Last month, luxury grocer Erewhon revealed its latest smoothie collaboration: a mint-and-green-tea potion called Mint Condition Smile, inspired by a tube of toothpaste. Made with coconut, chlorophyll, blue spirulina, and cacao nibs, the flavor profile was inspired by oral-care brand Boka’s Ela Mint Nano-Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste.
I wasn’t able to make it to Los Angeles to try it for myself (Mint Condition was only available in November), but I have noticed an uptick in freaky flavors in the oral-care department. It made me wonder whether mint is no longer the preferred flavor for brushing, swishing, and more.
Stockholm-based Selahatin has actually made unusual oral-care flavors its entire business. Each paste flavor (and associated products like mouthwash) has a vaguely poetic name (Steam Will Rise, High on the Beach) and an ingredient list that reads more like a course at a Michelin-starred restaurant than something to help scrub the bad taste out of your mouth in the morning. Of Course I Still Luv You (cardamom, pine, and verbena) was actually a favorite of designer Rick Owens—that is, until he collaborated with the brand to make a flavor of his very own.
“Since [brushing your teeth] is a daily procedure, why not make it as special as possible?” Owens tells Vogue exclusively of the collaboration. “Both the product and the packaging are restrained and elegant. It can be the smallest gestures that have the greatest effect.”
Collaborating with a fashion designer is new territory for the oral-care brand, as is the style of flavor itself. Selahatin founder Kristoffer Vural describes it as “strict, minimal, but pushing the envelope”—something that could also be said of Owens’s fashion designs. Owens adds that the taste-testing process was just like the experience of designing a collection. “Like any creative process, I just go with my gut.”
The result is a four-piece collection succinctly named Rick Owens. With notes of vanilla, rosemary, juniper, and three peppers (Sichuan, black, and peppermint), its flavor profile cheekily pays homage to gin drinking and cigarette smoking. (Owens is sober, but he still does smoke a cigarette now and then.) On top of the toothpaste, there’s also a mouthwash, a handcrafted toothbrush made of animal horn and authentic boar bristles, and a mouth spray. When hearing about the products, Vogue Runway’s Laia Garcia-Furtado seemed relieved that somebody stylish had entered the space. “I always say that my toothbrush is not chic enough, because I just use whatever multipack neon-colored thing is at the drugstore.” Finally, a daily necessity as fashionable as Laia’s wardrobe.
Our HOEC Chloe Malle is a bit more skeptical about fitting a cig-and-gin flavor into her morning routine, though she has dabbled in fanciful toothpastes. When her son, Artie, visits the office, he likes to hang out at my desk. I have Starface zit patches that can be applied as stickers, tiny bottles of fragrances to sniff, and many lip balms to try and take home. Recently, he asked to try a tube of Moon’s Toasted Marshmallow Toothpaste that was sitting around. If you ask me, the fluoride-free paste veers a bit into saccharine territory, but Artie’s a fan. He may only be four, but he’s already nostalgic for summertime, and the marshmallow flavor reminds him of the s’mores he tried.
This summer, mouthwash brand Listerine—known for the bracing flavor Cool Mint—added a salmon pink version of its wash, flavored Watermelon Mint, meant to be a less intense approach to the product. (The brand has also released a Grapefruit Rose, which is highly reviewed.) Almost simultaneously, Cocoshine collaborated with Oishii to create strawberry floss and toothpaste inspired by the couture hydroponic berries sold in Japan. Plain old mint, it seems, is passé—and actually even a bit boring.
“I always love the idea of quality over quantity,” says Owens about his preference for fanciful toothpastes. “The smallest experiences can be rich in kindness and elegance.” Coming soon to a toothbrush near you.
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