According to MarketsandMarkets, the Oral Care market is projected to reach $53.3 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 3.0%, up from $44.5 billion in 2019. Compared to other beauty care categories, traditionally oral care is not as fast moving. However, from natural ingredients and vegan callouts to sustainable packaging, oral care is taking cues from the beauty industry and innovation abounds.

Brands that use natural ingredients across all beauty segments continue to be a consumer driver, particularly popular in skin care.

According to the NPD Group, in 2019, prestige skin care sales reached $5.9 billion with natural products as the top growth contributor. Natural skin care brands represented 30% of total prestige skin care and sales grew by 14% over 2018. Furthermore, in the past year, Nielsen data showed natural skin care sales in mass stores grew at an 8.7% rate versus overall conventional health and beauty gains of 1.2%.

Natural Deodorants Make A Move To Oral Care

Recognizing consumers’ demand for naturals, in 2017, Procter & Gamble acquired natural deodorant brand Native. In 2018, the brand extended its skin care reach with the launch of bar soaps and body washes in a variety of scents.

In 2019, Native moved into oral care with the release of two toothpaste variants: Whitening Wild Mint and Detoxifying Charcoal, which are available in fluoride and fluoride-free formulas.

Similarly, this year, natural mineral salt deodorant brand Crystal, entered the oral care market. Crystal True Minerals is offered in two whitening sets: True Minerals Advanced Dental Whitening System and True Minerals Teeth Whitening Kit and Refill. According to the brand, the products are formulated with “clean vegan ingredients that are gentle, sulfate-free, and enamel-safe.”

Ingredient Story

Like personal care and beauty products, ingredient stories are a way for brands to connect with consumers. Oral care products are following their lead and using naturals, clean ingredients, and vegan formulas to capture consumers’ attention.

To address the need for clean products, in February, Colgate added the Zero line in seven skus to its portfolio. Colgate Zero does not contain artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or colors. The toothpaste is offered in Peppermint and Spearmint flavors for adults, Strawberry for Kids 2 to 6 Years and a fluoride-free Toothpaste for Kids 3 to 24 Months. The mouthwash is available in three variants: Fresh Breath, Healthy Gums, and Strong Teeth.

In line with prebiotic and probiotic food and beverage trends, Tom’s of Maine launched a new range of Prebiotic Personal Care products “designed to help support the body’s good bacteria in order to maintain a healthy balance.” The line includes toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, bar soap, and liquid hand soap. The Prebiotic Toothpastes are available in Peppermint and Spearmint flavors, which contain fluoride for cavity protection and inulin with the aim to support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the mouth and reduce odors associated with bad breath.

Vitaminpaste by Golden Products are fluoride-free toothpastes infused with vitamins D and E and three forms of vitamin B offered in Vitaminpaste Adults and Vitaminpaste Kids formulas. According to the brand, “kids get at least 50% of their daily vitamins of these types.”

Katie Wells, known as Wellness Mama, the blogger, author and podcaster, launched the Wellnesse brand based on her DIY creations, which are “human safe and planet safe.” The Whitening Toothpaste Fresh Mint is a mineralizing glycerin-free toothpaste formulated with Hydroxyapatite, aloe vera, and green tea powder. The line also includes two shampoos and two conditioners: Cleansing Shampoo for All Hair Types, Smoothing Shampoo for Wavy and Curly Hair, Nourishing Conditioner for All Hair Types, and Enriching Conditioner for Wavy and Curly Hair.

In February 2020, Colgate-Palmolive acquired Hello Products. Following the CBD buzz, Hello Products released a CBD collection of toothpastes and mouthwashes formulated with hemp oil and hemp extract, sustainably sourced from hemp farmers based in the U.S. 

The toothpaste tubes are made with plant-based materials and the toothpastes are available in CBD Tea Tree Oil fluoride-free and CBD Activated Charcoal fluoride-free options.

The mouthwash is offered in CBD Aloe Vera Soothing and Activated Charcoal Soothing varieties (shown above) and the bottles are made with 25% post-consumer recycled plastic.

A Sustainable Future

The world does not have unlimited natural resources and sustainability is no longer a fad or a trend. It’s a lifestyle. Consumers’ interest and demand for sustainable products and services are a global phenomenon that continues to grow. According to Nielsen, by 2021, sustainably minded shoppers are estimated to spend up to $150 billion on sustainable FMCG goods, an increase of $14 billion – $22 billion. Oral care is just one of the many categories that consumers are scrutinizing.

In November 2019, Tom’s of Maine unveiled its recyclable toothpaste tube, which has been recognized by the Association of Plastic Recyclers and is designed to be compatible with the No. 2 HDPE plastic stream. The brand’s Antiplaque & Whitening Peppermint Natural Toothpaste was the first product to debut the new tube and by the end of 2020, all full size Tom’s of Maine toothpastes will be housed in the new recyclable tube.

At the beginning of the year, Colgate extended its range with the release of the Smile for Good brand. Available in Smile for Good Protection and Smile for Good Whitening formulas, the toothpastes are packaged in a recyclable plastic tube and contain “natural and purposefully selected ingredients” free of SLS, certified by the Vegan Society, FSC and EcoCert.

Comparably, Dr. Bronner’s Spearmint All-One Toothpaste joins the Dr. Bronner’s family, packaged in recyclable boxes and tubes. The toothpaste contains 70% organic ingredients including organic spearmint oil and menthol crystals as well as fair trade and organic coconut oil and coconut flour. In addition, the formula is certified vegan, cruelty-free, fluoride-free, and is free of synthetic detergents and synthetic flavors.

In France, Unilever debuted its first toothbrush made from 100% recycled plastic. Under the Signal brand, the new Signal Ecolo Clean toothbrush is made from 100% food-grade post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic and the ergonomic hollow handle has 40% less plastic than an ordinary toothbrush. In addition, it is packaged in recyclable paper. In partnership with TerraCycle®, the toothbrush is 100% recyclable.

Ditch The Tube

Bite Toothpaste Bits are natural, plastic-free toothpaste tablets designed to replace conventional toothpaste. The ecofriendly tablets are made with gluten-free and vegan ingredients and housed in refillable glass bottles.

To use, customers place the tablet in their mouth, bite down and then brush their teeth with a wet toothbrush. This year, the brand launched two new products. Berry Twist Bits are marketed to children and Lavender Lemon Bits is a limited-edition seasonal flavor for the Spring.

On March 6, 2020, Bite founders Lindsay McCormick and Asher Hunt appeared on Shark Tank and turned down a six-figure offer from Mark Cuban because they were not willing to give more than 7% of their company.

In 2019, Lush, the UK brand launched a range of five vegan Toothpaste Jellies formulated with sorbitol and xylitol and packaged in a recyclable pot. On the U.S. Lush website, the five limited-edition flavors: Blue Tooth (lemongrass and eucalyptus), Megawatt Smile (lemon and daisy), Plaque Sabbath (sweet and spicy licorice), Strawberries and Clean (berry), and White Fang (mint blend) are “coming soon.”

Bright Future

According to a Euromonitor survey, “health-inspired beauty, green, clean and ethical features, and personalization” trends were cited as having the greatest influence on sales of beauty and personal care players in the next five years.

Increasing consumer demand for better-for-you, healthy alternatives and sustainable packaging combined with trending ingredients such as naturals, vegan-certified, prebiotics, and CBD, are driving oral care innovation.

Watch as new oral care products launch inspired by personal care and beauty trends.