Professional Grade Toothpaste?
Colgate Total Gets Pro-Level Treatment

The word "professional" has been popping up in a number of oral care products in the last year or two. All of these products promise to provide benefits previously only available through a dentist. However, the products have been mainly teeth whiteners or oral rinses, rather than toothpaste products.

Colgate has introduced in the U.K. a product that takes the "professional" positioning to a completely new level. This more premium positioning is very clearly conveyed through the packaging.

Concentrated cleaning

The new Colgate Total Professional Weekly Clean Toothpaste has a concentrated cleaning formula for once-a-week use. The package is quite unique for a toothpaste. The toothpaste itself does come in a tube-but quite a small one-as it contains only enough product for six weeks (meaning six brushings).

This small tube is smaller than a travel toothpaste tube at 0.7 fl. oz. (20 ml), and the toothpaste is sold in a paperboard and plastic clamshell pack. The pack features a plastic window on the front through which consumers can see the small tube. Graphics on the front of the package make it appear as if the product in the window is a reflection seen in one of the small angled mirrors dentists regularly use to inspect teeth and gums.

In addition to the clamshell design, which is quite unusual for this category, the board panel on the front includes foil blocking and a holographic design, thus further enhancing the premium nature of the product. The price makes that point as well, priced at the equivalent of more than $6 US. That's about $1 per use, making it possibly the most expensive toothpaste currently on the market. A similar product is offered on the market in Switzerland, but at a significantly lower cost and without the "professional" positioning.

Not only does the packaging enhance the premium nature of the product, but it also makes it much easier for stores to display these very small tubes. The size of the pack fits well into existing shelf sets, as it is about the width of a regular tube of toothpaste.

The finishing touches

There are also educational aspects to the package once the toothpaste's package is opened. Inside, there is information that explains the importance of professional cleanings performed by a dentist and that this product should be supplemental to regular oral hygiene practices and regular dental visits. The information also includes a usage calendar to schedule and mark weekly "appointments" with Colgate Total Professional Weekly Clean product.

The formula contains the prophy-silica cleansing agent, which is the same ingredient used by dentists to safely and thoroughly clean teeth. While brushing, the clinically tested formula disperses throughout the mouth to combat bacteria, plaque, and tartar on surfaces and in the hard to reach spots between teeth.

It is inevitable that this "professional-grade" product will come to the U.S. market in short order and also probably spawn the introduction of competitive products. After all, there are many who want to see the dentist less often, and many who will find one solution as they think: "Wow! What a Package!"

Lynn Dornblaser is the director of the Custom Solutions Group at Mintel International. She can be reached at 312-932-0400 or lynnd@mintel.com.