It’s hard to innovate when it comes to toothpaste. When it comes to trendy products, dental hygiene doesn’t seem to give rise to much opportunity. And while we wouldn’t necessarily call this new Kickstarter campaign “sexy”, innovative it most certainly is. In fact, it may be the most exciting revolution in toothpaste since… toothpaste. Meet Poppits, the soft gel pods that melt in your mouth as you brush, releasing the dentist-recommended amount of toothpaste without the mess.
Eliminating “the need for plastic tubes or pumps that create messes and gunky build-up over time”, Poppits address both the eyesore that can arise from deflating toothpaste tubes, and the environmental damage that can arise from disposed toothpaste tubes. According to the team’s Kickstarter campaign, these tubes “sit in our landfills for over 500 years before they decompose”. But both the packaging for Poppits and the little gel capsules themselves leave little to no carbon footprint at all, which the company says is certainly something to smile about.
The soft gel pod itself is made of an edible plant-derived cellulose film that dissolves upon contact with your saliva (much as a breath strip does). And you can choose from two flavours – either the Whitening Poppits for adults or the Kids Poppits, which come in three flavours; Sweet Strawberry, Green Apple and Merry Berry.
Thanks to the pre-packaged pods, you don’t have to engage in guesswork anymore as to just how much toothpaste is too much or too little, and better still, you’ll never have to waste that last bit of toothpaste at the bottom of the tube. And because Poppits meet TSA requirements for your carry-on luggage, you’ll be able to take them with you no matter where you are in the world.
Over 550 backers have pledged just over $20,000 to the Poppits campaign thus far, with an estimated toothpaste delivery date of October 2016. – Lulu Chang
