Vancouver brand offers a twist on toothbrushes

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Brüush kits are available in black, pink and white — with special limited-edition colours dropping this fall.

Brushing one’s teeth is an essential element of self-care.

And a new Vancouver brand, called Brüush, is looking to make that daily dental duty more effective and eye-appealing — as well as affordable — with their line of electric toothbrushes.

We caught up with Aneil Manhas, the founder and chief executive officer of the company, to learn more.

Q. For those who aren’t familiar, what is Brüush?

A. Brüush is an electric toothbrush that I developed to shake up the market through three key factors: professional-quality cleaning, savvy design and a brush head subscription. Put simply, Brüush doesn’t sacrifice on quality, looks good on your bathroom counter and doesn’t break the bank relative to comparable electric brushes due to our direct-to-consumer model. Our aim is to create an easy option for consumers to convert from manual to electric, because it’s just better for your mouth.

Q. What makes it unique from other toothbrush brands?

A. If you ask your dentist, brushing with an electric toothbrush is a major upgrade from a manual brush — think: washing your clothes. There is a reason we use a washing machine vs washing by hand. Yet, over 85 per cent of Canadians still use a manual brush. When I looked at these stats, I found that the main barrier for upgrading to electric has often been cost and convenience.

Traditional brands are expensive to buy and maintain. They are also anything but chic. The subscription model adds tremendous value to the consumer and convenience. When we combine that with a sharp design and incredible functionality, our Brüush really stands out from the pack. Also, with a battery that lasts four weeks on a single charge and a sleek travel case that’s included in every kit, the Brüush makes for a great travel companion.

Q. Why toothbrushes? Did you have a background in dentistry?

A. I am actually a former investment banker turned entrepreneur. This idea was sparked by watching the incredible growth of the direct-to-consumer model in consumer goods coupled with the rising popularity in subscription boxes.

I sought out a commodity that needed a ‘solve’ and honed in on the duopoly of traditional brands within the electric toothbrush category. There was a clear insight — namely that the device plus brush head replacements proved to be expensive and frustrating to replace. I saw a lot of similarities with razors, where Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s successfully utilized this model to solve a very similar problem in that industry. From there, Brüush was born, and I worked on developing a top-of-the-line electric toothbrush that could disrupt the market and go toe-to-toe with any brand, at any price. I also wanted it to look good on the bathroom counter, which I thought was an element that has been completely neglected, as traditional electric brushes look very much like a “medical-device“ and are not sleek at all.

Q. Is there a story behind the name?

A. We knew we wanted to build a high-end product and who does that better than the Germans! I lived in Munich for a year and saw first-hand how much they pride themselves on manufacturing top-quality products. So, we took inspiration from German design — added an umlaut — and then brushing became brüushing. It’s all about the balance of sharp, cool functionality and design, combined with a playful wink because we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously.

Q. Who is the target customer?

A. Broadly speaking, anybody who brushes their teeth is a potential Brüush consumer. However, the digital-first and health-conscious lifestyle of the Gen Z and millennial generations make Brüush an attractive brand for this demographic. We designed our brand with the 18 to 45 year-old in mind, and our direct-to-consumer model plus automatic refills delivers a frictionless shopping experience for them to buy quickly and keep up with their oral health.

Q. Where are the brushes designed?

A. We are proudly designed in Vancouver.

Q. What is the price range for Brüush products?

A. A Brüush kit retails for just over $100, and every six months, we ship a refill kit of three brushes for $24. Available in black, pink and white — with special limited-edition colours dropping this fall.

Q. Lastly, where can people check them out?

A. We are sold online at Bruush.com .

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