A leading naturally-led mouthcare brand from the UK, Waken is promising to wake-up Australian supermarket shoppers today as it officially launches exclusively in Woolworths.
Aussies have been sleep-walking down the dental supermarket aisle for decades as nationwide research revealed, with 80% of us admitting to buying the same brand of toothpaste every single time, without even realising.
And while it might look like we’re ‘brand loyal’ with our choice of toothpaste and the reason why we don’t switch, research suggests this ‘automated’ behaviour isn’t due to loyalty at all, but rather a lack of better-for-us options being widely available.
“Buying toothpaste in Australia is as automatic as breathing and blinking. Aussies stick with the same brand without asking why or with any level of meaningful consciousness. This inertia has allowed a duopoly to exist in Australia for far too long and it’s time a new brand entered the market and offered something different,” says Founder of Waken Mouthcare, Simon Duffy MBE.
“Our research confirms despite the sleepwalking, Aussies are ready for change, but only if a more conscious option was available,” added Simon.
With the oral care segment worth an estimated $892 million in 2023 alone [1], a staggering 93% of Australians, say they’d switch toothpaste and mouthwash brands if there was a more natural based, sustainable mouthcare range available in supermarkets, leaving just 7% of Aussies preferring to stick with what they currently use.
These results are what led Waken to launch here in Australia to challenge the big brands in the supermarket aisle and offer Australians something better.
Waken exists with the simple idea that mouthcare products with natural mint extracts can be really effective, much more beautiful and also make thoughtful choices about their impact [2].
“Working with formulation chemists, we have designed a set of products that perform brilliantly. Whether you are looking for exceptional whitening toothpaste that whitens by up to 8 shades [3] without any peroxide, or a mouthwash that delivers fresh breath and helps clean hard to reach places, we have a product that will deliver.
We think hard about the choices we make for all our products. For example, our toothpaste tubes are made from recycled and endlessly recyclable aluminium, the cartons are made from FSC certified cardboard and our mouthwash bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic,” explained Simon.
Available across Woolworths stores Australia-wide Waken’s range features eight products in four flavours across toothpaste and mouthwash, including Whitening, Peppermint, Mint & Strawberry, and Spearmint.
Key research highlights findings:
- White teeth are so important to us Aussies, 34% of us would give up wine for a week, while 33.6% would give up chocolate for an entire month. 33.3% of us would give up social media for a day and 5.6% of us would even give up clean clothes for a week, yuck!
- Victorians and ACT residents are the biggest supermarket sleepwalkers (87.1%) followed closely by Western Australia and NSW.
- 25–34-year-olds appear to be the most health conscious being most open to switching their mouthcare products to more naturally-based and sustainable, followed closely by 35–44 year olds.
- South Australia is the most open to changing their mouthwash and toothpaste brands (22.5%), followed closely by NSW (21.35%) and VIC (18.8%).
- Men are more likely to be the sleepwalkers (53.8%) over women.
- Having white teeth is our number one priority when it comes to our oral health (65%), however 48% of us worry about the harsh chemicals used in toothpaste and mouthwash to whiten our teeth.
“We want to bring about a world of mouth care that is both gentle and effective. One that cares much more about our planet. A world where mouthcare products are also a thing of beauty, something that we should be proud to showcase in our bathrooms.” added Simon.
Set to become a cult supermarket brand in Australia, Waken’s stunning sustainable [2] packaging comprises pretty pastel shades to reflect the personality of a more gentle and beautiful philosophy. This aesthetic has been favoured by celebrities and the media in the UK who have praised Waken for their conscious, effective and aesthetic approach to mouthcare.
For more information about Waken or to purchase their range, click here.
Don’t just clean. Care.
[1] Source: https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/personal-care/oral-care/Australia
[2] For more information about the sustainability of Waken’s products, click here
[3] When used twice a day for two weeks
