Brushers are buying Sensodyne’s pitch
Brand narrows gap with Crest, Colgate by appealing to preference for medicine in a tube
The giants of toothpaste are wrestling with an unlikely foe.
Sensodyne, a 60-year-old brand that long occupied a specialized niche of the dental-care world, has cut into Crest’s and Colgate’s lead in the U.S. market, capitalizing on shoppers’ growing preference for toothpastes that do more than clean.
Sensodyne’s share of the U.S. market has more than doubled over the past decade while Crest’s and Colgate’s has shrunk, according to Euromonitor.
For decades, Sensodyne was a low-profile player in the toothpaste aisle, promising relief for painful teeth, while Crest, Colgate and others lured buyers with the promise of fresh breath, a white smile or appealing flavors. As consumers in recent years have begun to seek out toothpastes that offer benefits other than cleaning or brightening, Sensodyne has seen a jump in sales.
The company has built on that trend by introducing new lines that don’t just soothe a sensitive mouth, but also promise protection against cavities and extra-fresh breath.
“Instead of being a medicinal product it was a preventative product,” Bernstein analyst Ali Dibadj said. “That opened up a whole bunch of avenues.”
Sensodyne, created in 1961 by New Jersey-based Block Drug and acquired in 2000 by Lon- don-based GlaxoSmithKline, was well positioned to capitalize on the changing consumer mind-set. In 2007 the company came out with a toothpaste that, according to independent research, appeared to limit sensitivity-causing erosion of the teeth. It also overhauled its marketing with the goal of raising awareness about sensitive teeth and persuading consumers that Sensodyne was the best solution, according to Colin Mackenzie, GlaxoSmithKline’s president of North America Consumer Healthcare.
“We picked up volumes by educating people that there is a very simple solution to your painful teeth,” said Mr. Mackenzie.
In 2012, Sensodyne’s U.S. sales were one-third of Crest’s. Last year, they were roughly half. Where Crest and Colgate have lost market share, Sensodyne continues to gain. Sensodyne, with U.S. sales of $556 million in 2017, had roughly 18% of the market, up from 12% in 2012, according to Euromonitor. Crest had 35% market share and Colgate has 33%, compared with shares of 36% and 34%, respectively, in 2012.
Mr. Mackenzie said roughly one-third of adult Americans suffer from teeth sensitivity, and only a fraction of them use a toothpaste for the condition.
The number is likely slightly lower, said Dr. Edmond Hewlett, associate dean of the University of California-Los Angeles school of dentistry. He added that many people with sensi- tive teeth have conditions such as cavities or gum disease that require medical treatment.
Studies on the prevalence of sensitive teeth aren’t definitive, he said, with research showing the condition in anywhere from 4% to 75% of the U.S. population. Anecdotally, he said, the dental community sees a potential link between more tooth problems and the growing popularity of acidic beverages such as seltzer water and sports and energy drinks.
Procter & Gamble Co., maker of Crest, and Colgate-Palmolive Co. will hit the market in coming months with new products aimed at shoppers seeking health benefits. Sensodyne is planning new products as well.
The tie between toothpaste and dentistry goes back de- cades. P&G researchers spent years in the late 1950s conducting and presenting studies to convince the American Dental Association that Crest effectively prevented cavities. The ADA confirmed the findings in 1960 and within two years Crest overtook Colgate as the bestselling U.S. toothpaste.
A P&G spokesman said consumers are seeking products that solve specific problems, forcing the industry to innovate.
But Crest in recent years didn’t focus on toothpaste with health benefits and instead rolled out new technology around whitening, the spokesman said. It has since become more focused on health, he said. It has changed packaging to more clearly advertise the health benefits of its products. The brand’s Gum Detoxify toothpaste, which advertises a foam that kills plaque bacteria in hard-to-reach areas of the mouth, has been its most successful toothpaste launch in four years, the company said.
While the Colgate brand has faltered—Colgate-Palmolive said declining share in global toothpaste sales contributed to a weak quarter—the company’s Tom’s of Maine natural toothpaste has picked up share.
A spokesman for Colgate said its brands are ahead in fastgrowing areas such as whitening and natural toothpaste, and also has a strong Hispanic following.