Expert Insights: Oral Care Trends 7/24/2015
Are you smiling? Probably not if you feel your teeth could use some whitening. Yellowing teeth is one of the top concerns within the oral care category. Whitening kit and bleaching sales have stopped exploding in sales but that’s due to the omnipresence of whitening functionality within the other oral care subcategories such as toothpaste, mouth rinses, and even whitening floss. A person’s smile is often one of the first things a person notices. Having dull, yellowish teeth can be synonymous with a person’s appearance and the association to beauty is stronger than ever. Top brands continue to release whitening products that promise a whiter smile in a short time. Colgate-Palmolive even launched a toothbrush with a built in whitening pen, taking whitening to a whole new level. Some brands are now starting to position beauty into oral care products. Lion Platius Ha No Biyoeki Mint (Mint Flavored Mouthwash Beauty Serum) is a mouth rinse product from Japan; positioned as an anti-aging product that coats teeth, it keeps accumulation of stains at bay. Another product that was launched in Spain, Denivit CC Color Correction daily-use toothpaste, positions the product as “color correction”, which is a term found in the color cosmetics category. The connection between oral care and beauty is rising as consumers are on a never-ending quest for the fountain of youth in every facet possible, including maintaining their pearly whites.
Many brands are marketing products with the core message of effectiveness, reinforcing their efficacy to the masses, thus further trying to establish their dominance in the market. P&G’s 3D White claims to “whiten your smile in just 1 day”, Crest 3D White Strips “Removes 14 years of stains”, Scope promises your “breath feels fresh up to 5x longer”, and Colgate’s Total declares it will “eliminate 15x more bacteria to improve the health of your mouth” As there is a proliferation of brands to choose from, and growing every day, efficacy will resonate with consumers.
Additionally, natural products are also advancing into the category. Natural products will continue to grow as the majority of consumers are attracted to more organic goods, especially parents with children. Tom’s of Maine and Hello Products have shown us that natural brands in the category are here to stay.
Another significant driver facilitating growth in the category is continued education and marketing that promotes strong dependency and allegiance to a full oral care regime. Convincing consumers to utilize more than just high household penetration products, like toothbrush and toothpaste, to include secondary products such as mouth rinse and floss, will be a key factor in growing consumer usage and ultimately increase sales in the category.
Focusing on cosmetic benefits, efficacy, education/marketing, and natural alternatives will be crucial in growing the oral care market.
