Britain’s quest for a whiter smile has ramped up a gear. As consumers look to imitate the gleaming gnashers of Love Island stars and Instagram influencers, they are turning to toothpastes with ever bolder scientific claims.
Data Box
Top 15 Oral Care
The past year’s launches - which have largely focused on whitening - read like a science paper. Oral-B’s 3D Whitening Therapy toothpaste is “formulated with an active mineral complex” to remove surface stains, while Colgate’s Max White Expert Complete (see Top Launch) has a trademarked “advanced brighteners system” that promises to reflect blue light. There has also been a noticeable rise in charcoal-based products, including one from Colgate, though Nielsen commercial analytics business partner Mahbano Yasmeen notes these remain an “extremely small” part of the market.
P&G Northern Europe group sales director Ian Morley says there is a “continuous revolution” going on in oral care. “Consumers are becoming more health and beauty-conscious and are seeking more premium products.”
That these new-wave, ultra-scientific whitening products tend to retail at well above the average pack price of £1.90 hasn’t done the toothpaste market any harm. Yasmeen says more premium propositions have mitigated the 1.8% volume decline. “The main impact will be coming from higher-priced products and slightly less promotions, which has made premium ranges pricier than before.”
All this competition in premium whitening means there has also been a “struggle for promotional space”, says Yasmeen. Taking a look at what’s on offer, it’s easy to see why. Colgate has no fewer than 14 whitening toothpaste SKUs on Tesco.com, while Oral-B has nine. Talk about spoilt for choice.
Still, it means toothpaste is faring far better than toothbrushes and mouthwashes. All top five mouthwash brands have fallen in value. The only good news is Corsodyl, Colgate and CB12 have shifted more volumes, of which CB12 is the standout player with a 31% increase. Over in toothbrushes, Wisdom is the only brand in value or volume growth.
Can the quest for a Love Island smile soon add a bit of magic to these markets, too?
TOP LAUNCH
Expert Complete Colgate-Palmolive
Brits will go to great lengths to get a gleaming white smile. One product promising the next-best thing to the dentist’s chair is Colgate’s Max White Expert Complete (rsp: £12/90ml), which claims to be the only deep and instant tooth-whitening product on the market. Colgate says its formula contains the same ingredient dentists use to remove deep-set stains. Plus, its ‘advanced brighteners system’ reflects blue light to give teeth an immediate boost.
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