Sep 16, 2014 10:26 PM
34633 Views
There have been two types of toothpastes in the Indian market – one, the modern toothpastes and gels(Colgate and Pepsodent), and the other being the ayurvedic toothpastes(Dabur and Vicco). Himalaya is a relatively new entrant is the field and is seeking to pry market share from the major player(Dabur)
Himalaya did have a toothpaste in the market till recently called rather plainly, Himalaya Dental Cream but it did not sell well. So it has now launched a new range of pastes, gels, whitening and sensitivity toothpastes in new packaging in order to cover all bases in the market. We have reviewed their entire range:
Note: One thing which Himalaya writes on each of their pastes is that it contains no parabens. Parabens are found in a lot of cosmetic products, including the Dabur toothpastes and are controversially linked to cancer formation.
1. Himalaya Complete Care(100 gm for Rs. 50): This is the standard Himalaya everyday toothpaste. Unlike the earlier paste which was brown, this one is off-white like the regular Colgate paste. Price wise, it is priced above a Colgate 100gm by Rs. 10. It is an effective paste with a pleasant minty taste and slightly grainy texture, almost Colgate-like. One good thing is that it is not very sweet toothpaste.
2. Sparkling White(100 gm for Rs. 50): The paste in response to Colgate’s Visible White(100gm for Rs. 85). This is a strange product as it does not seem to provide much whitening; definitely not as much as Colgate’s paste. However, it is much cheaper, and does not irritate the gums, which the Colgate paste does. It does not foam too much.
3. Active Fresh Gel(100 gm for Rs. 50): In my opinion the best Himalaya Toothpaste. The taste is very pleasant and not too sweet, unlike Close Up Gels. It cleans your mouth better than other gels and leaves a nice minty aftertaste which makes it a refreshing toothpaste to start the day with.
4. Sensitive(100 gm for Rs 95): It targets the Sensitivity market, dominated by Sensodyne and Colgate Sensitive(80 gm for Rs. 100). I feel like they overpriced this paste because the competitors are also overpricing theirs. Instead of relying on chemicals, they rely on herbal ingredients like Meswak, Spinach to reduce tooth sensitivity. Unfortunately, it does not work too well. The paste also tastes odd and does not foam at all in the mouth.
Conclusion
Ultimately toothpaste has to clean your mouth, taste good, provide protection and be affordable. The Himalaya range has moved from an oddball choice to a more ‘modern’ feeling toothpaste. If you wanted a traditional ayurvedic paste, these will feel non-authentic due to their more generic taste and look.
However, they are priced very well, and the Complete Care and Active Fresh are good very day toothpastes. Just about the Sensitive and Sparkling White which do not perform as per their promised benefits.
