a new reason to smile
It’s hard to make a new toothpaste. We Americans especially are very stuck in our ways when it comes to oral care. If it doesn’t foam up and taste like mint, it must not be for cleaning our mouths … that’s how ingrained and habitual the sensations of this everyday ritual are for us. But what if we took this essential habit and shifted it?
Ojook founder and former Glossier executive Youn Chang was driven to reinvent this simple daily task as a meditative moment for holistic wellness. And before you roll your eyes, think about this: your mouth is deeply linked to your overall physical and mental health, and your brushing ritual is literally your first moment of aromatherapy in the morning.
I know the first sign of stress and/or my diet slipping into the land of junk is those little painful taste bud flare ups. I immediately know that my system is out of balance when my mouth feels off, and this often stems from eating too much sugar which throws off the microbiome.
Youn’s Korean roots led her to both the overall concept and the hero ingredients in this unique natural toothpaste. In Korea, it’s a sign of optimal health to maintain your teeth into your 90’s (I know I personally already have 5 fake teeth due to decay!!), so the focus was to create a truly supportive oral care ritual for mouth health. As well, the primary flouride replacement in Asia is nano-hydroxyapatite, which remineralizes teeth from the inside. The paste contains a few very unique natural holistic “medicines:” 9x-baked bamboo salt, a wellness ingredient that is highly alkaline, thus rebalancing your mouth’s microbiome; and pine tree oil, an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits the build up of plaque while also reducing pain (so it’s literally a feel-good oil).
It definitely tastes and feels different - cleaner, and a little salty, like brushing your teeth with ocean-y water in a forest! For some reason, the slightly salty and pine taste does make my mouth feel truly refreshed and somehow neutralized, versus the typical sweet minty toothpaste. It does have natural peppermint oil so it’s not completely unfamiliar, but the pine aspect is really different and feels extremely refreshing - though it took me a little getting used to. I also cannot recommend enough using a sonic toothbrush (I have this one which was only $40) because it allows you to use a different format toothpaste like this, while still getting that scrubby clean, smooth-tooth feeling I know we all love.
The packaging is completely sustainable (I love the aluminum tube), and looks beautiful, so it really is an upgrade to your daily routine.
Does This: Natural toothpaste for a healthy mouth
Is This: Ojook Toothpaste
Price: $18