Christine Esposito, Associate Editor11.02.15
Big companies such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble make a mint (not to mention spearmint and peppermint) from consumers who need toothpaste, mouthwash, whitening products and brushes. According to IRI data for the 52 weeks ended Aug. 9, 2015, sales of toothpaste rose 3.51% to $2.64 billion, with Procter & Gamble and Colgate holding stead-fast to the top two spots overall, followed by GlaxoSmithKline, Church & Dwight and Tom’s of Maine.
And while these market giants command the leading spots (see chart), smaller players vie for customers looking for alternatives that range from more unique flavors to über natural options.
Au Naturel
While Tom’s may be the highest profile player in the natural oral care space, a contingent of smaller brands takes natural oral care even further. A recent entrant is Dr. Bronner’s, which now offers Dr. Bronner’s All-One Toothpaste in three flavors.
“We entered this category because we felt that although some people have been using our soaps for years to brush their teeth, we might as well make their experience a lot better and a little less soapy,” said Mike Bronner.
And the company wanted to make a toothpaste it deemed as pure, natural and organic as possible.
“This meant going without synthetic foaming detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauroyl sarcosinate,” said Bronner. “Instead of these synthetic foaming detergents, we use potassium cocoate, made from organic coconut oil in a single step process, which has excellent cleansing properties but does not foam as readily as synthetic foaming agents do.”
And there in lies a key point of departure when it comes to natural toothpaste.
“We want people to be retrained that foaming does not indicate cleansing prowess, although most have been conditioned to expect it,” noted Bronner. “Having a low-foaming toothpaste means that we are able to formulate an effective toothpaste that contains no synthetic foaming detergents. We hope that much like people learned to value the bitter taste of baking soda in toothpaste because of its functionality, people will learn to appreciate the value of a low-foaming toothpaste because of its purity.”
(Not) Foaming at the Mouth
Breaking conventional thinking about how toothpaste should look, feel and taste is a major task for smaller oral care brands—those with voices that are more or less drowned out by larger players in the space.
One firm is Primal Life Organics, a personal care brand billed as paleo and manufactured by hand. The company’s Dirty Mouth toothpowder was created when founder Trina Felber sought a way to re-mineralize her young daughter’s tooth.
“I started researching to see how I could get this tooth through some of her childhood,” Felber told Happi. She discovered clays and began to mix her own batches of toothpowder for herself, friends and family. In 2012, Felber began making and selling the toothpowder, which is formulated with a variety of clays (specifically bentonite, white kaolin and french green) and comes in flavors that include peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, anise and cool orange.
“They are flavors similar to what a normal toothpaste would be. The product was different, (but) I didn’t want different flavor profiles,” said Felber.
Ugly by Nature is a Florida start-up positioned as an alternative to traditional toothpaste brands. The firm’s fluoride-free toothpaste, which contains Fair Trade organic coconut oil and food-grade bentonite clay, was developed by Florida physician Dr. Paul Herman.
When Happi spoke with co-founders Dr. Herman (CEO) and Adrianna Ryan (president) in mid-October, the firm was nearing the end of Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign designed to expand production and distribution of the vegan, cruelty-free and non-GMO toothpaste, which comes in seven flavors (chaotic coconut and spankin’ spearmint are two).
According to Dr. Herman, the feedback from his medical patients and friends was nice to hear, but it was responses that came in from the product’s Instagram page, website and samples he sent out to the generally curious that prompted the duo to move forward with larger production runs.
While these brands are new to the segment, the use of bentonite clay for tooth care isn’t earth shattering. Clays have long history in oral care.
In fact, Darryl Bosshardt grew up using a home brew of bentonite clay and salt made by his father. But admittedly it was a “mess and a hassle.”
So Bosshardt and his team at Redmond Trading Company, Heber City, UT, developed an offering that combines salt, clay, xylitol and essential oils. Known as Earthpaste, Redmond’s bills it as the “world’s ugliest toothpaste”—but according to Bosshardt it “tastes really good.”
While Bosshardt initially saw Earthpaste as a fringe item, the company has been amazed by how many people have gravitated to it for its ease of use and its simplicity of formula.
“It has taken right off. The market that was primed and ready for toothpaste that was ultra clean,” Bosshardt said, noting that he finds many of the toothpaste brands sold at health food stores to be complex.
“They are all good ingredients, but we believe that nature has it right,” he said.
Earthpaste, which comes in five flavors, can be found not only in mom-n-pop health food stores, but nearly every Whole Foods, and it has even found its way inside few so-called conventional stores, according to Bosshardt.
The company has been using social media to show the differences between Earthpaste and conventional toothpaste brands, and has also been connecting with groups such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, and bloggers too.
“There’s still a lot of opportunity; there are great big players—Crest and Colgate—and there are large companies in the natural side. We are still a small player in the market. But it is fun to watch,” Bosshardt said about Earthpaste’s rapid, “double digit” expansion since it launched two years ago.
But even as Earthpaste expands, it will most likely remain a niche product.
Said Bosshardt, “This toothpaste isn’t for everyone.”
Mass Appeal
Earthpaste may not appeal to the masses, but P&G’s oral care properties are designed to do just that; the company maintains its leadership position in oral health through new product development that casts a wide net.
“P&G’s dedication to innovation is what drives our brands to be leaders in this space,” noted Kris Parlett, a P&G spokesperson. “We focus on offering comprehensive oral care solutions to fulfill the health needs and desires of our consumers with a complete product portfolio across all forms including paste, mouthwash, manual and electric toothbrushes, floss, whitening, kids, and dentures.”
Among the newest additions to the P&G’s oral care stable are Crest Pro-Health Advanced Mouthwash, which offers 99% stronger teeth versus brushing alone; the Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries Electric Toothbrush with Bluetooth technology; and Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste system, which pairs a deep cleansing toothpaste and gel whitener.
According to the brand, brushing with the Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste system twice a day will keep one’s smile up to 99% as white as a professional polish.
A whiter smile is also the goal of Rockstar White, a whitening product for consumers that is sold online. Although it is designed to deliver a brighter grin, a whitening product isn’t what the product developers set out to create.
“Our initial intent was to investigate low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to be used on a nightly basis to aid in the prevention of gum disease,” said Rebecca Montes, a sales director. “To be used nightly, the product had to be sensitivity free, but still strong enough to kill bacteria. This effort led to our understanding of making and designing hydrogen peroxide products.”
The jump into whitening from gum disease prevention came about from dentist requests, according to Montes.
“Teeth whitening products in the dental office can be very aggressive and lead to patients having severe pain for several weeks afterwards. This is a problem for the dentist because it makes patients angry and often request their money back. Many of my colleagues knew of my product for gum disease and its low sensitivity and they asked if I would create a product for whitening for them. Since we had become well versed in symptom avoidance, we developed a product that took nearly two years to perfect.”
Rockstar White’s take-home product offers the quickest results, and with correct usage, minimal to no pain or sensitivity issues, according to company officials, who contend the market is primed for its made- and packaged-in-the-US, kosher whitening product.
“We believe that the time for our product is now,” said Montes. “So many have tried to enter the market but did not have the correct formula and now have died out from their empty promises. We have the product that really delivers on its promise. No gimmick. Just simply a quality product that actually works.”
Start Young
Efficacy matters in oral care; for many consumers, the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance is an indicator of efficacy. Montclair, NJ-based Hello reached a milestone with the ADA: its entire line now sports the designation following the recent approval of its Blue Raspberry, Green Apple and Bubblegum Toothpastes for kids. Launched exclusively at select Target locations and Target.com in Q1 2015, Hello is currently expanding its kids’ toothpaste distribution.
While the ADA seal speaks to mom, Hello recognizes the importance of flavor. Said CEO Craig Dubitsky, “All of our toothpastes leave you feeling clean, polished and fresh without unnecessary artificial ingredients, plus the added bonus of amazing taste. Why shouldn’t kids have the same awesome experience as their parents? With flavors this delicious, we think kids will actually look forward to brushing; hopefully this helps with overall compliance, and will cut down on parents having to plead with their kids to brush their teeth.”
Colgate knows long-term oral health starts when children learn proper habits. To that end, the company recently partnered with The Kids In Need Foundation and country artist Jessie James Decker for Smile for Picture Day, an annual campaign that uses the tradition of school picture day to promote healthy brushing routines.
Colgate donated 25,000 Colgate Kids toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes along with $25,000 to the 501(3)(c) charitable organization, which prepares children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need.
It is the type of philanthropic effort one expects from an industry giant, but it also shows just how much of an uphill battle smaller brands have when it comes to gaining consumers’ attention in the oral care sector.
And while these market giants command the leading spots (see chart), smaller players vie for customers looking for alternatives that range from more unique flavors to über natural options.
Au Naturel
While Tom’s may be the highest profile player in the natural oral care space, a contingent of smaller brands takes natural oral care even further. A recent entrant is Dr. Bronner’s, which now offers Dr. Bronner’s All-One Toothpaste in three flavors.
“We entered this category because we felt that although some people have been using our soaps for years to brush their teeth, we might as well make their experience a lot better and a little less soapy,” said Mike Bronner.
And the company wanted to make a toothpaste it deemed as pure, natural and organic as possible.
“This meant going without synthetic foaming detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauroyl sarcosinate,” said Bronner. “Instead of these synthetic foaming detergents, we use potassium cocoate, made from organic coconut oil in a single step process, which has excellent cleansing properties but does not foam as readily as synthetic foaming agents do.”
And there in lies a key point of departure when it comes to natural toothpaste.
“We want people to be retrained that foaming does not indicate cleansing prowess, although most have been conditioned to expect it,” noted Bronner. “Having a low-foaming toothpaste means that we are able to formulate an effective toothpaste that contains no synthetic foaming detergents. We hope that much like people learned to value the bitter taste of baking soda in toothpaste because of its functionality, people will learn to appreciate the value of a low-foaming toothpaste because of its purity.”
(Not) Foaming at the Mouth
Breaking conventional thinking about how toothpaste should look, feel and taste is a major task for smaller oral care brands—those with voices that are more or less drowned out by larger players in the space.
One firm is Primal Life Organics, a personal care brand billed as paleo and manufactured by hand. The company’s Dirty Mouth toothpowder was created when founder Trina Felber sought a way to re-mineralize her young daughter’s tooth.
“I started researching to see how I could get this tooth through some of her childhood,” Felber told Happi. She discovered clays and began to mix her own batches of toothpowder for herself, friends and family. In 2012, Felber began making and selling the toothpowder, which is formulated with a variety of clays (specifically bentonite, white kaolin and french green) and comes in flavors that include peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, anise and cool orange.
“They are flavors similar to what a normal toothpaste would be. The product was different, (but) I didn’t want different flavor profiles,” said Felber.
Ugly by Nature is a Florida start-up positioned as an alternative to traditional toothpaste brands. The firm’s fluoride-free toothpaste, which contains Fair Trade organic coconut oil and food-grade bentonite clay, was developed by Florida physician Dr. Paul Herman.
When Happi spoke with co-founders Dr. Herman (CEO) and Adrianna Ryan (president) in mid-October, the firm was nearing the end of Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign designed to expand production and distribution of the vegan, cruelty-free and non-GMO toothpaste, which comes in seven flavors (chaotic coconut and spankin’ spearmint are two).
According to Dr. Herman, the feedback from his medical patients and friends was nice to hear, but it was responses that came in from the product’s Instagram page, website and samples he sent out to the generally curious that prompted the duo to move forward with larger production runs.
While these brands are new to the segment, the use of bentonite clay for tooth care isn’t earth shattering. Clays have long history in oral care.
In fact, Darryl Bosshardt grew up using a home brew of bentonite clay and salt made by his father. But admittedly it was a “mess and a hassle.”
So Bosshardt and his team at Redmond Trading Company, Heber City, UT, developed an offering that combines salt, clay, xylitol and essential oils. Known as Earthpaste, Redmond’s bills it as the “world’s ugliest toothpaste”—but according to Bosshardt it “tastes really good.”
While Bosshardt initially saw Earthpaste as a fringe item, the company has been amazed by how many people have gravitated to it for its ease of use and its simplicity of formula.
“It has taken right off. The market that was primed and ready for toothpaste that was ultra clean,” Bosshardt said, noting that he finds many of the toothpaste brands sold at health food stores to be complex.
“They are all good ingredients, but we believe that nature has it right,” he said.
Earthpaste, which comes in five flavors, can be found not only in mom-n-pop health food stores, but nearly every Whole Foods, and it has even found its way inside few so-called conventional stores, according to Bosshardt.
The company has been using social media to show the differences between Earthpaste and conventional toothpaste brands, and has also been connecting with groups such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, and bloggers too.
“There’s still a lot of opportunity; there are great big players—Crest and Colgate—and there are large companies in the natural side. We are still a small player in the market. But it is fun to watch,” Bosshardt said about Earthpaste’s rapid, “double digit” expansion since it launched two years ago.
But even as Earthpaste expands, it will most likely remain a niche product.
Said Bosshardt, “This toothpaste isn’t for everyone.”
Mass Appeal
Earthpaste may not appeal to the masses, but P&G’s oral care properties are designed to do just that; the company maintains its leadership position in oral health through new product development that casts a wide net.
“P&G’s dedication to innovation is what drives our brands to be leaders in this space,” noted Kris Parlett, a P&G spokesperson. “We focus on offering comprehensive oral care solutions to fulfill the health needs and desires of our consumers with a complete product portfolio across all forms including paste, mouthwash, manual and electric toothbrushes, floss, whitening, kids, and dentures.”
Among the newest additions to the P&G’s oral care stable are Crest Pro-Health Advanced Mouthwash, which offers 99% stronger teeth versus brushing alone; the Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries Electric Toothbrush with Bluetooth technology; and Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste system, which pairs a deep cleansing toothpaste and gel whitener.
According to the brand, brushing with the Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste system twice a day will keep one’s smile up to 99% as white as a professional polish.
A whiter smile is also the goal of Rockstar White, a whitening product for consumers that is sold online. Although it is designed to deliver a brighter grin, a whitening product isn’t what the product developers set out to create.
“Our initial intent was to investigate low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to be used on a nightly basis to aid in the prevention of gum disease,” said Rebecca Montes, a sales director. “To be used nightly, the product had to be sensitivity free, but still strong enough to kill bacteria. This effort led to our understanding of making and designing hydrogen peroxide products.”
The jump into whitening from gum disease prevention came about from dentist requests, according to Montes.
“Teeth whitening products in the dental office can be very aggressive and lead to patients having severe pain for several weeks afterwards. This is a problem for the dentist because it makes patients angry and often request their money back. Many of my colleagues knew of my product for gum disease and its low sensitivity and they asked if I would create a product for whitening for them. Since we had become well versed in symptom avoidance, we developed a product that took nearly two years to perfect.”
Rockstar White’s take-home product offers the quickest results, and with correct usage, minimal to no pain or sensitivity issues, according to company officials, who contend the market is primed for its made- and packaged-in-the-US, kosher whitening product.
“We believe that the time for our product is now,” said Montes. “So many have tried to enter the market but did not have the correct formula and now have died out from their empty promises. We have the product that really delivers on its promise. No gimmick. Just simply a quality product that actually works.”
Start Young
Efficacy matters in oral care; for many consumers, the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance is an indicator of efficacy. Montclair, NJ-based Hello reached a milestone with the ADA: its entire line now sports the designation following the recent approval of its Blue Raspberry, Green Apple and Bubblegum Toothpastes for kids. Launched exclusively at select Target locations and Target.com in Q1 2015, Hello is currently expanding its kids’ toothpaste distribution.
While the ADA seal speaks to mom, Hello recognizes the importance of flavor. Said CEO Craig Dubitsky, “All of our toothpastes leave you feeling clean, polished and fresh without unnecessary artificial ingredients, plus the added bonus of amazing taste. Why shouldn’t kids have the same awesome experience as their parents? With flavors this delicious, we think kids will actually look forward to brushing; hopefully this helps with overall compliance, and will cut down on parents having to plead with their kids to brush their teeth.”
Colgate knows long-term oral health starts when children learn proper habits. To that end, the company recently partnered with The Kids In Need Foundation and country artist Jessie James Decker for Smile for Picture Day, an annual campaign that uses the tradition of school picture day to promote healthy brushing routines.
Colgate donated 25,000 Colgate Kids toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes along with $25,000 to the 501(3)(c) charitable organization, which prepares children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need.
It is the type of philanthropic effort one expects from an industry giant, but it also shows just how much of an uphill battle smaller brands have when it comes to gaining consumers’ attention in the oral care sector.