TL;DR: Independent CHOICE lab testing rated Skipper's laundry sheets 51% on front-loaders and 46% on top-loaders, described by CHOICE as "barely better than washing with plain water." Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder is a powder, not a sheet, with independent lab data showing it cleans equivalent to Australia's CHOICE #1-rated supermarket detergent on five common stains. If you specifically want sheets for travel or top-up loads, Skipper is convenient and cheaper per wash. If your priority is stronger everyday cleaning performance for regular family laundry, the evidence points more clearly toward powder.
The CHOICE finding
CHOICE, Australia's longest-running independent consumer-testing body, lab-tested three laundry sheet products in its detergent review. All three landed at the bottom of the front-loader detergent results. CHOICE's verdict on Skipper's sheets: "barely better than washing with plain water." Skipper's CHOICE Expert Rating: 51% front-loader, 46% top-loader.
Source: The best and worst laundry detergents from our lab tests, CHOICE. Individual product pages: Skipper Front Loader review, Skipper Top Loader review.
That is the most credible third-party laundry-performance result published in Australia, on the public record. The comparison comes down to different types of proof: published benchmark testing versus convenience-led format benefits.
What this article covers
A head-to-head between two Australian eco-positioning brands that took different format bets. Resparkle bet on powder. Skipper bet on sheets. Below: the format constraint, what CHOICE actually tested, what each costs per wash on apples-to-apples math, the packaging claims side by side, the Tirtyl rebrand history, and what real-world reviews look like. The reader leaves knowing exactly what they're choosing between.
The format difference: sheets vs powder
The two products aren't competing on the same physical thing.
Skipper sells laundry detergent sheets. Per Skipper's own product description, "each just-add-water refill tablet is an alternative to the plastic bottle," with refills "in compostable wrappers." Sheets are paper-thin strips of dissolvable material with detergent embedded; you drop one in the wash and it disintegrates. Source: per Skipper's product pages.
Resparkle sells a Natural Laundry Powder. 600g in an industrial-compostable bag. Dose: 2 to 3 teaspoons per load.
The physical constraint sheets face is dose volume. A laundry sheet has to be small, light, paper-thin, and water-soluble. There is a hard ceiling on how much active cleaning ingredient one sheet can carry. A teaspoon of dense powder, by contrast, packs a far higher concentration of surfactants, oxygen bleach, enzymes, and builders before it stops being practical. This is why sheet detergents have struggled in independent testing more broadly: it's a category-wide constraint, not a brand-specific manufacturing fault.
CHOICE made the same point. The three laundry sheet products tested were the three lowest-scoring products in the front-loader detergent test. They didn't perform better in the top-loader test. Independent testing suggests laundry sheets can struggle to match the cleaning performance of traditional powders.
What CHOICE actually tested
CHOICE is a not-for-profit Australian consumer organisation. Its lab tests use standardised stain panels in real washing machines (separate front-loader and top-loader runs), scoring products on cleaning performance against a controlled benchmark. Scores are published as percentages: 100% is the maximum cleaning performance the test will credit. Traditional powders score in the 80s and 90s. Skipper's 51% / 46% is placed among the lowest-performing products in that CHOICE test.
The phrase "barely better than washing with plain water" is CHOICE's own framing, not a competitor's. Source: CHOICE laundry detergent lab tests.
For context inside the same test: Aldi's Laundrite Liquid for front-loaders scored 50%, the lowest front-load score of the test, which CHOICE described as "no better than plain water." (Note: this applies to the Laundrite Liquid, not the Laundrite Powder, which scored 79% and is a CHOICE top pick.) Skipper's 51% sits one percentage point above that floor. Source: Powder up: 'old-school' laundry detergents best bet for cleaner clothes, 2024 Choice test finds, Inkl.
Resparkle's independent lab position
Resparkle's hero product is its Natural Laundry Powder. Per Resparkle's product pages, it has been independently lab tested to outperform CHOICE's #1-rated supermarket detergent on five common stains.
Different test, same direction of evidence. CHOICE runs a standardised category review, scoring everything on the same panel. Resparkle's lab work is brand-commissioned, narrower in scope, and aimed at the question eco-laundry shoppers ask first: does it actually clean. The benchmark (the CHOICE #1 supermarket detergent) is the same reference point CHOICE itself uses.
Skipper has a CHOICE result against the laundry detergent benchmark and the result is at the bottom of the table. Resparkle has commissioned independent benchmarking against the supermarket #1 and the result is parity. Both findings are public. The buyer is comparing two different evidence paths, not just front-of-pack claims.
Resparkle's full ingredient list, with EWG hazard ratings published per ingredient, is on the product page: sodium carbonate (EWG 1), sodium percarbonate (EWG 1), coconut surfactant (EWG 1), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (EWG 1), sodium metasilicate pentahydrate (EWG 2), sodium citrate (EWG 1), natural enzyme blend (EWG 1), essential oil blend (Lemon Eucalyptus variant only).
The Tirtyl rebrand
Skipper is the new name for a brand that used to be called Tirtyl. The rebrand happened in February 2024. The Skipper homepage and most product pages still carry the line "previously Tirtyl" so customers can match old brand to new. Source: per the Skipper "Tirtyl is now Skipper" announcement page.
Per the announcement, the team and ownership are continuous through the rebrand. It matters here only because older online reviews and articles refer to the brand as Tirtyl, and a reader looking up the brand's history needs to search both names.
The CHOICE test was conducted on the product as Skipper.
Packaging: both brands lean eco
Both have made eco packaging a central claim. The packaging stories run roughly parallel.
Skipper: "refills in compostable wrappers" per Skipper's product pages. Each sheet positioned as "an alternative to the plastic bottle." Source: per Skipper's product pages.
Resparkle: Natural Laundry Powder ships in an industrial-compostable bag, plastic-free. Customers can also accumulate 10+ used bags and request a postage-paid return label.
Both have moved away from virgin plastic. Both are attempting compostable formats. For some households packaging is the deciding factor, but for most daily-use buyers, cleaning performance matters most.
Cost per wash, apples to apples
Math on the same basis.
Skipper Laundry Detergent Sheets: "From $14 or 19c per load," per Skipper's product pages. Starter Kit $34. One sheet per typical load. Source: per Skipper's product pages and Starter Kit page.
Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder: $18 for a 600g pack at 55 washes ($0.33/wash). $72 for 4 × 600g at 220 washes ($0.33/wash, same per-wash math, just bulk). Dose: 2 to 3 teaspoons per load. Bundle option: Complete Laundry Bundle.
On price-per-wash, Skipper is cheaper ($0.19 vs $0.33). The price difference reflects a trade-off between convenience, format, and independently tested cleaning performance.
Where Resparkle doesn't win
Two honest gaps to name on this matchup specifically:
- Skipper is cheaper per wash. $0.19 vs Resparkle's $0.33. If your hard ceiling is sub-$0.20 per wash and you're willing to accept the CHOICE-tested cleaning result, Skipper wins on cost.
- Skipper is more convenient for travel and small spaces. Sheets are paper-thin, lightweight, and ship without spill risk. For a hotel-room top-up wash, an Airbnb stay, a caravan, or a tiny laundry cupboard, the format genuinely solves a problem powder doesn't.
The trade-off is that convenience may come with lower cleaning performance on heavier everyday loads. If those gaps matter more than CHOICE-grade performance for your use case, Skipper is the right buy.
Customer reviews: ProductReview.com.au
Skipper's laundry sheets carry a 4.5-star average from 28 reviews on ProductReview.com.au as of May 2026. Source: Skipper Laundry Detergent Sheets reviews on ProductReview.com.au.
Positive reviews cluster around convenience, packaging, and travel use. Critical reviews cluster around two specific complaints: the sheets struggling on heavily soiled loads, and an overnight smell when wet wash sits in the machine. Verbatim:
- One reviewer reports clothes "still smelt and I could smell deodor[ant]" after washing.
- Another: "If wet but spun washing sat in the machine overnight it would smell."
Those critical themes line up with the CHOICE finding. A 51% cleaning score is consistent with reports of insufficient stain lift on heavier loads and residual odour from incomplete soil removal. The directional evidence agrees across two independent surfaces: a CHOICE lab and a public review platform.
Verified Resparkle customer review quotes will be added once sourced directly from Resparkle.com.au and Nourished Life.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder | Skipper Laundry Detergent Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Powder | Sheets |
| Dose | 2 to 3 teaspoons per load | 1 sheet per load |
| Price per wash | $0.33 | $0.19 |
| Pack price | $18 (600g, 55 washes) / $72 (4 × 600g, 220 washes) | From $14 (refills) / $34 (Starter Kit) |
| Independent CHOICE lab score | Not in the CHOICE detergent table; brand-commissioned independent lab data on file | 51% front-loader / 46% top-loader (CHOICE Expert Rating) |
| CHOICE verdict | n/a | "barely better than washing with plain water" |
| Brand-commissioned lab data | Yes, independently lab tested to outperform CHOICE's #1-rated supermarket detergent on five common stains | None published |
| Packaging | Industrial-compostable bag, plastic-free | Compostable wrappers |
| Made | Australian-made; Resparkle partners with Brunswick Industries (employs people with disabilities) and Brite Industries | Skipper headquartered in Australia; sheet manufacturing origin not specified on Skipper site |
| Ingredient hazard data | EWG 1-2 on every ingredient, published per-ingredient | Ingredient list published; EWG ratings not published per ingredient |
| Brand history | Started in 2013 at a Mornington Peninsula farmers market, now run by a small family team based in Brisbane | Rebranded from Tirtyl in February 2024 |
| Awards | Gold + Editor's Choice, 2020 Australian Non-Toxic Awards | None listed on product pages |
Sources for the table: Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder, Skipper laundry sheets product pages, CHOICE laundry detergent tests, Skipper Front Loader review on CHOICE, Skipper Top Loader review on CHOICE, Skipper "Tirtyl is now Skipper" announcement page.
The verdict
Skipper made a defensible bet on sheets. Sheets are convenient, lightweight, ship cheaply, and remove the plastic bottle. The trade-off is that cleaning load per sheet is constrained by the physical format, and CHOICE measured the trade-off the most direct way possible. In CHOICE testing, laundry sheets generally scored lower than traditional powders and liquids.
Resparkle made the opposite bet. Powder packs higher cleaning concentration into a smaller dose volume, ships in a compostable bag without the surfactant-meets-paper problem that defeats compostable liquid containers, and stands behind its cleaning claim with independent benchmarking against the CHOICE #1 supermarket detergent.
Buy Skipper if you want sheets specifically (for travel, small spaces, or low-stakes top-up loads) and the cheaper per-wash cost outweighs the CHOICE-tested cleaning result for your use case.
Buy Resparkle if you want a daily-wash detergent with strong published performance evidence that it actually cleans, in plastic-free industrially compostable packaging, made in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Did CHOICE only test Skipper's sheets, or did they test sheets as a category?
CHOICE tested three laundry sheet products in their lab. All three came in at the bottom of the front-loader detergent results. Skipper's expert ratings of 51% (front loader) and 46% (top loader) reflect the category's general performance issues in CHOICE's testing, not a Skipper-specific manufacturing fault. The format itself is the constraint.
Is Resparkle in the CHOICE laundry detergent table?
As of this article's last update, Resparkle's Natural Laundry Powder is not in CHOICE's published laundry detergent comparison table. Resparkle's published independent testing is brand-commissioned, benchmarked against the CHOICE #1-rated supermarket detergent on five common stains. The full lab report and methodology are on the Resparkle PDP.
What does "barely better than washing with plain water" actually mean?
CHOICE scores cleaning performance on a percentage scale. Within the same 2024 detergent test, one product (Aldi Laundrite Liquid for front loaders) scored 50%, which CHOICE described as "no better than plain water." (Note: the Laundrite Powder scored 79% and is a CHOICE top pick — a different product.) Skipper's front-loader sheets scored 51%. The descriptor sits within that scoring band.
Why does the format matter for eco packaging?
A liquid laundry detergent in compostable packaging is hard to engineer; surfactant-water mixtures attack most compostable films and paper-style barriers over a shelf life. Powder sidesteps that problem because it's dry. Sheets sidestep it differently, by dissolving entirely, but they trade away dose density to do so. Resparkle's compostable bag works because the product inside is dry powder. Both Resparkle and Skipper have eco-leaning packaging stories that hold up; they hold up via different physical solutions.
What is the Tirtyl history?
Skipper was Tirtyl until February 2024, when the brand rebranded to Skipper. Team and ownership continued through the rebrand. Older reviews and articles refer to the same product as Tirtyl. Source: per the Skipper "Tirtyl is now Skipper" announcement page.
Where can I see the Resparkle lab test results?
The lab summary and results are on the Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder product page.
Further reading
- Best natural laundry detergent Australia 2026, the cornerstone guide covering powder, liquid, and sheets formats
- Best Skipper alternatives in Australia, listicle for buyers leaving Skipper
- Powder vs sheets vs liquid: which eco laundry format wins, three-way format decision guide
See the proof yourself
Resparkle's Natural Laundry Powder ships in a plastic-free industrially compostable bag, doses at 2 to 3 teaspoons per load, and is independently lab-tested to clean as well as Australia's CHOICE #1-rated supermarket detergent on 5 common stains.
See the lab test results for yourself
By the Resparkle team, a small family business based in Brisbane. Last updated: 2026-05-06.
Sources
- CHOICE laundry detergent lab tests, "The best and worst laundry detergents from our lab tests": https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/laundry-detergents/articles/the-best-and-worst-laundry-detergents
- CHOICE individual review, Skipper Laundry Detergent Sheets Front Loader: https://www.choice.com.au/products/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/laundry-detergents/skipper-laundry-detergent-sheets-front-loader
- CHOICE individual review, Skipper Laundry Detergent Sheets Top Loader: https://www.choice.com.au/products/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/laundry-detergents/skipper-laundry-detergent-sheets-top-loader
- Skipper laundry detergent sheets product page (per the brand's site)
- Skipper laundry sheets Starter Kit (per the brand's site)
- Skipper rebrand announcement, "Tirtyl is now Skipper" (per the brand's site)
- Skipper Laundry Detergent Sheets reviews on ProductReview.com.au: https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/skipper-laundry-detergent-sheets
- Inkl summary of 2024 CHOICE detergent test (covers Aldi 50% / plain-water language): https://www.inkl.com/news/powder-up-old-school-laundry-detergents-best-bet-for-cleaner-clothes-2024-choice-test-finds
- Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder product page: https://resparkle.com.au/products/natural-laundry-powder
- 2020 Australian Non-Toxic Awards (Gold + Editor's Choice, Resparkle Natural Laundry Powder)
- Environmental Working Group ingredient hazard ratings database: https://www.ewg.org
Substantiation note: every comparative claim in this article is sourced to either (a) Skipper's own published product/announcement pages, (b) CHOICE's published lab results, (c) ProductReview.com.au public reviews, or (d) Resparkle's own published material. No claim is made about Skipper that is not directly supported by Skipper's own statements or by independent third-party testing on the public record. Internal substantiation log: _research/article-22-substantiation.md.