Multiplicative persistence is a complex term but a simple concept. Take a number, multiply its digits, repeat. Sooner or later the result is a single digit:

25 → 2 x 5 = 10 → 1 x 0 = 0 (mp=2)
39 → 3 x 9 = 27 → 2 x 7 = 14 → 1 x 4 = 4 (mp=3)

So 25 has a multiplicative persistence of 2 and 39 a multiplicative persistence of 3. Each is the smallest number with that m.p. in base-10. Further records are set by these numbers:

77 → 49 → 36 → 18 → 8 (mp=4)
679 → 378 → 168 → 48 → 32 → 6 (mp=5)
6788 → 2688 → 768 → 336 → 54 → 20 → 0 (mp=6)
68889 → 27648 → 2688 → 768 → 336 → 54 → 20 → 0 (mp=7)
2677889 → 338688 → 27648 → 2688 → 768 → 336 → 54 → 20 → 0 (mp=8)
26888999 → 4478976 → 338688 → 27648 → 2688 → 768 → 336 → 54 → 20 → 0 (mp=9)
3778888999 → 438939648 → 4478976 → 338688 → 27648 → 2688 → 768 → 336 → 54 → 20 → 0 (mp=10)

Now here’s base-9:

25_[b=9] → 11 → 1 (mp=2)
38_[b=9] → 26 → 13 → 3 (mp=3)
57_[b=9] → 38 → 26 → 13 → 3 (mp=4)
477_[b=9] → 237 → 46 → 26 → 13 → 3 (mp=5)
45788_[b=9] → 13255 → 176 → 46 → 26 → 13 → 3 (mp=6)
2577777_[b=9] → 275484 → 13255 → 176 → 46 → 26 → 13 → 3 (mp=7)

And base-11:

26_[b=11] → 11 → 1 (mp=2)
3A_[b=11] → 28 → 15 → 5 (mp=3)
69_[b=11] → 4A → 37 → 1A → A (=10_b=10) (mp=4)
269_[b=11] → 99 → 74 → 26 → 11 → 1 (mp=5)
3579_[b=11] → 78A → 46A → 1A9 → 82 → 15 → 5 (mp=6)
26778_[b=11] → 3597 → 78A → 46A → 1A9 → 82 → 15 → 5 (mp=7)
47788A_[b=11] → 86277 → 3597 → 78A → 46A → 1A9 → 82 → 15 → 5 (mp=8)
67899AAA_[b=11] → 143A9869 → 299596 → 2A954 → 2783 → 286 → 88 → 59 → 41 → 4 (mp=9)
77777889999_[b=11] → 2AA174996A → 143A9869 → 299596 → 2A954 → 2783 → 286 → 88 → 59 → 41 → 4 (mp=10)

I was also interested in the narcissism of multiplicative persistence. That is, are any numbers equal to the sum of the numbers created while calculating their multiplicative persistence? Yes:

86 = (8 x 6 = 48) + (4 x 8 = 32) + (3 x 2 = 6)

I haven’t found any more in base-10 (apart from the trivial 0 to 9) and can’t prove that this is the only one. Base-9 offers this:

78_[b=9] = 62 + 13 + 3

I can’t find any at all in base-11, but here are base-12 and base-27:

57_[b=12] = 2B + 1A + A
A8_[b=12] = 68 + 40 + 0

4[23]_[b=27] = 3B + 16 + 6
7[24]_[b=27] = 66 + 19 + 9
A[18]_[b=27] = 6[18] + 40 + 0
[26][24]_[b=27] = [23]3 + 2F + 13 + 3
[26][23][26]_[b=27] = [21]8[23] + 583 + 4C + 1[21] + [21]

But the richest base I’ve found so far is base-108, with fourteen narcissistic multiplicative-persistence sums:

4[92]_[b=108] = 3[44] + 1[24] + [24]
5[63]_[b=108] = 2[99] + 1[90] + [90]
7[96]_[b=108] = 6[24] + 1[36] + [36]
A[72]_[b=108] = 6[72] + 40 + 0
[19][81]_[b=108] = E[27] + 3[54] + 1[54] + [54]
[26][96]_[b=108] = [23]C + 2[60] + 1C + C
[35][81]_[b=108] = [26][27] + 6[54] + 30 + 0
[37][55]_[b=108] = [18][91] + F[18] + 2[54] + 10 + 0
[73][60]_[b=108] = [40][60] + [22][24] + 4[96] + 3[60] + 1[72] + [72]
[107][66]_[b=108] = [65][42] + [25][30] + 6[102] + 5[72] + 3[36] + 10 + 0
[71][84]_[b=108] = [55][24] + C[24] + 2[72] + 1[36] + [36]
[107][99]_[b=108] = [98]9 + 8[18] + 1[36] + [36]
5[92][96]_[b=108] = 3[84][96] + 280 + 0
8[107][100]_[b=108] = 7[36][64] + 1[41][36] + D[72] + 8[72] + 5[36] + 1[72] + [72]

Update (10/ii/14): The best now is base-180 with eighteen multiplicative-persistence sums.

5[105]_[b=180] = 2[165] + 1[150] + [150]
7[118]_[b=180] = 4[106] + 2[64] + [128]
7[160]_[b=180] = 6[40] + 1[60] + [60]
8[108]_[b=180] = 4[144] + 3[36] + [108]
A[120]_[b=180] = 6[120] + 40 + 0 (s=5)
[19][135]_[b=180] = E[45] + 3[90] + 1[90] + [90]
[21][108]_[b=180] = C[108] + 7[36] + 1[72] + [72]
[26][160]_[b=180] = [23][20] + 2[100] + 1[20] + [20]
[31][98]_[b=180] = [16][158] + E8 + [112]
[35][135]_[b=180] = [26][45] + 6[90] + 30 + 0 (s=10)
[44][96]_[b=180] = [23][84] + A[132] + 7[60] + 2[60] + [120]
[71][140]_[b=180] = [55][40] + C[40] + 2[120] + 1[60] + [60]
[73][100]_[b=180] = [40][100] + [22][40] + 4[160] + 3[100] + 1[120] + [120]
[107][110]_[b=180] = [65][70] + [25][50] + 6[170] + 5[120] + 3[60] + 10 + 0
[107][165]_[b=180] = [98]F + 8[30] + 1[60] + [60] (s=15)
[172][132]_[b=180] = [126][24] + [16][144] + C[144] + 9[108] + 5[72] + 20 + 0
5[173][145]_[b=180] = 3[156][145] + 2[17]0 + 0
E[170][120]_[b=180] = 8[146][120] + 4[58][120] + [154][120] + [102][120] + [68]0 + 0