Toothpaste is an integral part of our everyday lives. For many people, right after getting out of bed, the first things they get their hands on are a tube of toothpaste and their toothbrush.
Toothpaste not only freshens up your mouth and breath in the morning, but it also protects and strengthens your teeth.
Ultrabrite, by the biggest toothpaste brand in the world – Colgate, is one of the most popular whitening toothpaste in the world. Despite many competitors in the field, Ultrabrite remains a popular brand while being much cheaper.
Let’s take a look at why exactly that is.
Reasons and Explanations For Ultrabrite Being Cheap
Where most toothpastes are sold for anywhere between 5 and 10 dollars, Ultrabrite by Colgate goes for only around a dollar in most places.
There are many reasons for this. Below, we will be discussing all the reasons why Colgate Ultrabrite is so cheap.
- Does Not Contain Any Extra Additives or Ingredients
The main purpose of every toothpaste out there is to clean and protect your teeth. Everything else such as the taste, amount of freshness, etc. are all secondary features that companies add to stand out from their competitors.
The four main kinds of ingredients used in all toothpaste are Abrasives, Binders, Humectants, and Anticaries Agents.
- Abrasives
Abrasives are substances that are responsible for abrading, grinding, or polishing.
The main purpose of abrasives in toothpaste is to remove substances that adhere or are stuck on the surface of the teeth without damaging or scratching them. This way, the teeth retain their natural shine and luster.
Some examples of abrasives used in toothpaste are Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate, and hydrated Silica.
- Binders
Binders are substances that are used to prevent the separation of the powder-based and liquid-based ingredients in toothpaste.
The main purpose of binders is to provide an appropriate degree of viscoelasticity to the toothpaste.
It also plays a role in preventing toothpaste from drying out by binding water to it.
It also influences the dispersion, foaming, and rinsing qualities of the toothpaste.
The most commonly used binder in toothpaste today is Sodium Carboxym-Ethylcellulose. Some other binders that are also used are Sodium Alginate, Xanthan Gum, and Sodium Polyacrylate.
- Humectants
Humectants are responsible for preventing the loss of water in toothpaste. Their main purpose is to harden the paste when it is in the tube and when it is exposed to the air.
Humectants are also responsible for giving toothpaste its creamy, paste-like texture.
Some examples of commonly used Humectants are- glycerol, sorbitol, propylene glycol, and polyethylene glycol.
- Anticaries Agents
Fluoride is the most widely used and most effective anticaries agent in the world. Pretty much every toothpaste available in the market utilizes fluoride in some form.
The main purpose of fluoride in toothpaste is to strengthen the enamel of the teeth. Fluoride makes the enamel in your teeth stronger and more resistant to decay.
Fluoride also reduces the amount of acid the bacteria in your teeth produce.
These four ingredients are essential in toothpaste. However, many companies add extra ingredients and additives to their toothpaste in order to stand out.
Some examples of extra additives put in toothpaste by many different companies are charcoal, salt, etc.
Adding all these extra ingredients obviously drives up the production cost of the toothpaste which also results in higher prices.
Unlike those companies and toothpaste, Colgate does not put anything extra in Ultrabrite. This allows them to sell Ultrabrite for very cheap.
- It Is Not Marketed or Packaged Extravagantly
The thing that you have to understand about the toothpaste industry is that there is little to no possibility of any kind of innovation in the field.
For many years, the base ingredients used in every toothpaste regardless of the brand have remained the same.
Many studies have been undertaken on this. The results of the studies all have the same conclusions.
All of the toothpaste studied have similar ingredients and components and perform similarly according to how they are marketed.
Because of this, the main way toothpaste brands attempt to compete and stand out from each other is through their marketing and packaging of toothpaste.
You will see that many toothpaste commercials feature celebrities and exaggerated the effects of the toothpaste. Along with that, the toothpaste package and the tube itself are also often extravagantly designed.
All of this is not the case for Colgate Ultrabrite. It does not have any costly commercials and the packaging and tube designs are very basic. This helps keep the price of toothpaste very low.
- Colgate Is Already An Established Company
One of the reasons some toothpaste have significantly higher price tags is because the companies attempt to make up for low sales and demands by increasing the cost.
On the other hand, Colgate is already an established and well-regarded company in the industry with significant customer goodwill. As the leading toothpaste brand, Colgate has very strong sales and high demand.
This allows them to maintain the cheap price tag of Ultrabrite toothpaste without worrying about poor sales.
Is Colgate Ultrabrite Actually Good Despite The Low Price Tag?
Many consumers are under the impression that a higher price tag is indicative of better, more premium quality. While this way of thinking might be true for many other kinds of products, it is evident that it is not true for toothpaste.
A toothpaste with a higher price tag does not mean that it is better or of higher quality than another, cheaper toothpaste of the same kind.
This logic along with the fact that the Ultrabrite toothpaste is manufactured by the leading toothpaste brand in the world only reinforces the notion that Ultrabrite by Colgate is in fact worth it despite it being so cheap.
On Amazon, the Colgate Ultrabrite has a customer rating of 4.8 out of 10 from almost 700 total ratings. And, on Walmart, has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 168 customer reviews.
All these only affirm that Ultrabrite is a high-quality toothpaste despite the low price tag.
However, there is a caveat to using teeth-whitening toothpaste such as Ultrabrite. A key ingredient in these toothpastes is abrasives.
The abrasives used in them are what’s responsible for the actual teeth whitening that the toothpaste is marketed as.
However, a study that was conducted came out in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry revealed that Ultrabrite by Colgate had an RDA, (Relative Dentin Abrasion) score of 260. Anything over 150 is considered potentially damaging to enamel.
So, if used too aggressively, Ultrabrite toothpaste could actually damage your teeth instead of whitening them. However, as long as there is no overzealous and irresponsible use, the product should be fine.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
Ultrabrite toothpaste contains Fluoride which strengthens and protects your teeth.
Ultrabrite toothpaste used to be sold in the UK in the late 70s. However, it was withdrawn in the 2000s due to competitive pressures.
Cheap toothpaste more often than not contains the same ingredients as expensive ones.
Dentists recommend any toothpaste that contains fluoride. Of them, Colgate Cavity Protection Toothpaste is the best overall.
Conclusion
Ultrabrite by Colgate is a high-quality whitening toothpaste with a very low price tag. The reasons for this are its lack of extra additives, no extravagant marketing ploys, and designs, and finally the brand strength of Colgate itself.
So, why is Ultrabrite toothpaste so cheap? Hopefully, after reading through the article, you should have the answer to that question.