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The Disruptor Series

Shining a light on brands who refuse to conform.

First up, PARLA toothpaste tabs.

“The overwhelming likelihood is that your business will fail. The cards are stacked against you. Eighty per cent of new businesses fail in their first eighteen months”

James Watt, co-founder at Brewdog

Despite this terrifying statistic, hundreds of people launch new businesses every year with buckets of optimism and hope. 

We’re often told that ‘everything has been done before’, so (maybe) launching a business into a proven market on a well-trodden path feels a little less precarious than creating a completely new concept, but every now and again a product is created that really shakes things up. 

Whether it’s a new take on an old idea or a completely new product, these start-ups are trying to get people to do something new at the same time as trying to survive in business. That’s a brave move! Humans tend to like routine and familiarity so when a weird, foreign concept is presented to us we can be quite sceptical, but how boring life would be if crazy entrepreneurs hadn’t created new and exciting ideas!

Starting The Natural Deodorant Co. required serious courage. 

“Deodorant in a pot? Why would that be better than regular deodorant?” 

We’ve dedicated the last eight years to proving that natural deodorant works, and it works best when applied by hand. And now, hundreds of thousands of people have abandoned aerosols and roll-ones in favour of our safe, effective alternative…but sometimes it does feel like you’re skiing uphill!

We’re excited by industry disruptors and we thought we’d take a look at some of their stories.

Who are PARLA?

Crashing onto the scene with an admirable Dragons Den performance (you should google it now!), Dr Rhona, Dr Ads, and Dr Simon made us all rethink something we take for granted – why should toothpaste be in a tube?

PARLA is a dehydrated toothpaste tablet that does exactly the same job as the stuff you squeeze from the white tube on your bathroom shelf. Created by 3 dentists, it’s the answer to the plastic problem the industry has.

These 3 visionaries have created a product that uses clean ingredients and comes in sustainable packaging. It’s also made in the UK, so it doesn’t have a bonkers carbon footprint.

The Disruptor Series: PARLA toothpaste tabs

What was wrong with their industry?

1.5 billion tubes of toothpaste end up in landfill or the ocean every year.

Yes – you read that right: every year.

As if that wasn’t terrifying enough, each tube takes 500-700 years to break down. 

Also, many traditional toothpastes include ingredients tested on animals, and derived from palm oil. Palm oil is to blame for the deforestation of huge areas of global forest.

But, as a species, we get pretty stuck in our ways. Once we get into the habit of doing something one certain way, knocking us out of our routine is tricky. 

Toothpaste comes in tubes – everyone knows that. And you squeeze it onto your brush and clean your teeth. And, even though we don’t have the same reputation for pearly whites as the Americans do, we Brits care about keeping our teeth clean. So we continue to buy toothpaste – even though we know that much plastic can’t be great.

There have been quite a few eco-style products over the last few years that have attempted to address the problem of toothpaste packaging, but Dr Rhona, Dr SImon, and Dr Ads had a huge problem with most of these – they didn’t contain fluoride. As professional dentists with busy practises, they knew fluoride was essential to keep the nation’s teeth healthy. What was needed was creative thinking – and a little bit of risk taking.

How did they solve the problem?

The terrific trio threw out all the conventional wisdom in the industry, and created the only sustainable tooth decay-busting product that protects your smile as much as it does the planet. (www.parlatoothpastetabs.com)

By starting with a blank slate they could imagine a totally new way of doing toothpaste.

And the result is ethical, eco-friendly, and effective. 

What’s so great about PARLA?

A dehydrated toothpaste tablet, that you chew for a few seconds, and then use to brush your teeth like normal. 

A recyclable and reusable glass jar

A recyclable aluminium lid

Clean and planet-friendly ingredients

Fluoride and stain-removers to make sure your teeth stay healthy.

How have they changed their industry?

PARLA have proved that plastic free living can go hand-in-hand with science led products. They believe that fluoride is an absolute essential in oral care products and have bridged a gap between those who want to reduce their plastic consumption without compromising on product efficacy.

Since their arrival as the cool dentists on the block, more and more companies are experimenting with toothpaste tablets. I can hardly scroll for 30 seconds without coming across an advert for a similar brand.

And that’s amazing, because the more credible eco-friendly options we have in beauty and health care the better!

Parla changed the rules of the game, and proved to the industry (and the public) that there was a different way of doing things. A way that was commercially viable, good for us, and good for the earth.

PARLA, we salute you.

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