Latest / Skin Anarchy / E.322: Dental Awareness Day Ft. TWICE by Lenny Kravitz & Levine Brothers

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E.322: Dental Awareness Day Ft. TWICE by Lenny Kravitz & Levine Brothers · Skin Anarchy

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Level four.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Only you can stand in your way.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Journey across the world, thank you.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Five powerful clock.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Your player four player co-opter across the corresponding.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Weighted end for mature.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: After Banner or visit this episode's page to learn more.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_03: Hi guys, welcome back to Speaker Anarchy.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: This is your host, Ectna, and I have phenomenal guests with me today.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: I am so excited to be diving into the space of the wellness category.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's something that we definitely don't talk about enough, which is dental care and dental hygiene.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: And so without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the co-founders of Twice, uh Julian and Cody Levine.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the show, guys.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited to have you.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Ecta.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's great to be here.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_03: It's an honor to host both of you.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: I'm really looking forward to learning about the brand and learning about you guys' journey.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_03: So maybe uh Cody or Julian, one of you can get us started on how Twice really came to be.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: Well, Twice is very much a family business.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Julian and I, as brothers, uh, we we say we grew up around oral care, that we have kind of dental DNA.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we were we were seven and ten, pack and product on the ping pong table uh of our mom and dad's first um oral care company uh bringing whitening into prestige beauty.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: And uh Julian and I didn't go to dental school, but we we joined our family uh back in 20 uh 2015 when we started a nonprofit.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we joined Lenny Kravitz, who's our third co-founder, uh, down to the Bahamas in Lenny's hometown with our family and the Glow Good Foundation, which uh was the nonprofit we set up to help bring full service dentistry to communities that don't have access to care.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: And twice was really inspired out of doing this mission work.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: We were helping people who, for the most part, had never been to the dentist, um, had physical pain, emotional pain around their mouth, their smile.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and we were able to like at the flip of a switch provide um new confidence, new energy, new life.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: And this emotional side of dentistry really, it honestly, it it struck us so deep to the core.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we we changed career paths and we decided to to start a better for you oral wellness company.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: So um it was it was mission-founded, uh, mission-driven.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's really core to who we are.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I really love that.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I think that you really have introduced this very interesting concept um already, which is this idea of you know, um uh dentistry and and dental wellness is definitely not mainstream enough, I think, globally.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you're absolutely right.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: I am so excited to see that you guys are really paving the way here.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Julian, I would love to hear from you as well, a little bit about um your side of it.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um great to be here.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having us.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, really, like Code mentioned, you know, our our father is a well-known dentist and key opinion leader in the space, and he's been such a pioneer about this concept of oral systemic health and the connection of the mouth and the body.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: And for Cody and I, well, as he mentioned, we know we didn't go to dental school.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: We got to see on this mission just how critical the health of the mouth is to the rest of our body and and even to just how we how we live our lives.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so you know, we spent years diving into the world of oral care, of the ingredients that are needed, the ingredients that are not as much needed, you know, as you're seeing in in beauty with clean beauty and um the the path that that's had, we see the same opportunity in oral care, you know, where you have the conventional products that are very effective but are you know also infused with ingredients that are just unnecessary, couldn't be harmful, could are unhealthy.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then this other world of natural, like you saw with natural beauty, where it was so much cleaner, but so clean that it was actually leaving out a lot of important active ingredients to really work and be efficacious.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so we saw this amazing opportunity to blend these two worlds of thinking, um, healthier products, but also efficacy, um, while really trying to introduce a new wave of ingredients, um, actually taking inspiration very much from the beauty category and thinking about the mouth as this microbiome.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: It is the second largest microbiome in the body behind the gut, and treating it as the ecosystem that it is, and thinking about what ingredients and products we can offer to provide this really holistic system for what we call better mouth-body balance.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, like Code mentioned, you know, everything started on this mission, just seeing the power, the raw power and emotional um being that is our smile and our oral health, and wanting to really pave this next generation of products.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and really a brand that that reminds people, that that gets people to rethink the mouth, you know, because for so many people, we think of oral care as I want fresh breath, I want white teeth.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: But we don't really think about the health of the mouth, um, oftentimes not until it's too late.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we we've uh we've certainly we've shared our story a number of times and the stories we hear back from people about their own dental journeys, you know, um problems, pain, infection, you know, dental visits gone wrong, uh, dental visits gone right.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, there's a litany of of stories.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so we're really trying to cater to this next generation of consumers that are ready to rethink their mouths.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_03: No, I love um everything you said because, you know, um I think it's definitely a very key point that you guys are really hitting on here, which is the idea of overall wellness.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I remember, you know, even being like very early in my medical studies and, you know, just learning about like the, like you said, the microbiome of the mouth and the normal, you know, flora and how it can, you know, if you have, for example, too many cavities or if there's something really going on, like infection, and then it can go to your heart.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: And that's one of the first places it goes to and causes um, you know, uh for everyone listening, just some, you know, I guess food for thought, you know, some of the bacteria that we find in our mouths, they can go and they can um uh colonize your heart valves and cause vegetation to occur on your heart valves.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: And this becomes even more um important as we age, you know, as as I'm sure you both know, you know, but you know, our listeners, uh, just to get them to understand.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, this is definitely a a global issue that I I think definitely needs more recognition.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um, absolutely.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_03: I, you know, I want to really dive in though with the the ingredients.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um, Julian, you had mentioned that, you know, um that you know, a really great point about the ingredient side of it.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I would love to learn from you guys what you found to be the really key ingredients that we can't sacrifice, right?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_03: In a good um dental product versus uh the fluff, if you guys could try.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: I would just say, you know, from what you mentioned, it's so important, it can't even be understated enough uh or overstated enough is is this connection and how we see issues with the mouth or problems with uh with hygiene routines showing up in other parts of the body, you know.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um we had a real life um, you know, family health issue where, you know, and and I I don't know if I'm pronouncing it right, but angina angina, um where you have this chest pain and issues with blood flowing to the heart, and you get these scans and they talk about plaque.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: It talks about plaque showing up on your heart or in in your internal system, and you're like, wait a minute, what?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: And you talk to the doctor, and and yes, it's from you know, it can be prevented, right?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: By flossing, by using the right ingredients.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really like it's not just a fun fact or or a fact to talk about, it's it's real, you know.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's it's really very the connection is is very clear.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um but to your point on ingredients, yeah.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: I mean when you think about the mouth as this microbiome as this ecosystem, you know, a an ecosystem is best when it's balanced.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: And there are particular ingredients that show up thinking about like antioxidant vitamins that show up in most skincare routines, right?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: For how it hydrates your skin, how it moisturizes, how it cleanses, etc.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: But you don't see any of those ingredients in oral care products.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: And the reality is that those ingredients actually have very good benefits.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um the most visible, I guess, would be in helping you maintain strong and healthy gums, which are really the roots of everything.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: But beyond that, it's about that free radical fighting power of how do you combat inflammation in the mouth, which leads to inflammation in the rest of the body.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, how do you think about being able to balance good and bad bacteria?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: How do you oxygenate um bad bacteria that live without oxygen that if you remove them would provide a healthier mouth?
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we talk a lot about pH.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the world of you can't go into even a convenience store without finding waters that are talking about the alkaline pH.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um and that's because you know you're looking for this balanced alkaline state in your mouth, which helps regulate bacteria and provide this healthier ecosystem.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: So you know, we have ingredients um that really help provide those types of benefits.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, specifically um in our toothpaste, uh, you know, I'll I'll start with that.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: We have the ingredients that you need for protection.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um this is uh ingre newer ingredients like hydroxyapatite, uh, which is uh an ingredient that is basically a similar uh structure as the teeth, which help remineralize and strengthen the teeth.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um we use fluoride as well in some of our formulas, um, in the recommended levels uh for safety, but also really to prevent um plaque forming, bacteria forming, really strengthening the teeth and helping prevent cavities.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: We use potassium nitrate as an ingredient to prevent sensitivity.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then more along the lines of this story of oral wellness and balance, we actually have three um polycyclic antioxidants in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, which, like I mentioned before, the most noticeable benefit of those along with aloe vera is is having healthy gums, um, which we always get excited when people review our products talking about the unexpected benefit of gum health.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's really about this conversation of balancing bacteria.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think I think that's really, really cool what you mentioned.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but I'm excited because you're you're absolutely right.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_03: And this idea of antioxidants, you know, it comes up uh like you rightfully mentioned in skincare a lot.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we we hear about it a lot.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: And um what people never really talk about, I never even see the science community, which is talking to me, talk about it, is that antioxidants, one of the biggest roles is to fight um encapsulated bacteria, which is what you find in the mouth.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_03: And for everyone listening, you know, encapsulated bacteria are extremely hard to kill.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_03: You know, they've got this like hard shell around them.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_03: So when you have this, you know, these reactive oxygen species, which are really what the whole role of antioxidants is, is making these oxygen radicals, um, you can fight, for example, Streptococcus, which is one of the most prominent bacteria in your mouth.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_03: The bacteria that I was mentioning earlier that go to your heart valves are Streptococcus, um, you know, mitis mutants, and there's various amounts.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_03: And to fight them, you need a very specific kind of system, something that your body physiologically does, but you need to be able to really target it, you know, in these kind of dental care products.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_03: So I absolutely love what you said.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: And the science really backs up everything that you guys have um really put into your products because, you know, I always wonder, you know, with big pharma companies or big, not even big pharma, big big companies, right?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: Like just the health and wellness companies.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, I always wonder how much are they really skimping on the real good stuff, right, that we need?
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_03: Because I I have friends and family that have told me, well, I've been using, you know, XYZ brand, right?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: That's available at Walgreens and everywhere for so many years, but their their tooth health is it's deteriorating year by year, you know.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_03: So it just makes you wonder like, what's really in these products, right, that are not really as clean and they're not really as, I guess, um, well thought out.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that's really not helping people, you know, overall.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's actually exacerbating the situation as we age.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I think you brought up a really, really great point.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: I I appreciate that.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: Hector, one one product that I think to your point, we get really excited about doing things differently with is conventional mouthwash.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um majority of those products, you know, one 16 fluid ounces, one liter bottle sitting on your countertop, most of those products will be drying out your mouth and basically destroying the balance and diversity of your oral microbiome.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um so when we look at our rinse, uh, we spent the last two and a half years formulating this ultra-concentrated kind of dual chamber formula that um is really designed with an ingredient family that is balancing the microbiome, raising the pH, and helping regulate the good and bad.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and actually helps promote saliva versus drives your mouth out.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um we're hearing people are using this product more than they've ever used a traditional mouthwash.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_02: We call it an immunity rinse.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's got nanosilver, zinc, baking soda, and activated hydrogen peroxide.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so when we look at a product like mouthwash, you know, how does it be additive and balancing and boosting for the ecosystem of your mouth versus completely destroying it?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's something we get really excited about, kind of doing things very differently uh in that space.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: No, that's an excellent point, Cody.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, like, you know, I think about some companies and they're like, this will kill 100% of the bacteria in your mouth.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, I don't think that's a good thing.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but no, I mean the rinse, honestly, let me just tell you guys, um, you know, I've been waiting to rave about the brand because I'm absolutely obsessed with it.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's all I use now in terms of my dental care because I recently had um a root cut out and I was very like, you know, I got my filling done on top of it and you know, whatever.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, this is the perfect time for me to experiment, you know.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, like I had just received your products and I started using them and I cannot tell you how impressed I am, especially with the rinse.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: It's just it's a wonderful range.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's gentle but effective.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, I've noticed differences in just the everyday things we look for as consumers, whether that's, you know, the overall hygiene, but just the feel of your mouth, you know.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Cody, you you really put, you know, stressed that great point about the um the dryness aspect.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's like for me, I know throughout the day I'm always sipping water because a lot of my routine dental care products would actually do the same thing what you mentioned.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: Leave my mouth very dry.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: And then you find yourself in just, you know, uh what do they call it?
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: It's like a there's a slang term for it.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_03: It's like when your mouth is dry, your breath is just super hot.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_03: You got breath.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_03: So that's something that's a problem, you know what I mean?
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: So um I've definitely noticed that as a consumer, but it's it's not it, it's definitely alleviated with with your products.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that it it speaks for itself when you can use a product line when you have something like a root canal.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that for me is just like as a consumer, okay, you know, huge stamp of approval from my end on this because it's clearly gentle enough to work in any kind of circumstance.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I I love what you guys have created.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: So happy to hear that.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I think, you know, one thing you said that struck a chord was like people's dental health kind of getting worse over time.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, part of the issue that we see is really usage.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the the name twice of our brand is about twice a day.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: And it's reinforcing that message that it's not just about one thing, it's about a holistic system of products, it's about using it properly.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, one product that I I always love talking about because it's just like it's kind of a head scratcher, is we wanted to make a wellness floss.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: And people were like, what are you gonna do to a floss that's gonna like gonna be different?
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we spent years working with this partner of ours.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: We created a floss out of plant-based fibers, which we coated with a vegan wax.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: The benefit of all of that is to get really easily in between, to get deeper.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: The floss actually expands when it's in between your teeth to scrub out more plaque.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: But what we did is we coated it with baking soda, which is obviously it's been a hero ingredient in oral care products for a long time, but it's never been introduced in floss.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: And the benefit is raising that pH, it's deodorizing, it's cleansing, it's whitening between the teeth.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: And it's really just that it's that extra added enhancement that uh really speaks to this wellness conversation.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um that's so cool.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I love the technology there that it's uh it expands and it's it's I mean, that's I didn't know floss could get so you know, uh I guess more technical.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: That's really cool.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're excited about it.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I I appreciate your enthusiasm.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like I feel like you would fit very well at our dinner table conversations about ingredients.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: I'm definitely, you know, a fellow science uh geek, and I absolutely love the science of of um you know wellness products.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: I think you know, dental care is something I've always been very curious about, and and that's why it's such an honor for me to be hosting you guys.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: I really actually not gonna lie, I'm very curious about um uh you know just the collaboration you guys did with Lenny Kravitz.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, how did that really come about, if you don't mind sharing that story?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, of course.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it the best part is it came about very organically, very naturally.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: Lenny's been uh a longtime patient of our dad's and a longtime friend.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and when he heard about the nonprofit work we were doing, um, Lenny has always been incredibly passionate, one about the smile and oral health.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um he also saw the problem when you don't have access to care in his hometown in the Bahamas.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: And when he heard about the work we were doing, he kind of raised his hand.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: He was and said to us, you know, doc, can you can you come help my hometown, my community?
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the folks I who live in my town, they don't have much.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um to go to a dentist is uh is an expensive flight and it's a luxury.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_02: So it most of the time gets swept under the rug.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, when we were on the mission together, Lenny says, before we had a product, we had a mission.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: And that was really to empower people to smile inside and out.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: And uh when we set out to quit our jobs, we uh, you know, we told Lenny about it, and he was like, you know, I he he felt the same uh intrinsic emotional cord, and he said, Let's do this thing, you know, I want to help, I want to you know be the voice of oral wellness and and to continue to help more people.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_02: So uh the beautiful thing is it's it it blossomed very organically out of um work we do together to help more people, and you know that that fuels us as we as we build the company, as we look to create marketing campaigns and roll out new retail distribution doors.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: So um that's been really exciting.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Lenny stands by and loves the products.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: He he really built the the branding with me and and some fantastic creative partners.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um so the the process and the journey has just been super uh rewarding and and exciting together.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: I love that it's such a it fits so well.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I'm not gonna lie, I spent a long time in the Caribbean and I know exactly what you're talking about, Cody.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: It's uh it's a community of people that are very colorful and wonderful and just they they smile a lot.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna lie.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I spent seven years in the Caribbean and I got to know an incredible amount of like just wonderful people.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, the accessibility to common health care and especially dental care is very limited in those areas of the world.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I wow, uh hats off to you guys.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: That's a really noble cause to be starting there and to be really carrying that forward and bringing it in even into the, you know, the the bigger uh space here, you know, in in the US, where you guys are now in target and you're available to consumers.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I think that's a huge aspect too that I loved when I first learned about um twice was that you've really carried this idea of accessibility, you know, throughout.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: So I, you know, I really applaud you guys for that.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: That's really cool stuff.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know, when we were creating the products and even pricing it, you know, we we can't be a$10,$12 tuba toothpaste.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_02: You know, if we're we're a brand that is really about accessibility and helping.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: People providing them the tools and resources to improve overall health, you know, we had to price our products uh in a very approachable way.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, we we're definitely proud to see the products on shelf um at an accessible place and and and price point as well as we grow.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I love that.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_03: I really love that.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_03: I love that you're doing that.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_03: And by the way, if Lenny is ever listening to this, hello, I'm your biggest fan, by the way.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just I had to do that.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sorry, I had to do that.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_03: So, but um no, I I want to I want to actually talk more about um, you know, like this idea of getting the word out, you know, to people.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_03: How has that been in terms of just normal consumers?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_03: I know that, you know, um you guys are rooted in this, you know, philanthropic kind of initiative to begin with, and then you move into this retail category.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_03: How has it been, you know, getting customers to understand your vision, your mission, as obviously your father's work, you know, that's gone behind the line.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: How's how's that been from a business angle for you guys?
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, I think we we can definitely both take that.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look, this is this is the biggest challenge.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we're in an industry that is dominated by players that have, you know, that have equipped with tens, hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising spend, brands that have been around for hundreds of years, right?
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we're we're fortunate that we are part of this next wave of brands that that are powered by a very modern and future forward perspective, you know, this idea of wellness, this idea of mouth-body balance.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, our biggest growth driver, frankly, is word of mouth.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, people sharing, you know, that they found about this new oral care brand.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, when was you know, you beauty as an example?
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's a new brand created every day that ends in Y, you know, in Target, we're the only new brand that they took for the entire year of 2022.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's really, you know, it's step by step.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we're really excited about this new brand that Cody mentioned, you know, was created by ourselves and Lenny and some amazing partners.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's this bright, energetic yellow, which is obviously a semi-taboo color in oral care.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we we view it as this beam of sunshine and energy and and wellness versus anything else.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um and really looking to kind of disrupt, you know, disrupt this shelf that is so monotonous in many ways and and red, white, and blue for the last, you know, 50, 60, 70, 80 years.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, it's it's a great honor that we're on a shelf like Target in all of their 1900 stores.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a great responsibility, you know, to be pushing marketing and advertising in a variety of different ways, you know, to resonate with our core and and really look to that community to continue to build us out.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's a beautiful thing, you know, oral care is it's one of these things that uniquely are available in so many different places, right?
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: Grocery stores, drug stores, mass retailers, but also airlines and hotels and dental offices.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a variety of ways for us to be, you know, testing our messaging and getting the distribution out there.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and uh, you know, it takes a village, certainly takes a hefty amount of capital and and resources.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that's that's really what we're focused on just every single day.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I absolutely agree with you.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: I think that, you know, it's been a long time coming to disrupt the monopoly, you know, in dental care and in the retail space.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: I'm and and also congratulations to you both for for such a huge accomplishment of getting into Target and being the only brand.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's really wonderful to hear that.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, I I can tell you from my own experience, you know, my family, I've said it many times on this podcast.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_03: My both my parents were, they grew up in rural India, and I remember them, you know, they they always share stories.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_03: And I, you know, amongst those stories are some of the dental care uh rituals, I guess, they practiced growing up.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: And I always make fun of my father because he has some of the most beautiful teeth I've ever seen.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, Dad, how the heck did you grow up in rural India and you have almost pristine teeth?
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm he's like, you know, what's funny is he's like, we used to use, they used to use these, I think almost like a bamboo stick.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, and they would shave the end off, and that would be their toothbrush.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_03: And so when I think about that, I'm like, look at the simplicity of that.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: And then look at how that led to just really good oral care overall.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_03: And then now, when, you know, the reason I'm telling the story is because when they came to the States, and you know, even now when they use products that are these big monopoly companies, right?
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_03: They'll say things like, Well, mouth, my mouth is very sensitive to this.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_03: I can't use this, you know?
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_03: So it's almost like you're talking about people who grew up with the bare minimum and maintained their dental hygiene, but now they come into the West and they can't use these supposed best for you products, right?
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like it makes you think like, what's in these actual products?
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_03: And are we really buying the right stuff?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I mean, should we really be supporting these huge brands that are just churning out, you know, excessive amounts of product and just putting pushing it everywhere?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_03: So that to me, that really stands out.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I feel like, you know, it I can't support you guys enough because you're really creating something that's it's it's disrupting the space, and I am absolutely all about that.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, so I wanted to actually follow up because um one of my favorite products um also is your charcoal toothpaste.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I know that charcoal was a big um hit of you know a few years ago, or I guess still is.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_03: People were really discussing it in terms of whitening, and I think it's always been around, right?
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: So, but I I've never used a toothpaste like yours that's actually um given me any form of results when it comes to teeth whitening.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_03: And I would love for you both to comment on that specific product um in terms of what kind of charcoal you used, or if there was some sort of uh different kind of innovation that went into that, or um, you know, just the whole story behind that product.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sure.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um the goal with our toothpaste, specifically the one you're referencing, was to create a fluoride-free alternative and recognizing the wellness community's desire for the ingredient in charcoal.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that it's been out in the market now for about probably four or five years, specifically in toothpaste, how can we make it better?
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, everything we're thinking about, nothing is a copycat product.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's all about how can we make it better, how can we make it aligned with this vision of oral wellness?
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um we wanted to make the cleanest possible toothpaste.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's not even a preservative in there, all natural flavors, no artificial sweeteners.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but in a fluoride-free product, we wanted to make sure that it protected.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's where the hydroxyapetite comes in, that ingredient I spoke about in the beginning.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: So that's our remineralizing agent.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: As it relates to whitening, you know, charcoal has had its fair share of positive and negative news in oral care.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: And five years down the road, now there's there are different ways to go about it.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so the most important thing for us as it related to charcoal was making sure that it wasn't actually abrasive for the teeth.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's this abrasivity index with toothpaste, and some of the frankly hottest-selling toothpaste on the market are in this incredibly dangerous zone, which is 200 and above.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_01: We formulated our toothpaste and created this charcoal in a way where the RDA was at this very safe, effective, easy to use, you know, daily use level, which is one tenth.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the whitening that you're getting is actually from a blend of both of baking soda, hydrated silicates, and charcoal.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so there's really like three very solid polishing ingredients that do an amazing job removing stains.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so the idea behind this toothpaste was really was whitening, of course, but really a clean product that still does right by remineralizing because the worst thing we would want to do is create a toothpaste that just whitens your teeth or or cleans your teeth, but doesn't really help you, you know, it doesn't protect you on an ongoing basis.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, we I mean, we spent years on this product, and um I mean we're so happy to see the results.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: We've actually been supply chain issues, we have not been impervious to those.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: We've been sold out at Target with that product for longer than I'd like to admit, but we're finally replenishing them.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: But the reaction of the product has been great, um, which is exciting.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: So that's a little bit it's amazing stuff.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, honestly, like I I'll you know, I'll tell you guys firsthand, like, you know, with whitening toothpaste, the biggest problem I've always had is that it causes peeling on my gums and my inside, like the mucous membranes in my mouth.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_03: So if I use a whitening toothpaste for me personally, it'll cause this weird peeling.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_03: And I've never been able to get rid of that.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_03: And then when I used yours, I was like, oh my god, this is perfect.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_03: This is what I was looking for.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's where those vitamins and antioxidants come in.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think we've got uh we've got vitamin A, C, and E in that product, which really help moisturize and strengthen the gums.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm so happy to hear that that's been, you know, the result for you.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, no, I I really, really love the line and as a whole, and you know, I think that you know, it's really great to hear that you guys are seeing and experiencing such success.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I really believe that the beauty industry and the wellness industries are so unique, right?
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_03: Because like we can have so much creation and technology and innovation in this space and like explore.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_03: So it just made it warms my heart to see brands like this, you know, just rise up and and kind of take over.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I I'm I'm not a fan of the big monopoly companies.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not gonna lie.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I remember like telling this story many times on this podcast about when I first got into skincare, I was using clean and clear and it made me like it, it like traumatized me because it like made me worse.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_03: And so I was like so scared of, you know what I mean, like over the counter products.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_03: And then now, like here we are, you know, years later, and we have such amazing brands like yours come out, and you guys are doing such great things.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_03: So I mean, I'm very excited about the brand.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I I actually want to ask you guys, you know, what's next?
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, are you guys coming out with new products soon or are we just sticking to what we have right now?
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_03: And um, what are the the plans for the new year uh ahead?
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, appreciate that, really do.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we we just launched this new uh line, you know, the additional toothpaste that we just mentioned, the floss, the rinse, we have a whitening product um and the and the floss um a couple of months ago.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: So we're we're sitting pretty on that for a little bit.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, however, we've got this really exciting pipeline of products.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think the driving force for us, this North Star, is really this concept of wellness.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: And when you think about your mouth as this ecosystem, there are new products, there are new formulas, there are new form factors, there are new categories to create for oral care to really help you improve the wellness of your mouth.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, that's why we keep talking back to like beauty.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: We get so much inspiration from the ingredients that hyaluronic acid.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: What role does that play in the oral microbiome?
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um so you know, keep a keep an eye out because this this concept of oral wellness is going to be further um cemented by the products that we introduce.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, new form factors.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll have to uh we'll have to do some joint brainstorming on on where we can go.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, we have a really exciting pipeline of products um that we'll be you know strategically rolling out.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um we frankly we see an enormous opportunity in in the kids um and children's department.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when you walk next time you walk down a target aisle, you got a full aisle and a half of adults, and you got about 20% of one aisle for children.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um and you know, no nobody needs to talk about how important um you know the child the health of a children's mouth is, uh, especially with everything they're consuming.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, we're really we couldn't be more excited about the future.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: I love I completely agree.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited to see you guys um, you know, roll out products for children.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_03: That's amazing.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like we definitely need that.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: There's definitely not enough, you know, good, clean products out there for kids and to really promote this idea of prevention, you know.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's like people always, I feel like dental care is also one of those areas where people are just waiting for things to go bad and then they'll go to their dentist.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like if we could just start young, I mean, imagine, you know, how much better overall health would be, you know, and how that would impact.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'd be curious to see, you know, 10 years, if someone did a cohort study or something like how dental care impacts, you know, the longevity or you know, just lifespans of individuals, because it's a huge topic, you know, in the medical community.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_03: So wow, that's really cool stuff.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm excited and I'm really excited to see everything you guys do.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's really one of my favorite brands that you've created here.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: So uh very cool.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, well, everyone listening, I hope you guys really um kind of learned something here.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_03: And I hope you enjoyed learning about, you know, twice.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but you know, if you want to check out the brand, go you can go to smile twiceall1word.com and really check it out, learn more about the brand and the mission and the products.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_03: But obviously, you know, go check them out and target.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, I'm I can't rave enough.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I really try my best to invite brands on here that I believe in, that I can save myself, uh, that work for me.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that, you know, this is a huge like example of that.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm a huge convert, I will I will say, you know, uh, I only use your brand now for my dental care.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I really urge everyone listening, definitely check them out.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_03: Leave us your comments, your suggestions, feedback, anything.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_03: If you have any questions for um Julian or Cody, definitely leave them in the comment section.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_03: I'll pass them along to their team.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_03: But thank you both so much.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_03: This has been truly an honor to host you.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Ecta.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's great to be on.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you, Ecta.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate it.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_03: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
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