Powerbrushes put the buzz into oral care

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colgate max white

Top launch: Colgate Max White Expert Colgate-P’olive

Say cheese! The tooth whitening market might be down 8.8% in value, but no one seems to have told Colgate that. Since its June launch, this ‘professionally designed’ toothpaste, which promises to deliver whiter gnashers in five days, has clocked up £3.3m in sales. The brand says the toothpaste, which comes in Cool and Soft Mint variants, is kind on tooth enamel and suitable for daily use. We say its premium positioning and professional credentials make it the stand-out launch of the year.

At last, reason to smile! “We’re on the verge of an oral care revolution,” claims P&G sales director Ian Morley, pointing to the extra £15.3m Oral B has put through the tills in the past year, £12m of that from toothbrushes.

This isn’t mere hyperbole. Power brushes have put the buzz back into oral care, adding value to the struggling personal care category. With the average price paid for a toothbrush up 5.8%, the sector has seen the eighth largest average price rise of the past year.

“Relentless trial-driving activities have continued to grow penetration,” adds Morley. These activities include TV ads throughout the autumn and deals (51.2% of power brush sales were on deal). “Almost one in three UK homes now have an electric toothbrush. Oral B has done a great job of normalising them.”

Shoppers are also trading up in toothpaste. Value sales are more or less flat on volumes down 3.1%, with prices being driven up by growing sales of more premium ‘complete care’ and ‘sensitive’ products, while last year’s star-performing subsector, whitening, put in a negative performance.

“Consumers are increasingly concerned with oral health ahead of beauty,” contends Joanne Cooper, grocery director at GSK, whose Sensodyne brand has grown fastest, by 7.8% to £81.9m on volumes up 2.3%.

This has been led by ads focusing on prevention of tooth sensitivity. The brand is hoping to boost whitening sales with its Sensodyne True White toothpaste duo, launched in October and pitched as the only whitening toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

It seems Brits will pay for such claims. Sensodyne sells for almost twice the average price of toothpaste, while Oral B, which has grown 6.9% on volumes that dipped 0.4%, is nearly 2o% pricier, thanks primarily to continued growth of the brand’s Pro Expert range, which features a host of health and beauty-related product variants.

Health is also an increasingly important selling point in mouthwash. GSK’s Corsodyl has defied this declining market with value and volume growth of 5% and 3.9% respectively. Nielsen says the sector has suffered from shopper losses over the past year.

TOP 5 Toothpaste				SALES
				£m	change (£m)	change (%)
Total volume change: –3.1%			Total Category	419.3	–1.0	–0.2
			Total Own Label	6.4	–1.8	–21.7
1	1	Colgate	Colgate-Palmolive	203.00	–4.5	–2.2
2	2	Sensodyne	GlaxoSmithKline	81.9	5.9	7.8
3	3	Oral B	P&G	50.6	3.3	6.9
4	4	Aquafresh	GlaxoSmithKline	31.5	–2.0	–6.1
5	5	Arm & Hammer	Church & Dwight	12.1	–0.8	–6.3

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TOP 5 Toothbrushes				SALES
				£m	change (£m)	change (%)
Total volume change: 0.3%			Total Category	302.9	17.6	6.2
			Total Own Label	16.4	–0.7	–4.0
1	1	Oral B	P&G	168	12	7.7
2	2	Colgate	Colgate-Palmolive	61.8	3	5.1
3	3	Sonicare	Philips Electronics	21.2	4.2	24.9
4	4	Aquafresh	GlaxoSmithKline	10	–1.4	–12.6
5	5	Listerine Reach	J & J	6.4	0.2	3

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TOP 5 Mouthwash				SALES
				£m	change (£m)	change (%)
Total volume change: –1.0%			Total Category	187.4	–2.9	–1.5
			Total Own Label	10	–1.0	–8.9
1	1	Listerine	J & J	74.9	0.9	1.2
2	2	Corsodyl	GlaxoSmithKline	34.9	1.7	5
3	3	Colgate	Colgate-Palmolive	33.5	0.5	1.4
5	4	Dentyl PH	Key Pharmaceuticals	6.5	–1.0	–13.3
6	5	Oral B	P&G	5.4	–0.4	–7.4