Oral care
Chew on the latest cutting-edge oral hygiene innovation
From performance to perception
1 out of 2 new products have a fresh breath claim*
(*Products reported as launched on Mintel GNPD – March 2021 – March 2025)
When it comes to oral hygiene, prevention is better than cure. That’s why, for oral care consumers, preventive and therapeutic benefits – from total cleaning to tackling cavities, tartar, gum disease, and sensitivity – are top priorities at the point of purchase.
But that’s not all. Today, oral care is as much about experience and lifestyle as it is about hygiene efficacy. Consumers want cool, fresh flavors in their toothpaste and mouthwash, enhancing the perception of cleanliness and health at key moments. And alongside that, driven by the belief that whiter teeth are essential to a beautiful smile, they’re increasingly looking for premium product positioning that takes a bite into the beauty space: elevating their oral care experience from fresh breath to comprehensive teeth wellness.
All this is a lot for manufacturers and brands to chew on, but as innovators in health, nutrition, and beauty, dsm-firmenich is home to the expertise they need. Spanning taste, sensations, and functions, our advanced oral care solutions and technologies help put a smile on consumers’ faces – during their oral hygiene rituals and at every moment in between.
Taste mint like never before
Great-tasting toothpaste isn’t just a goal in itself: different mint flavors have an impact on consumer perception of product efficacy. But with majority of oral care product launches being mint flavored, it can be a challenge for brands to find unique and signature mint hybrids that keep consumers satisfied, brush after brush.
At dsm-firmenich, we deliver exclusive mint varieties and blends to oral care customers, thanks to purposeful sourcing programs like our Mint with Purpose program in India. Our procurement and responsible sourcing teams work closely with our local partners in India, to support innovation, establish best farming practices, and empower smallholders. This includes helping to secure smallholders’ living conditions while ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality mint. Meanwhile, our joint venture with Essex Laboratories in the US enables us to offer the industry's richest portfolio of mints. By combining our expertise, we’re incorporating cutting-edge techniques to accelerate our mint breeding program, creating high-quality, nuanced mint varieties with sustainable characteristics.
Receptor-based discovery: An exclusive innovation technology
At dsm-firmenich, we’re pioneers in the use of receptor-based discovery (RBD). We apply our in-depth knowledge of taste and sensation receptors in tandem with our proprietary discovery technology to identify novel ingredients that stimulate and enhance the senses while driving superior performance. The result of this innovative approach is a portfolio of breakthrough ingredients that provide exceptional taste and unique sensory experiences to enhance the perception of desired benefits.
Beyond cooling sensations
Freshness is the number-one driver of consumer purchasing in oral care products – so that fresh feeling needs to flourish all day long. We continuously innovate to provide ultimate freshness solutions and other sensations that delight consumers throughout their brushing ritual and long after brushing.
freezewave™ cooling
Experience more than just freshness with our latest cooling innovation, freezewave™. Crafted with our proprietary and patented cooling ingredients, freezewave™ delivers a clean, instant, continuous and long-lasting freshness experience that revitalizes consumer’s mouths at every moment that matters.
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novasense® elevated sensations
Sensations bring the perception of efficacy. In other words, flavor ingredients that deliver cool, hot, and/or tingling sensations can not only provide pleasure but also signal or reinforce functional benefits. Our novasense® range contains a portfolio of unique flavor keys or accords (such as warming, tingling, or saliva stimulation) that add a new dimension to flavors and support differentiation.
Innovating the future of functionality
At dsm-firmenich, our outstanding oral care flavor functions are built on our exceptional technical capabilities. From masking to encapsulation, every innovation is designed to help customers deliver what consumers really want – turning cutting-edge science into sensational experiences.
Optimizing masking and mouthfeel
Powered by truescreen™, our high-performance flavor solutions are ideal for masking bitter, astringent, burning, or salty base notes and improving taste and mouthfeel.
Antibacterial and antibiofilm
The active ingredients traditionally used to target bacteria or remove biofilm might be efficient, but their bad taste can be hard to mask. Enter puriclean®, the great taste and hygiene properties of our next-gen flavor key make it the perfect complement to or replacement for these traditional agents.
Waterless oral care
Demand for waterless formulations and other innovations in sustainable packaging is rising in the oral hygiene market. With our encapsolutions®, brands can offer improved environmental sustainability and many more consumer benefits – including greater convenience, fewer preservatives, and enhanced scrubbing.
