During the last few years, wooden products have become very popular in the personal care industry, including oral care items. Manufacturers have noticed consumers’ growing interest in buying wooden products, one of the main reasons being their increasing awareness of the problems our planet is facing because of pollution from plastics and climate change. Including wooden toothbrushes in your catalogue would be smart. Let’s see why in this article.
Wooden toothbrushes: the main advantages for personal care brands
If you are thinking of expanding your catalogue with wooden oral care products, such as toothbrushes, interdentals, or toothpicks, it would be a wise decision, as modern consumers really appreciate them. Here are five reasons why you should include wooden dental care products in your catalogue.
Sustainability
Today, sustainability is a popular trend in every industry. Consumers, in fact, are trying to change their habits in response to increased pollution in the ocean and climate change issues. They are looking for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic products. They now realize that one of the simplest things they can do is replace products they use every day that cause pollution with green solutions. Toothbrushes are an example: it is estimated that every year 8 billion plastic toothbrushes are used worldwide, and almost 80% of these end up in the ocean. According to the WWF, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Consumers are increasingly worried about this trend and are trying to reduce their use of plastics by replacing them with wooden objects. They are also willing to spend more for an eco-friendly product, such as a wooden toothbrush. Consequently, retailers are more prone to offer sustainable products and also expect them to be available in producers’ catalogues. Such products must also be beautiful, pleasant to touch, ergonomic, and customized in order to be profitable. Besides being more aware of sustainability issues, consumers are more demanding and want to purchase products that respond to their requests and meet their standards.
Customization
Including wooden toothbrushes in your catalogue allows you to offer customizable products in line with consumers’ and retailers’ requirements. Being a natural material, wood is malleable and flexible, as it doesn’t need moulds. If you need to modify your object, you don’t have to spend extra money for a new expensive mould: your supplier will be able to easily and quickly make the required modifications. An expert manufacturer can also provide 2D or 3D prototypes, imitating the shapes of plastic toothbrushes to create an ergonomic, functional, and comfortable object. Wood can also be enhanced with many innovative finishes to make it a real object of design. Be careful to verify that your supplier only uses safe paint approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
Safety and hygiene
Another relevant reason to sell wooden toothbrushes is that they are generally safer and more hygienic than plastic ones. Besides the fact that recent studies proved bacteria survive shorter on wood than on plastic, wood can also be treated with special finishes to make it water-repellent, avoiding the proliferation of bacteria and mold in humid environments. This is especially important since toothbrushes are used in the mouth and usually placed on the bathroom sink near water. People will want to purchase a safer product both for themselves and the environment.
Wider variety
Today, competition among retailers is very high, and they must find ways to differentiate themselves. Very often, however, their supplier is unable to offer anything innovative, and they continue to sell the same products. If you find a competent wood manufacturer that follows the market and creates high-quality products with new styles and new ideas, you will be able to recommend them to your clients as well. You could offer a wider variety of products to your clients, satisfying their requirements and need for innovation. If your supplier can also offer predrilled toothbrush head according to your design, commercialization will be simpler, as you could test the market and adjust production accordingly without thinking about the ROI.
People love wood
You should also consider that consumers regard wood as an elegant and prestigious material, and they love to display wooden objects in their home—even in their bathroom—to give a sense of modernity, warmth, and hospitality (think about the growing spread of cosmetics, fragrances, and even wooden packaging for makeup). Wood, in effect, is warm, alive, and provides a tactile and sensory experience that is unthinkable with other materials. That’s why many objects are made of the most precious wood essences, such as mahogany, teak, ebony, santos, bubinga, wengé, and burl. Including wooden toothbrushes in your catalogue will let you offer sustainable and elegant products.
When offering wooden products to your clients, it is important to consider the manufacturer. You must select a competent supplier that has the right expertise, machinery, and tools to process wood properly and ensure strict qualitative control over its products to guarantee precision, safety, and comfort. Only with the right partner will you be able to offer top-quality wooden products to your clients.
If you are looking for a reliable wood manufacturer that respects all the safety parameters and commercial standards dictated by the market, Minelli S.p.A. is at your service. Click here to contact us!
