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How CO. by Colgate is Raising the Bar for Oral Care Packaging

Exclusive Interview: Hear from the team behind Colgate's CO.—designed to dazzle Gen Z with packaging that takes cues from skin care.

Marie Redding, Senior Editor09.20.21

Colgate’s new CO. by Colgate, described as an “oral beauty collection,” is reinventing oral care for a new generation of users. The collection blurs the lines between oral care and beauty, as Colgate sets its sights on becoming a part of Gen Z’s self-care ritual.

Colgate’s team created its new CO. brand in less than a year, aiming to “transform the simple act of brushing your teeth into a ritual for feeling good,” the company states. The collection recently launched at Ulta Beauty, and it's display rivals that of any beauty brand. See it in the Instagram post below.

The timing was right for the launch, since the Covid pandemic fueled massive growth in ecommerce—sparking a renewed interest in self-care products. Plus, oral care is on the rise. Grand View Research reports, “As the pandemic halted in-office visits, the demand for at-home oral care products surged.” The global oral care market size was valued at $31.7 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to rise to $49.5 billion, rising 5.9%.

Kayla Risch, senior innovation design manager, Colgate, says:

“We observed recent trends in the beauty category, particularly the intersection of self-care, inclusivity, and shopping behaviors. And we envisioned a new brand that challenged conventional oral care—one that combines efficacy and beauty in a way that’s relevant to modern consumers.”

Moving quickly, Colgate’s team responded to new market demands, and launched the new brand earlier this year. The collection includes the CO. Worker Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush with trendy metallic gold accents, and a cute travel case. Other products in the line include a sleek silver 'click brush pen,' which is the "It's Lit" Overnight Whitening Wand. There's also the "SuperNova" LED teeth whitening device, and more.

Read on for more about how Colgate's team of design, packaging, and marketing specialists worked together to launch CO. by Colgate, bringing the line from concept to creation.

A Dazzling ‘Counter-Worthy’ Design

CO. by Colgate has a distinct look and modern feel that differentiates the brand. Colgate’s team wanted to ensure the packaging and products would be ‘counter-worthy,’ and designed products intended to be displayed, not hidden in a bathroom cabinet.

Colgate’s CO. packaging aims to delight consumers from the moment they see the outer cartons, with shiny decorations. The bottles, tubes, jars, and labels sparkle—as the modern design aesthetic continues seamlessly across all forms. The Instagram-worthy look uses lots of white, lilacs, metallics, and gold accents, with pearlescent holographic decorations.

Risch, who led CO.’s design and packaging creative direction in collaboration with branding agency United DSN, comments:

"Counter-worthy was the mission and ‘absolutely gorgeous’ was a must. Every design and packaging detail was intentional—and included a unique blend of a shiny holographic foil, a luminous glitter paper, and debossing our iconic logo. This combined trifecta of techniques to create a powerful new aesthetic of efficacy and beauty."

Risch collaborated with Kim Parthum, senior packaging engineer, Colgate, to set the design ‘graphically’ before aligning the techniques—and amplify the final vision.

Parthum says, “We sorted through hundreds of various types of foils and shine elements before landing on a classic holographic for the top portion of the packaging. We also added a strong branding block of prismatic white glitter at the base, and debossed our iconic CO. logo to create a high-end feel.”

Risch adds, “For anything that required a label, we created a custom transparent holographic effect. It complemented the paper packaging, and created a seamless feel across all forms.”

Collaborating with Gen Z

CO. by Colgate's packaging, design, luminous finishes, and playful marketing copy were all chosen with Gen-Z in mind—and the collection was developed by a cross-functional incubator team. Risch says:

“The team consisted of passionate Gen-Z and Millennial colleagues and beauty enthusiasts, so we could get feedback throughout the entire process, and pivot. We wanted to ensure we were creating products and packaging that reflected who they are and what they desire most in their oral beauty routines."

Colgate’s team says every detail of the product and package development processes were carefully considered—from the efficacy of the products to the sleek holographic packaging. Portability was considered when packages were chosen, and the products were given 'Gen-Z-relevant' names.

"Every design detail was planned—right down to the hidden smile in the ‘CO.’ logo as part of the 'C'," says Risch, referring to the logo printed on the outside of the shipping box. She continues, "And the box opens to a flood of lilac on the inside." A fun sheet of stickers is also included.

The logo shines on labels, the tube, and all of the cartons in the collection. “We paired our logo with luminous foils and iridescent paper that instinctively evoke a confident, sparkling, bright smile,” says Risch, adding, "We wanted the entire packaging experience to welcome you in— from the language, to the design. And we had to ensure it all conveyed dazzling, white teeth.”

The team at United DSN supported the Colgate team, from conception to consumer research and insight gathering, through to the development of the design artwork files. "Beauty is in the details. Significant time was invested in creating beautiful packaging detailing on the back and side panels, instruction manuals, and shipping boxes," states the team at United DSN.

More details about two of the innovative products in the collection continues below.

And—see the entire product line-up:
Slideshow: A Closer Look at CO. by Colgate’s Collection

A Foaming Rinse Inspired by Skin Care

One of the most innovative products in the CO. by Colgate collection is Later, Stains! Foaming Anti-Stain Mouth Rinse. It’s in a PET bottle with a sparkling label and a foaming pump.

“We were inspired by toners and primers in skin care,” says Risch. “We brought in a form that felt more in tune with skin care and utilized a foaming pump for the usage to be soft and enjoyable,” she explains. “Also, the product has a really nice dissolving feel in the mouth,” she adds.

The pump features a matte metallic colorant to coordinate with the metallic accents on the bottle and label. The label features a transparent holographic effect. “We chose this to ensure a uniform look with our other holographic paperboard packaging. It is essentially a custom-made luminous label effect,” Risch explains. The label is applied with a special adhesive that allows it to wash off in the recycling process.

A Jar of Waterless Toothpaste Tablets

Another exciting new product in the collection is CO. to Go—a plastic jar filled with toothpaste tablets. They’re eco-friendly, since they’re not formulated with water. The jar and cap are a soft silver metallic hue that matches the metallic surfaces across the collection.

The jar features an eye-catching label applied with the same washable adhesive as the mouth rinse to facilitate recycling. “The label design is rather simple—we leveraged a minty Pantone color to get that freshness aspect in, while using our coveted CO. holographic for the logo,” explains Risch. “We have a tight color system we use across our line,” she says.

Shiny Can Still Be Sustainable

Colgate’s team says it is working hard to make all of CO.’s packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025. This is in line with Colgate's 2025 sustainability goals.

CO.’s ‘Later Stains!’ mouth rinse has a foaming pump that is not recyclable, but Colgate’s team says it is working with its suppliers to change it as soon as a better option is available. Consumers can remove the pump, then recycle the bottle and cap.

Shiny, metallic packaging can also be 'green.' The holographic labels on Colgate CO.'s bottles, as mentioned above, don’t negatively affect the plastic’s recyclability. The toothpaste tube for Oh So Dazzling Enzyme-Powered Teeth Whitening Toothpaste isn't aluminum—it's a PBL (plastic barrier laminate) tube with a vacuum-metalized plastic cap.

Risch describes its decoration, saying, “The CO. tube leverages the metallic web and uses flexo to apply a tonal white flood of color to get an iridescent white clean, white effect.” Using a flexographic printing process means aluminum isn’t required to achieve its shiny, metallic finish, so it’s recyclable with plastics.

Stay tuned for more on Colgate's sustainable packaging initiatives.