KENNEBUNK, Maine — Tom’s of Maine recently debuted its latest natural care offerings in oral care and personal hygiene. Vice president Nancy Pak said before the rollout that the company looked long and hard at a number of growing trends in consumer shopping habits, including products with more natural ingredients and products with more unique flavors.

Tom’s of Maine expands portfolio with new mouthwash, women’s antiperspirant and body wash.

Pak noted that continuous innovation and more specialty ingredients are two of the trends she is seeing in natural oral care in particular. “Consumer expectations are high — at the end of the day, people want natural products to work as well as conventional products,” she said. “For Tom’s of Maine, that means continuing our commitment to strong R&D and really listening to our natural consumer, so we can effectively address a new need or improve upon what’s out in the market.”

Associate marketing director Matt Smith added that the company was experimenting with unique flavors, botanicals and minerals that deliver meaningful benefits in toothpaste. “High-performing ingredients that help whiten teeth naturally are another trend we’re advancing,” he said. “We recently introduced Luminous White, our most advanced whitening toothpaste, which whitens in two weeks and is safe on enamel by using a new dual silica technology.
“We also broke new ground with our Rapid Relief toothpaste. Our R&D teams created an innovative formula that combines arginine, derived from sugar cane, with calcium carbonate and provides relief to sensitive teeth in just 60 seconds when applied directly to the teeth.”

The Rapid Relief formula seals the pathways to the nerves, as opposed to ingredients in other toothpastes, which just mask the pain, Smith said. “We’ve also unlocked the power of botanicals with our Botanically Bright line, which features propolis, chamomile and organic aloe, and our Botanically Fresh toothpaste, which has tea tree, sage, clove and other fresh-tasting natural flavors.”

Smith explained that consumers are looking for natural oral care options that are healthy, safe and effective. They also want to have a choice, whether that is toothpaste with or without fluoride, mints or non-mints, or toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfates.

“We’re also seeing a growing interest in natural oral care beyond toothpaste,” he said. “Our oral care portfolio includes alcohol-free mouthwash (for adults and kids), toothbrushes made from plants, and naturally waxed floss with propolis extracts and natural spearmint. All of these natural products align with our commitment to natural, sustainable and responsible as described in our Stewardship Model and outlined on our website.
“Next year we’ll be introducing a number of new products that harness the best of nature and deliver on new benefits our natural consumer is looking for.”

Offering consumers a choice remains at the core of how the company does business, asserted Pak. “Authenticity, transparency and nearly 50 years of experience in the natural personal care space is what makes Tom’s of Maine so successful,” she said. “Being the market leader in natural toothpaste, mouthwash and deodorant is something we’re very proud of, and it comes from our passion to help people live a more natural life. It’s no secret that consumers are getting smarter. They want to know where ingredients are sourced from and, more than ever, where and how products are made.
“We proudly still have our headquarters and manufacturing in Maine, conduct no animal testing whatsoever, and continue to be a pioneer in listing the ingredients in all of our products, where they come from and what they do.”

New for 2018 is Tom’s of Maine Whole Care Mouthwash, noted Smith. “Our companion to the No. 1 natural all-in-one Whole Care toothpaste, our new mouthwash offers six benefits in one rinse with no alcohol, artificial dyes, flavors or preservatives. It took us several years to develop this because, while there are ingredients that we could use, many of them didn’t meet our Stewardship Model, the rigorous standards we set for natural, sustainable and responsible that drive all of our decisions.”

Smith added that in the personal hygiene category choice in underarm protection is important, and he pointed to the supplier’s new Women’s Coconut Lavender Antiperspirant Deodorant, which has a natural fragrance blend of coconut and lavender and offers clinically proven 24-hour wetness and odor protection.

“We’re also seeing demand for natural body care and now offer four body washes and four beauty bars that maintain skin’s natural moisture with ingredients that include organic and fair trade raw shea butter and coconut oil as well as such natural fragrances as lavender, mint, coconut and orange blossom,” he concluded.