Lever Fabergé is bidding to grow the fabric detergents category by offering consumers the chance to speed up one of their household chores.

The detergents giant is launching a new fabric conditioner specifically designed to help clothes dry faster than they do with rival products.

It is supporting the launch of Comfort Fast Dry with a £7m through-the-line marketing push which will include TV, press, radio and poster ads, as well as nationwide sampling and instore promotions.

Lever said the new offering featured a new formulation which increased the amount of water removed during a washing machine’s spin cycle.

However, it will come at a premium, with one litre and two litre packs retailing at £1.25 and £2.15. A 750ml concentrated version will cost £2.25.

That compares with a price of around £1.44 for a two-litre pack of standard Comfort conditioner.

Louise Jeeves, brand manager for Comfort, said she was confident the new Fast Dry formula would attract shoppers, increasing penetration within the category, bringing in new users and getting existing shoppers in the category to trade up.

“Drying clothes is a nuisance because it takes too long,” she said. “The introduction of Fast Dry speeds up the drying time, allowing people to wash clothes on a regular basis and ensure that they are ready to wear quicker, taking the irritation out of the washing process.”

A buyer at one of the muliples said she was “fairly confident” the product would do well.

“It does come at a premium but it is adding a point of difference. We have tried the product and it is a good one.”