Dietary supplement and functional food company Designs for Health, Inc. has launched PerioBiotic Silver. This fluoride-free probiotic toothpaste promises to be a disruptor in the oral health care space. The product, which supports a balanced oral microbiome, contains a unique ingredient formulation, including purified silver, CoQ10, and grape seed extract to support overall dental and oral health and wellness.
To learn more about PerioBiotic Silver, including the background behind the product’s formulation process, challenges to the formulation and their solutions, and how the efficacy of the product is determined, CosmeticsDesign interviewed Michael Jurgelewicz, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, CNS, Director, Product Development, Research & Clinical Support at Designs for Health for his insights.
CDU: Can you share some background information about the company and your experience in the beauty/personal care product industry?
Michael Jurgelewicz (MJ): Designs for Health began as a small clinical and educational services company in 1989 with deep roots in nutrition and natural medicine and big ambitions to revolutionize the dietary supplement industry. More than 30 years later, the company is pioneering new approaches to nutritional science and transforming healthcare.
Designs for Health is leading the charge in the natural and integrative medicine movement with a diverse portfolio of more than 300 nutritional products. Designs for Health has offered several products over the years in the personal care and beauty product care industry with plans to expand further into this category over the next year.
CDU: Can you explain the process behind the conceptualization, development, testing, and launch process for the new product?
MJ: There are several factors to consider when creating a toothpaste including the functionality of ingredients and their percentage, stability, color, and flavor. Designs for Health offers PerioBiotic Silver toothpaste in both lemon and spearmint.
It is important to get the concentrations right as increasing the percentage slightly too high can make the experience polarizing. In addition, it is essential to get the active ingredients to a therapeutic level without negatively impacting the taste.
CDU: How is the new product a disruptor in the oral care product industry?
MJ: PerioBiotic Silver is more than just an all-natural, fluoride-free, great-tasting toothpaste. PerioBiotic Silver features purified silver, coenzyme-Q10 (CoQ10), grape seed extract, and Dental-Lac, a Lactobacillus paracasei probiotic that has been shown in research to help support oral microbial balance and periodontal health.
This toothpaste contains no fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), or saccharin commonly found in most toothpastes. It is also free of BPAs, parabens, synthetic colors, gluten, and synthetic sweeteners. PerioBiotic Silver helps maintain dental and oral health and supports an oral microbial balance.
CDU: Were there any challenges to developing the new product?
MJ: Designs for Health always strives to make their products the best and with this comes challenges. Since this is a natural toothpaste and does not contain many of the ingredients (i.e., fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), or saccharin) found in most other toothpaste, the R&D team had to be creative with the choice of functional ingredients.
Designs for Health uses other ingredients not found in other toothpastes such as Dental-Lac, annatto, and quillaja extract. It can be challenging to find natural ingredients that will hold up in stability and provide the desired foaming effect.
CDU: What were those challenges, and what solutions were developed and implemented to resolve them?
MJ: The challenges were finding natural ingredients that would hold up in stability, provide the desired foaming effect, have abrasive properties, and taste great. The R&D had to experiment with different ratios of ingredients and sample them as well as conduct stability testing. A process like this can take up to a year or longer.
CDU: How is the efficacy of a probiotic toothpaste measured?
MJ: Several factors can measure the efficacy of a probiotic toothpaste. There are tests performed that demonstrate how abrasive the ingredients are, if there are any whitening factors present, and specific ingredients that prevent tartar and control microbial growth.
PerioBiotic Silver toothpaste contains Dental-Lac, a clinically tested functional lactobacillus dental hygiene probiotic not found in other toothpastes. Research on Dental-Lac, a specific Lactobacillus paracasei strain, demonstrates its ability to kill off harmful strains of oral bacteria including Streptococcus mutans, a significant contributor to dental caries (cavities), tooth decay, and periodontal disease.
Like probiotics in the human intestinal tract, beneficial flora in the mouth are critical to maintaining an oral environment conducive to healthy teeth and gums. In addition, PerioBiotic Silver toothpaste contains other active ingredients that have been shown in research to promote dental and oral health via their cavity-fighting abilities including coenzyme-Q10 (CoQ10), grape seed extract, xylitol, calcium hydroxyapatite, calcium glycerophosphate, and annatto seed extract.
CDU: Were any studies performed, and if so, were they published in any peer-reviewed journals?
MJ: Yes, studies on DFH PerioBiotic toothpaste were published in two peer-reviewed journals, which can be found here and here.
CDU: Are there any plans for further innovation and development in this space?
MJ: Yes, Designs for Health has recently launched two additional products in our oral healthy category, Periommune and PerioPull. Periommune is a great-tasting and easily dissolvable lozenge that features a heat-attenuated probiotic strain of Lactobacillus plantarum (as Immuno-LP20) and Wellmune, a proprietary baker’s yeast, beta-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which have immune-supportive properties.
These strains have been shown to be particularly beneficial for helping to support nasopharyngeal health and a healthy immune response in the mouth. They also may help promote a healthy oral microbial environment and healthy oral mucosa, which may help support teeth and gum health.
PerioPull is uniquely designed to help support oral and periodontal health. It features medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) from coconut oil, geranylgeraniol (GG), bromelain, and coenzyme-Q10 (CoQ10) to help support oral wellness. Oil pulling is a traditional Ayurvedic practice and has been shown in recent research to help promote oral health in conjunction with a normal brushing and flossing routine. In addition, this formula is free of BPAs, parabens, synthetic colors, gluten, sulfates, and synthetic sweeteners.
Designs for Health also has plans to innovate further into the beauty and personal care category over the next year.