Household cleaning
Bio-Tex Original Bio Pre-Wash Powder dupe
Why pay around £4.50 for Bio-Tex? The bulk active is Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade) — 67% less per working litre than a typical shelf pack.
From the retail pack to the active and the mix
1 · Retail
Bio-Tex Original Bio Pre-Wash Powder
500 grams · £4.50 typical snapshot
Sodium sulphate and surfactant carrier
2 · Active
Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease)
100% on the label
9014-01-1Serine endoprotease (EC 3.4.21.62)
Bulk Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade)
3 · Mix
5 g per litre of soak water (protein stain pre-soak)
£0.30 per working litre · 67% less than the shelf pack
- Active
- Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease)
- CAS
- 9014-01-1
- Dupe
- Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade)
- Saving
- 67% / L
Saving is per litre of working-strength mix versus a typical pack price, not versus the DIY kit total. Shop prices move — always check the listing.
Label teardown
What the pack promises versus what the label chemistry actually is.
The marketing claim
“Pre-soaks stubborn protein stains — blood, grass, egg, sweat”
The chemical reality
Bio-Tex lists subtilisin (CAS 9014-01-1) as the active enzyme, carried on sulphate. Protease is the workhorse of every biological laundry tablet sold in Europe. Food-grade subtilisin powder from a fermentation supplier is the same enzyme at a fraction of the grocery shelf price.
Active vs filler
100% Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease) · 0% carrier / filler — Sodium sulphate and surfactant carrier
- Typical retail
- £4.50
- 500 grams
- Estimated active cost
- £29.98
- Scaled from bulk £14.99 / 250 g
- Indicative markup
- 0.2×
- Snapshot maths, not a live shop price
The Marketing Claim & The Catch
A 500 grams pack of Bio-Tex Original Bio Pre-Wash Powder typically retails around £4.50 in household cleaning. That is a UK shelf-price snapshot for the maths on this page — not a live shop quote or a manufacturer RRP. Listings, sizes and deals move. The marketing line is that you are buying a finished lifestyle product, not a weighed chemical.
On the pack: Pre-soaks stubborn protein stains — blood, grass, egg, sweat; Biological formula activates in cool water; and Classic Danish laundry formula.
The catch: Bio-Tex lists subtilisin (CAS 9014-01-1) as the active enzyme, carried on sulphate. Protease is the workhorse of every biological laundry tablet sold in Europe. Food-grade subtilisin powder from a fermentation supplier is the same enzyme at a fraction of the grocery shelf price.
- “Pre-soaks stubborn protein stains — blood, grass, egg, sweat”
- “Biological formula activates in cool water”
- “Classic Danish laundry formula”
Proprietary Blend & Dosage Breakdown
The labelled active is Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease) at 100%. Everything else in the pack is sodium sulphate and surfactant carrier.
Even when the pack is sold as “pure” or ready-to-use, the dose that actually does the work is Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease). The rest is how they get it into a bottle you will pick up.
Branded working strength is whatever comes out of the bottle. The bulk alternative is 100% Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade), mixed to 5 g per litre of soak water (protein stain pre-soak).
- Labelled active
- Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease)
- 100%
- Carrier
- Sodium sulphate and surfactant carrier
- Retail pack
- 500 grams · £4.50
The Active Chemical Alternative (Dupe Stack)
The dupe stack is Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade) at 100% bulk. Indexed as CAS 9014-01-1, formula Serine endoprotease (EC 3.4.21.62). Buy it as 250 g for around £14.99 from Amazon UK.
Working strength: 5 g per litre of soak water (protein stain pre-soak). Indicative cost £0.30 per diluted litre — 67% below a typical branded pack on a per-litre basis, before you reuse leftover bulk.
Follow the mixing method and the supplier SDS. Wear the listed PPE. Do not mix incompatible oxidisers, acids or ammonia.
- Enzyme powder — avoid inhalation (respiratory sensitiser on the SDS; dust mask if you are mixing batches). Wear gloves. Do not mix directly with bleach or boiling water — both destroy the enzyme.
- For a pre-soak: dissolve 5 g per litre of tepid water (30–40 °C). Submerge the garment for 1–4 hours, then wash as normal. Blood and grass stains respond in 30 minutes on white cotton.
- For a machine boost: add 5 g to the drum alongside your biological detergent. Select 30–40 °C. Not needed above 60 °C — use percarbonate for those cycles.
- 250 g at 5 g per soak is 50 treatment doses — roughly 25 Bio-Tex boxes' worth of soaks.
- Store sealed and cool. Enzymes degrade faster if exposed to moisture.
Dilution recipe
5 L sprayer
Working strength 5 g per litre of soak water (protein stain pre-soak). Educational estimate from the listed ratio — check the SDS before you mix.
Chemical
25 grams
Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade)
Water
5 litres
Carrier / diluent
0% concentrate · 100% water by working volume (solids are dissolved into the water share).
Required PPE
Loading calculator…
Side-by-Side Price & Potency Comparison
Head-to-head comparison
| Measure | Retail brandedBio-Tex | Raw active dupeDupeStack |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Original Bio Pre-Wash PowderAmazon UK search — listing, not a confirmed seller | Subtilisin protease powder (enzyme, food/technical grade) |
| Pack / unit | 500 grams · £4.50 | 250 g · £14.99 |
| Active | Protease (subtilisin, serine endoprotease) at 100%Carrier: Sodium sulphate and surfactant carrier | 100% bulkSerine endoprotease (EC 3.4.21.62) |
| CAS number | Not disclosed on pack | 9014-01-1 |
| Working strength | Ready-to-use pack | Dilute 5 g per litre of soak water (protein stain pre-soak) |
| Cost per litre | £4.50 / pack | £0.30 / L mixed from bulk |
| Headline saving | Baseline | 67% cheaper |
| COSHH / PPE | Follow the branded SDS | Gloves. Chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile or neoprene)Ventilation. Use outdoors or with mechanical extractionRespirator. Rated respirator for dusts or vapours as specified on the SDS |
Active ingredient and cheaper alternative — FAQ
Is protease the same as lipase or amylase?
No — each enzyme targets a different substrate. Protease cuts protein chains (blood, grass, sweat, egg). Lipase targets fats. Amylase targets starch. Bio-Tex is primarily a protease product. Full biological washing powder adds all three.
Does protease work in hot water?
Subtilisin denatures above about 60 °C. It performs best at 30–50 °C. A 90 °C cotton cycle destroys the enzyme before it can work — use cool biological pre-soaks as the box says, then the hot cycle if needed.
How do you mix the Original Bio Pre-Wash Powder dupe stack?
Enzyme powder — avoid inhalation (respiratory sensitiser on the SDS; dust mask if you are mixing batches). Wear gloves. Do not mix directly with bleach or boiling water — both destroy the enzyme. For a pre-soak: dissolve 5 g per litre of tepid water (30–40 °C). Submerge the garment for 1–4 hours, then wash as normal. Blood and grass stains respond in 30 minutes on white cotton. For a machine boost: add 5 g to the drum alongside your biological detergent. Select 30–40 °C. Not needed above 60 °C — use percarbonate for those cycles. 250 g at 5 g per soak is 50 treatment doses — roughly 25 Bio-Tex boxes' worth of soaks. Store sealed and cool. Enzymes degrade faster if exposed to moisture.
DupeStack provides chemical concentration data and educational mixing guides only. Wellness pages compare food supplements, not medicines or prescribed treatments. Always review the supplier Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and comply with UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and COSHH regulations when handling concentrated substances. Mixing and storage are at your own risk. Some links are affiliate advertisements (Amazon Associates, eBay Partner Network, and Awin when those programmes are live). Commissions do not change listed concentrations or calculator output.
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Indicative DIY stack