Making household chores less of a chore is what drives R&D within Procter & Gamble’s home care unit.

Accordng to Scott Rodrigue, chief R&D and innovation officer, fabric and home care, flavor and fragrance, P&G is “in the business of doing chores and helping consumers do them in a much easier way.”

The Cincinnati-based CPG giant, No. 1 in Happi’s 2025 Top Companies Report, announced new products and upgrades to the Gain and Mr. Clean franchises that include improved cleaning performance, greater durability and new scents.

Upgrades at Mr. Clean

Calling it the biggest upgrade to Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in 20 years, P&G has rolled out a Magic Eraser Shower & Tub Scrubber as well as more durable eraser products and new Mr. Clean multi-purpose cleaner scent options.

“Even after production, we continue testing and refining to ensure our innovations truly meet consumers’ needs,” said Morgan Eberhard, Mr. Clean principal scientist, Procter & Gamble, in a press statement.  

P&G has a long history of conducting extensive focus groups and surveys to better understand how consumers clean and use its products. According to Eberhard, insights gathered as recently as last year “directly informed the final product improvements.”

Mr. Clean Shower & Tub Scrubber and Shower & Tub Foaming Magic Eraser is a shower and tub cleaner with a built-in squeegee and a 360-degree pivoting head for hard-to-reach places. P&G says the combo cuts through 100% of soap scum and grime for a deep clean in half the time compared to leading all-purpose bleach sprays.

R&D teams have also made the Magic Eraser more robust and easier to use.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Whole Home Extra Durable and Extra Durable XL, for example, are designed to provide a sturdier and more comfortable grip. Mr. Clean Kitchen Grease Foaming Magic Eraser is being described as “denser.”  It has with the cleaning power of Dawn which can cut tough burnt-on grease and other kitchen messes, according to the brand.

New MPC Scents

With scent being an important aspect of the household cleaning category, P&G has also expanded the scents offered in the Mr. Clean Multi-Purpose Cleaner (MPC) range. Consumers can opt for new Ocean, Hawaii Aloha and Watermelon varieties.

Line Expansion for Gain

There are new developments at Gain, the No. 2 brand in the US detergent category. Gain trails only P&G’s Tide across liquid, packs and powder formats, according to market analysis company Circana.

“At Gain, we’re always looking for new ways to give our ‘Gainiacs’ more of what they love most,” said Benjamin Sattler, senior brand director of Gain.

Leading the developments is a new collection called Gain Plus. Gain Plus formulas offer enhanced enzyme and oxygenated cleaning technology and boosted perfume microcapsule and neat oil fragrance technology.

Gain Plus Flings deliver four times cleaning technology and two times the odor-defense technology, according to the P&G brand. There is also upgraded Color Guard technology in Gain Plus Flings.

Gain Plus liquid is available in Original, Moonlight Breeze and Waterfall Delight scents while Flings are available in Original, Moonlight Breeze and Happy Hibiscus.

Products will roll out nationwide at participating retailers in stores and online starting this month. The full collection will continue expanding availability by product and scent through June 2026, according to P&G.

Updates To Core Gain Products

P&G also updated core Gain liquid, Flings and powder formats with “2X soil release enzymes” compared to previous formulas.

Speaking at the American Cleaning Institute’s annual convention earlier this year, Rodrigue noted that consumers want chores that are easier to complete, but most importantly, they expect results.

“We learned that delivering something that’s easier, but not as good, is not the answer,” he said. “Consumers don’t want that, and they won’t compromise on performance.”

Marketing Developments

In addition to the new products and formula upgrades, P&G also refreshed the Gain logo and package design.

Further, Mr. Clean is back to herald Magic Eraser upgrades. The brand had announced in February that the iconic character was retiring, according to social media posts.