With a smile becoming a central part of beauty and wellness routines, gone are the days of simple mint toothpastes.Estimated at $37.7bn in 2023, the global oral care market is forecast to witness a CAGR of 6.7% from 2024 to 2030 according to Grand View Research.Tapping into this potential, the emerging luxury oral care space is pitching anti-aging ingredients and dental serums, talking about the oral microbiota and coming out with packaging that goes against traditional codes. We spotlight five oral care brands that stand out from the crowd.
The Smilist – oral microbiota and prebiotics
"The luxury oral care market is rapidly evolving, with growing demand for items that are both effective and natural. Consumers are prepared to invest in quality and more sophisticated products like mouthwashes and dental serums," affirms premium French oral care brand The Smilist.
Founded in 2022, the brand is responding to this evolution by integrating prebiotics into its formulas to offer "innovative products that contribute to balanced oral microbiota, essential to our overall wellbeing." Its range, which includes the Gum Regenerating Toothpaste and Tooth-whitening Night Serum, contains Microbiotic Floral Complex, a combination of patented solidago flower extract and prebiotics aimed “to reduce the presence of seven types of bad microorganisms and stimulate those essential for a healthy mouth.”Its Ecocert-certified formulas are made in France.
The Smilist puts prebiotics at the heart of its formulas ©The Smilist
For its packaging, The Smilist works with European suppliers: toothpaste tubes are made of aluminum, while the dental serum comes in a glass flacon. Secondary packs integrate 40% recycled paper and are printed with soy and water-based inks. Sold in pharmacies, parapharmacies, specialist stores and via its e-boutique (where products are sold individually or through a subscription model), the brand says it is expanding its retail presence in France and aims to develop internationally.
Premium French oral care brand The Smilist was founded in 2022©The Smilist
Selahatin – luxury oral care from Sweden
Swedish oral care brand Selahatin launched in 2018 with the aim of elevating the ritual around oral care. "Our day starts and ends with these products, so they set the emotional tone," says Founder Kristoffer Vural. From its debut with a line of three whitening toothpastes, it now markets a portfolio of more than 40 products and is stocked in over 30 countries. Products contain essential oils (typically not found in oral care) prized for their antibacterial properties, as well as antioxidants. And while almost all Selahatin's toothpastes have a minty base, some also contain spices: cinnamon or cardamom, for example.
The packaging design features a custom typeface and toothpaste tubes are made of 100% aluminum sourced from German company Linhardt. Eau d'Extrait Oral, described as a "mouth perfume", is a luxury take on a mouth spray and comes in a glass flacon supplied by Coverpla. Its glass mouthwash flacons are from glassmaker Heinz Glas, and can be teamed with limited-edition sleeves that are handmade in Stockholm using vegetable tanned Italian leather.
Selahatin's glass mouthwash flacons are supplied by Heinz Glas ©Selahatin
Twice – Oral Wellness for Your Mouth, Body and Soul
US-based oral care brand Twice was founded in 2018 by two brothers from a family of dentists and Lenny Kravitz; the trio met while providing free dental work in Kravitz’s hometown of Eleuthera in The Bahamas. Twice underwent a brand and packaging revamp in 2022 with the help of Toronto-based agency Concrete, which came up with the tagline, Oral Wellness for Your Mouth, Body and Soul, in line with the brand’s founding principle that holistic oral care is a critical part of overall physical health. "We stayed away from the slick aesthetic employed by many oral care brands," says Concrete, instead embracing a more minimal approach to branding. "For instance, we used only a single typeface (Calson Ionic, designed by Paul Barnes and Greg Gazdowicz for Commercial Type) which forced us to find creative solutions to bring variety and hierarchy into the identity."
Twice's Whitening Pen ©Twice
The color palette, also minimal, became a dramatic statement. "Yellow is a color that the oral care sector traditionally shies away from because of its associations with yellow teeth. But this created an opportunity for us to break away from such literal thinking and connect to the positive emotions associated with the color," the agency explains.
The secondary packaging, produced by Acorn East, is printed on the matte underside of paper stock. A registered emboss was used on the small accent color denoting the product flavor and a large blind emboss of the logo features on the side of the carton. Twice claims to combine cutting-edge science with clean ingredients, and its product lineup includes the Oral Wellness Immunity Rinse, a mouthwash that contains colloidal silver to support natural immune defenses and reduce biofilm buildup; aloe vera for its anti-inflammatory properties, and spirulina that is said to help reduce dental plaque and inflammation.
Twice's yellow packaging designed by Toronto-based agency Concrete is atypical for the oral care segment©Twice
Bite - refillable, waterless formulas
Founded in 2017 by Lindsay McCormick, a former surfer sensitive to the ocean plastic problem, US brand Bite launched with pressed toothpaste "bits" offering an alternative to traditional toothpaste tubes. Bite highlights the waterless, travel-friendly aspect of its formulas. To use, consumers chew until a powder is formed, then brush with a wet toothbrush.
US brand Bite was built around toothpaste bits that come in refillable glass jars©Bite
Formulated in-house and made in California, Bits are certified vegan and contain nano hydroxyapatite (the synthetic version of hydroxyapatite, which occurs naturally in the body and keeps tooth enamel strong) and plant-derived ingredients. They are packaged in glass jars with aluminum lids, while refills are housed in compostable pouches. For its paper packaging, the brand favors FSC-certified cardboard and water-based inks. Bite has since expanded its product offer to include a deodorant in a refillable, aluminum case. Products can be purchased individually or via a subscription model. The company was certified B Corp in summer 2022.
Bite's Whitening Gel is designed to be applied with a brush ©Bite
vVARDIS – anti-aging for teeth
Founded by dentist duo Doctors Haleh and Golnar Abivardi back in 2003, Swiss oral care brand vVARDIS claims to offer “the first teeth anti-aging ritual”. Its patented technology is based on research into biomimetic science research; at its heart is the P11-4, a small intelligent peptide made of naturally occurring amino acids. By patenting the process that mimics nature to create new Hydroxyapatite crystals, scientists at vVARDIS say they have found a way to regenerate tooth enamel.
vVardis is a luxury Swiss oral care brand ©vVardis
Products include a White Enamel Serum, which is described as "an intensive treatment" that creates new white enamel in seven days thanks to the patented Hydroxya-Peptide500 complex.The brand's Enamel Highlighter mouthwash contains Zinc-Peptide Complex10 for "bright and glossy" enamel. As for its packaging, the brand opted for a sleek, minimalist aesthetic that is more typical of luxury skincare than oral care.
vVardis opted for sleek and minimalist packaging ©vVardis
