Open Innovation Technical Need

Fresh Breath innovation for oral care products (Beyond Flavours)

Category

Oral Health

Description

We are looking for new ingredients, raw materials, and technologies that either enhance fresh breath or reduce malodour (from sulphur or other volatile compounds), with an emphasis on longevity. Ingredient solutions should be suitable for daily-use toothpaste, mouthwash, or denture adhesive formulations. We are open to both prevention and treatment approaches, as well as alternative oral care formats/technologies that deliver effective breath-freshening benefits.

Solutions of interest include:

• New ingredients, raw materials, and technologies that either enhance fresh breath or reduce malodour
• Technologies that actively neutralize odour compounds rather than masking them (open to any effective mode of action)
• Bio-based or enzymatic ingredients
• Prebiotics & postbiotics
• Natural ingredients
• Slow-release or encapsulated technologies that extend the duration of fresh breath
• Non-rinse oral care formats (e.g., films, lozenges, sprays)
• Solutions targeting specific dietary-related odours (e.g., coffee/garlic)

Background

Consumers consistently seek fresh breath benefits in oral care products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and denture adhesives. These effects are typically delivered through flavours in oral care products, along with active ingredients known for their antibacterial properties, such as cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and chlorhexidine, which reduce the bacteria responsible for malodor. In addition, compounds like zinc salts can chemically neutralise the volatile sulfur compounds that cause bad breath.

However, reliance on these traditional approaches may not fully meet the evolving expectations of today’s users. There is a growing interest in exploring more advanced, longer-lasting breath freshening solutions that go beyond the use of flavours and traditional chemical agents.

Many consumers express concern about how these ingredients impact taste, especially when freshness is expected to last throughout the day. For products like denture adhesives, which remain in the mouth for long periods and are often assumed to be ingested, there is sensitivity to ingredients perceived as overly strong or aggressive. Additionally, while mouthwash is a common format, its usage can vary widely, and there is a clear interest in alternatives that support fresh breath between brushing occasions.

These gaps highlight the opportunity to explore innovative solutions that offer improved breath control without compromising taste or consumer comfort.

Key Success Criteria

Must-have Requirements

• Preliminary efficacy data in vitro or in vivo evaluating the performance of the actives/technologies/formats
• Proven or planned safety and toxicity data supporting daily oral use, whether leave-in or rinse-out
• Indicative cost/kg to support feasibility assessment for potential inclusion in daily-use consumer products

Preferred Requirements

• Supports ≥12 hours of freshness or keep freshness/prevent odours throughout the day
• Suitable for global regulatory approval (e.g., cosmetics, EU MDR, or US FDA OTC monograph frameworks)
• Acceptable taste and sensory attributes, with any negatives clearly identified
• Supports sustainability goals (e.g., low CO₂ footprint, renewable sources)
• Applicable across multiple oral care formats (e.g., mouthwash, toothpaste, adhesives, tablets)
• Technology/formats/ingredients already commercially available
• Proposed mechanism of action

Possible Approaches

• New ingredients, raw materials, and technologies that either enhance fresh breath or reduce malodour
• Technologies that actively neutralize odour compounds rather than masking them (open to any effective mode of action)
• Bio-based or enzymatic ingredients
• Prebiotics & postbiotics
• Natural ingredients
• Slow-release or encapsulated technologies that extend the duration of fresh breath

Approaches not of interest

• Standard flavour ingredients/blends (e.g., mint-based flavour systems)
• Flavours/technologies providing only sensorial benefits without functional odour control
• Conventional actives such as zinc salts, isopropyl methylphenol (IPMP), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), chlorhexidine (CHX), or sodium chlorite
• Anything requiring alcohol within the formulation.
• Probiotics or live bacteria
• Charcoal-based ingredients or formats
• Nanomaterials or nano-technologies