Rembrandt toothpaste
Rembrandt toothpaste is an American brand of toothpaste.[1][2]
Rembrandt Intense Stain toothpaste | |
Product type | Toothpaste |
---|---|
Owner | Ranir LLC |
Country | United States |
Introduced | 1990 |
Discontinued | Gentle White line, in 2012 |
Previous owners | Den-Mat Corp.; Gillette |
Website | REMBRANDT |
History
In 1990, the Rembrandt toothpaste brand was developed and owned by closely held Den-Mat Corp, which had been founded in 1974 by dentist Dr. Robert Ibsen.[3][4][5] In 2003, it had about $73 million in sales.[4]
In 2004, Gillette purchased the Rembrandt brand.[6] As part of Procter & Gamble's acquisition of Gillette in 2005, the company was required by the Federal Trade Commission to divest itself of Rembrandt.[7] Consequently, it sold Rembrandt to Johnson & Johnson's McNeil-PPC division.[7][8][9][10] That year, Rembrandt had sales that likely exceeded $100 million.[7]
Products
Rembrandt Intense Stain and Rembrandt Deeply White toothpaste contain hydrated silica.[1]
In a study published in 2011 in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry, Rembrandt Intense Stain was found to have a relative dentin abrasion of around 90 (mildly abrasive) and was in the middle of those tested in terms of cleaning.[1]
Rembrandt offered Canker Sore Toothpaste for the benefit of "canker sore" (i.e. aphthous stomatitis) sufferers in 1993, reformulated the toothpaste in 2008, and changed its name to Rembrandt's Gentle White in 2012.[8][11] Johnson & Johnson marketed it as a whitening toothpaste that was gentle enough for people whose mouths were prone to canker sores.[8] The company targeted, and the toothpaste was used by, canker sore sufferers.[8] Approximately 20% of the general population suffer from canker sores, which can make eating, swallowing, or talking painful.[8]
Rembrandt's Gentle White does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient that a Swedish study showed was dramatically correlated with canker sores.[8][11][12]
Rembrandt discontinued the canker sore toothpaste line in 2012. This led to the three-ounce tube of the toothpaste, which had formerly sold for $6.99, being instead sold for approximately $50 on eBay in 2014.[8] The company's Facebook page also received critical backlash.[8]
References
- Chris Woolston (July 4, 2011). "The Healthy Skeptic: Whitening toothpastes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
- Robert Levine (2003). The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold. John Wiley & Sons. p. 97.
- Davis Dyer; Frederick Dalzell; Rowena Olegario (2004). Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble. Harvard Business Press. p. 348.
- "Gillette to Purchase Rembrandt", Los Angeles Times, March 7, 1995, retrieved April 12, 2014
- Stephen Nellis (November 25, 2011), "New owners sink teeth into DenMat", Pacific Coast Business Times, Santa Barbara, California
- "Procter & Gamble squeezes toothpaste operations for Gillette buy". Cosmeticsdesign.com. June 23, 2005. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
- Jack Neff (October 24, 2005). "Johnson & Johnson To Buy Rembrandt Oral Care Line". Advertising Age. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
- Julie Deardorff (March 5, 2014), "Loss of canker sore toothpaste angers loyal users", Chicago Tribune, retrieved April 12, 2014
- Byron, Ellen (April 24, 2007), "Merger Challenge: Unite Toothbrush, Toothpaste", Wall Street Journal, retrieved April 12, 2014
- Michael Hitt; R. Duane Ireland; Robert Hoskisson (2008). Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, Concepts. Cengage Learning. p. 153.
- Joe Graedon; Teresa Graedon (2002). The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies. Macmillan. p. 122.
- Phyllis A. Balch; Stacey Bell (2012). Prescription for Herbal Healing, 2nd Edition: An Easy-to-Use A-to-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies. Penguin. p. 747.