It was quite a way to start 2020. In the span of just a few days last month, Hello Products, an indie oral care company based in Montclair, NJ, rolled out a slate of products and announced its acquisition by Colgate-Palmolive.
 
The move made by Colgate is reminiscent of its 2006 purchase of Tom’s of Maine. At that time, the US market for natural oral and personal care products was estimated at $3 billion and was growing at 15% a year.  Tom’s, an indie company operating from quaint headquarters in Kennebunk, ME, was the highest profile company in the space with the No. 1 natural toothpaste brand. 
 
Ian Cook, then Colgate’s president and COO, said, the acquisition of Tom’s allowed “Colgate to strongly enter a completely new channel of distribution and establishes us as the only global oral care company in that channel.”
 
Today, natural is the norm and an ever-growing contingent of indie brands are disrupting nearly every personal care category. In oral care, these start-ups and smaller brands are luring consumers away from larger players with unique flavors, fluoride-free options and new ingredients like charcoal.
 
Hello set out to in 2013 to disrupt the category by softening the often harsh messaging about germ fighting, paying close attention to package design and providing consumers with what founder Craig Dubitsky considered a friendlier approach to oral care. 

And that strategy has paid off, as the privately-held company's sales have grown considerably.
  
“It has been crazy busy here. And I think it is a clear indication of the interest in oral care overall—it seems to be growing. We are definitely growing, a lot,” Dubitsky told Happi in a phone interview in late 2019.
 
At the time of that call, Hello was finalizing details of what would be its largest roll out to date—a host of new options including new formats that are more sustainable, new products, and new ingredients, including CBD.
 
Hello’s CBD pastes—which include fluoride-free activated charcoal, fluoride-free with tea tree and fluoride with tea tree oil—contain broad spectrum hemp oil from hemp grown by partner farms in the US. The formulations have been tested by third party lab to ensure “non-detectable amount of THC based on the lab’s currently available analytical methods,” according to the company.
 
At the product launch in New York last month, Connie Gregson, who heads R&D for Hello, pointed to a QR code on the CBD product packaging that leads consumers to the lab results. 
 
All of the CBD SKUs, including a pair of mouthwashes and new vegan lip balms, debut in Ulta this month.
 
Hello also rolled out two additional toothpastes variants—a brightening booster formulated with white turmeric and another with activated charcoal and matcha green tea.
 
In addition, Hello has added entirely new formats called “nakedpastes” and tablets. The nakedpastes, designed to be scooped up with a small spatula, are formulated with limited ingredients and are housed in 3oz recyclable jars. The tablets, offered in two formulations (activated charcoal and anti-plaque + whitening variants), are sold in a recyclable tin that holds 60 doses.
 
More to Smile About
This new acquisition adds more muscle to Colgate-Palmolive across the oral care category. Based on recent data from IRI, the Chicago-based market research firm, Colgate holds the second spot in the $2.9 billion toothpaste category, trailing only market leader Procter & Gamble, with Tom’s of Maine ranked fifth. Hello, which contends that it is the second largest player in the natural toothpaste behind Tom’s, notes that its activated charcoal fluoride-free whitening toothpaste is the No. 1 selling charcoal toothpaste in FDM. In addition, Hello was the fifth largest player in the $188 million dental floss marketplace, according to IRI data.
 
“With its distinct on-trend positioning, Hello is a terrific complement to our Colgate and Tom’s of Maine brands and we look forward to supporting its continued growth and success…” Noel Wallace, Colgate current president and CEO, said in a press statement when the accord was announced in January.
 
Dubitsky relayed to Happi that an important part of the deal was keeping the Hello staff. The entire Hello team—from Dubitsky to CEO Lauri Kien Kotcher to Shayna and Harbor, the two office dogs—will remain.
 
“We are excited to welcome Hello to the Colgate family and are especially pleased that Craig and Lauri will continue in their leadership roles. We have great respect for the Hello team and their impressive product line, and value the strong connection they have made with younger consumers,” Wallace said in a statement.
 
Dubitsky, too, credits Hello’s rise to the relationship it has with its customers.
 
“People have been looking labels in every other part of the store—at ingredients, the who, what, where and why for each product. And in terms of Hello, people don’t transact with the brand; it is about joining the brand. When you are able to play on an emotional playing field, you are able to build meaningful connections with people. And when you couple that with transparency around ingredients and a natural profile, you start talking about ideals and value,” he said.  “A modern shopper wants to know who are these people? Where do they come from?”
 
Consumers can get answers to those questions straight from the top as Dubitsky assured Happi that he’ll keep Skyping with consumers—something he’s done since starting Hello.