Personal care - oral care 2023: Brits brush up on green innovations

Brits’ teeth are turning green. A growing number of shoppers are choosing eco-friendly products for their oral health – and innovative challengers are at the forefront of the sustainability drive.

Take Pärla, which this year added 100% plastic-free versions of mouthwash tablets and floss. Or TePe, which in March unveiled its Choice toothbrush comprising a reusable beechwood handle and a changeable bio-plastic head.

Then there’s Waken. Its portfolio includes mouthwash in a 100% rPET bottle and toothpaste in a recyclable aluminium tube. The brand’s burgeoning retail range – available in Tesco, Boots, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado and Superdrug – is up 4.1% in value.

Sustainability in toothpaste is a growing trend

“We also continue to see strong growth coming from key online channels such as our own website and Amazon, where value sales are up by more than 70% year on year,” says co-founder Simon Duffy.

This performance has been driven by “a crucial shift towards sustainability, prompted by alarming stats like 300 million toothpaste tubes being discarded into landfills each year”, he adds.

As part of its eco-friendly mission, Waken this year added the reusable Sonic Toothbrush. It puts the brand in closer rivalry with Ordo, which has offered similar products for three years.

As well as being equally green-minded, Ordo has also put an emphasis on value with the rollout of its lower priced Sonic Lite lineup in the autumn (see Top Launch). “Affordability is a key trend that we don’t see slowing down,” says co-founder Barty Walsh. “Oral care should not be a luxury.”

This demand for value in has led to own label gains. It’s grown volumes by 16.8% and 14.6% in toothpaste and toothbrushes respectively. Brands have declined in both sectors, driven by losses among the category’s biggest players. But they still have a valuable position in the market, insists Michael Durkin, sales director at Haleon, owner of Sensodyne, Aquafresh and Corsodyl. “Shoppers recognise the value and quality that well-known brands bring to their self-care routines.”