one variant.
Evidence & sources
Each source is graded on the six-tier evidence rubric, where tier 1 is strongest. Sources are archived, so a citation still works if the original page moves or goes behind a paywall.
Tier 4
Costco's currently posted SDS for the flagship Ultra Clean liquid names only 'Costco Wholesale Corporation' as the chemical distributor, with no manufacturer. But the document is in Henkel Corporation's SDS format and carries Henkel's medical-emergency line ('For medical emergencies 1-833-359-6299'), the same number printed on Henkel's own-brand SDSs (all, Purex, via pim.henkelgroup.net) and on the Henkel-named SDS for Kirkland laundry pacs, tying the flagship liquid to Henkel's retailer-brands unit as of February 2023. Indirect: the tie rests on document format and phone line, not an explicit naming.
Tier 4
"The agreement to sell the business to an affiliate of First Quality Enterprises, LLC headquartered in Great Neck, New York, was signed in February 2025 and the transaction was closed as of April 1, 2025. The Retailer Brands business comprises products in the detergents, fabric finishers and dishwash categories serving several retail customers in North America." Henkel's exit from North American private-label detergents means any Henkel-supplied Kirkland detergent now sits with First Quality. Does not name Costco or Kirkland, which is why this attribution stays probable, not confirmed.
Tier 4
Counter-signal: the SDS for the lavender variant of the same Ultra Clean liquid line lists 'Supplier Address: KIK International LLC, 33 Macintosh Blvd, Concord, ON L4K 4L5 Canada', a large Canadian private-label household-chemicals manufacturer, not Henkel. Documents that Costco has sourced Ultra Clean liquid SKUs from more than one supplier, so the First Quality attribution cannot be treated as exclusive or certain.
Frequently asked
Who makes Kirkland Signature liquid laundry detergent?
Is Kirkland laundry detergent made by Henkel or Sun Products?
Is Kirkland Ultra Clean the same as Tide?
Is Kirkland laundry detergent EPA Safer Choice certified?
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