SafeWhite Offers a Completely New Way to Whiten Teeth
People of all ages want a whiter smile.
The $11 billion teeth whitening market is proof positive. Up to 52 percent of the population aged 21 to 65, say they have purchased a teeth whitening product in the past year.
But available teeth whitening solutions are far from ideal. At-home kits are time-intensive and slow. Dentist treatments are inconvenient and expensive. And there are the drawbacks of hydrogen peroxide, the dominant technology, whether delivered via a pen, swabs, strips, or trays.
SafeWhite delivers true innovation in teeth whitening.
“Hydrogen peroxide removes stains, but it can also damage tooth enamel,” said Ray Shealy, SafeWhite CEO. “It has an etching effect on teeth. In surveys, nearly half of the respondents reported some level of sensitivity after using hydrogen peroxide.”
In 70+ successful studies, SafeWhite has proven that it is possible to whiten teeth by using methods inspired by nature. The original idea came out of SafeWhite’s founder who was working with fluorescent protein applications, which involved a bluish protein. The company’s novel approach is entirely peroxide-free.
Here’s How SafeWhite works.
SafeWhite’s patented technology creates a smooth, imperceptible layer on the teeth. The layer contains embedded whitening particles, giving teeth a brighter shine.
“SafeWhite adds a layer of whitening to the teeth, rather than taking something away,” said Shealy. “We are the first company to heavily focus on teeth coatings for consumers and create a teeth whitening coating.”
The mouth is a complicated environment. It is water based; there’s all kinds of biofilm. The pH of the mouth goes up and down. All that makes it challenging to develop an adhesive that will consistently and reliably hold the SafeWhite layer to the teeth.
“We turned to nature for inspiration,” Shealy said, “studying how nature binds things to rocks in a water-based environment, is similar to what is needed for binding in a water-based environment like the human mouth.”
After multiple iterations, SafeWhite has created a coating that binds whitening particles to the teeth. Teeth can be visibly brighter in one session. In prototype whitening, results have shown as much as a 10 shade improvement.
The company has completed safety studies on the ingredients and the FDA currently treats teeth whitening products as cosmetics. SafeWhite believes this additive, rather than subtractive removal approach, helps reduce or eliminate teeth sensitivity from whitening and is less erosive to teeth enamel.
Next Steps
SafeWhite is ramping up for more in vivo testing with humans. The company has formed an extremely strong team of experienced entrepreneurs, marketing executives, and scientists.
In May, Carlos Martinez joined the company as Executive Vice President of Research and Development following a more than twenty-year career at P&G, during which he was responsible for growth and innovation of billion dollar products such as Crest and Scope.
“Carlos is a proven innovation leader in R&D creating winning Oral Care products and getting them to market. He brings a wealth of relevant experience to SafeWhite, complementing the innovation talents of the organization towards the development and launch of our unique Whitening technology,” Shealy said.
Consumer experience and safety issues with hydrogen peroxide technology leave a significant portion of the domestic market for teeth whitening unaddressed. Globally, the opportunity is largely untapped because of stringent regulatory limitations on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in Europe, Japan, and Australia.
This creates enormous opportunity for SafeWhite. The company has two issued US patents, as well as patents in Australia, China and South Africa and patents filed in 40+ other countries.
“We still have work to do, but we already have interest from noteworthy players who want to test our product out,” Shealy said.
SafeWhite expects to have some product ready for market by the end of the year.
“Most likely that will be in the professional market,” said Shealy, “with dentists and periodontists, where the environment is more controlled and results can be more profound. But ultimately, where we are going, is to have the consumer apply SafeWhite at home, in order to achieve noticeably whiter teeth in one application.”
