Low-cost, featherweight toothbrush makes oral health accessible

The final weight of the toothbrush is half that of the industry standard, via a scooped out section of the handle

By reducing the final weight of the product by more than seven grams, the UK’s globally recognised product design and development company DCA Design International created a toothbrush that sells for approximately 30 pence. Designed specifically for consumers in India, DCA developed the toothbrush for GSK’s Sensodyne brand. The goal of the project was to help change consumer behaviour by expanding communities’ use of toothbrushes and toothpastes.

Through a combination of reductions in materials used and time spent on manufacturing, the cost savings are passed on to shoppers. Thirty pence is relatively affordable for such a product in India’s emerging economies. The final weight of the toothbrush is half that of the industry standard, and via a scooped out section of the handle, uses significantly less material. 

Available in four colours, the toothbrush is sold in thousands of small and rural general stores. The toothbrush won the UK Design Business Association’s DBA Design Effectiveness Awards Grand Prix.