Gain Laundry Detergent Review: Gain Plus vs Regular Gain

By Zach Pozniak, VP of Operations at Jeeves of Belgravia New York and fourth-generation dry cleaner · @jeeves_ny

Last reviewed October 2026 · the Plus formula tested August 2026, the regular formula July 2025 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Tide Odor Refresh liquid is out of stock on Amazon, so its links go to the pods version; the score is for the liquid I tested.

The report card

Gain Plus: 95.2

When Gain Plus came out, I put it through my lab test and it scored 95.2. That put it in my top five overall and made it the second-best liquid I have ever tested, behind only Tide Odor Refresh ↗ at 96.9. It also scored above Tide Original ↗ (92.7).

What P&G did was combine their other Gain formulas, like Gain's Plus Oxi, Odor Defense and All Day Scent, into one. The result cleans great and costs about 12 to 15 cents a load depending on what size you buy, well under the 20 cent average. To be clear, it was not a sponsored post. It is just another strong product from P&G, who keep dominating my performance board.

The catch is fragrance. Gain Plus ↗ is extremely fragrant, and that is the whole identity of the brand: it is for people who want their clothes to smell like laundry detergent. That is not me, so I won't be using it. But if you enjoy fragrance, I think it is an excellent product.

Regular Gain: 64.8

Regular Gain is Tide's little sister, and when I tested it in July 2025 it performed really well: 64.8, which made my top five at the time. It has since been passed by plenty of products, Gain Plus ↗ included. It is a step below Tide on performance, but it is basically the same product with a different perfume. At about 15 cents a load it is extremely affordable.

On ingredient safety there is nothing in it I'd worry about, but it is a bit heavy-handed with the perfume, so if you have sensitive skin you are probably going to have a bad time. Otherwise I recommend it. It's a really solid product with good performance at a good price, and if you're already a fan, keep using it. At my 2025 award show it got an honorable mention: Tide's little sister, and really solid.

Since Gain Plus ↗ launched, the regular version still holds up. It sits lower on my board than Plus, but it's a solid score, and it will be a little less expensive.

How I test, and what the scores mean

I use the AISE industry-standard method that the big testing labs use. Cotton swatches get 18 different stains across five categories, including artificial body oil, and are washed in cold, warm and hot water. Then I read each stain with a spectrometer before and after, and the colour difference tells me how much of it came out. I don't judge by eye, because eyes are unreliable.

These are stain removal scores only. Price, formulation, ingredient safety and packaging belong in your decision too, and none of them are in the number.

Gain vs Tide

Gain and Tide are both made by P&G. Regular Gain is a step below Tide on cleaning. Gain Plus ↗ closes most of that gap: it beats Tide Original ↗, comes within two points of Tide Odor Refresh ↗, and costs less per load than Odor Refresh. The big difference left is scent. Tide Odor Refresh only comes free and clear, and Gain is all about fragrance. I go through it product by product in Tide vs Gain.

Gain pods

I have not scored Gain pods for cleaning. All I have measured with them is how fast they dissolve: in my 2022 race of nine pods, the Gain pod took bronze at 1 minute 52 seconds in cold water and 17 seconds in hot. That is a dissolving test only, not a cleaning result. If pods are leaving residue on your clothes, my guide to pods that won't dissolve covers what to change.

Is Gain safe?

On ingredients, I found nothing in regular Gain to worry about apart from the amount of perfume, which is what irritates sensitive skin. I did not give Gain Plus ↗ an ingredient score.

You may also have seen claims that Gain was banned in New York. New York State set a limit on 1,4-dioxane, a manufacturing byproduct, in cleaning products from January 1, 2023. P&G had been compliant since June 2022, so Tide and Gain never came off the shelves. The scare came from a press release based on detergent bought before the law took effect, and when Consumer Reports tested five detergents in 2023, Gain among them, none had concerning levels of the chemicals they looked for. I went through the whole story here.

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Everything I have scored, with the numbers, is in my tested laundry detergent rankings.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gain a good laundry detergent?

Yes, and Gain Plus ↗ is a very good one. Gain Plus scored 95.2 in my lab testing, against Tide Hygienic Pods ↗ at 100 and water alone at 1, making it the second-best liquid I have tested. Regular Gain scored 64.8 and I recommend it as a solid, well priced detergent. Both are heavily perfumed.

What is the difference between Gain and Gain Plus?

Gain Plus ↗ is P&G's newer high-performance formula, combining Gain's Plus Oxi, Odor Defense and All Day Scent into one product. It scored 95.2 against 64.8 for regular Gain. Regular Gain is a little less expensive.

Is Gain as good as Tide?

Regular Gain is a step below Tide on cleaning; it is basically the same product with a different perfume. Gain Plus ↗ at 95.2 beats Tide Original ↗ (92.7) and is just behind Tide Odor Refresh ↗ (96.9), the best liquid I have tested.

Is Gain bad for sensitive skin?

It can be. There is nothing in regular Gain I would worry about apart from the perfume, but it is heavy on it, and Gain Plus ↗ is extremely fragrant. If you have sensitive skin, you are probably going to have a bad time with either. A free and clear detergent is the better choice.

How much does Gain cost per load?

Gain Plus ↗ costs about 12 to 15 cents a load depending on the size you buy, and regular Gain is a little less expensive than that. When I tested regular Gain in July 2025 it came to about 15 cents a load. Both are below the 20 cent average.

Was Gain banned in New York?

No. New York limited 1,4-dioxane in cleaning products from January 1, 2023, and P&G, which makes Gain and Tide, had been compliant since June 2022. A 2023 Consumer Reports test that included Gain found no concerning levels of the chemicals it looked for.

Bottom line

Judge Gain by which bottle you mean. Gain Plus ↗ is one of the best cleaners I have tested and one of the cheapest per load, and I don't use it myself because of the fragrance. Regular Gain ↗ is a solid, affordable detergent a step below Tide. If you like the smell, Gain Plus is the one to buy.