Gillette Introduces New Oral-B CrossAction Toothbrushes

The Gillette Company, the global leader in the $5 billion manual and power oral care market, today introduced two new oral care products that improve upon the superior performance of Oral-B CrossAction, its most technologically advanced manual toothbrush. Oral-B CrossAction Power is a battery-powered toothbrush that brings the patented CrissCross bristle technology of CrossAction to the power toothbrush segment, delivering more cleaning action in every stroke. Oral-B CrossAction Vitalizer is a new manual toothbrush clinically proven to significantly reduce gingivitis in four weeks.

“With more than 50 years of oral care experience and research, Oral-B historically has defined the standards by which all manual and power oral care products are judged,” said Bruce Cleverly, president, Gillette oral care. “CrossAction Power and CrossAction Vitalizer are the latest examples of delivering on Oral-B’s promise to help people have healthy teeth for life.”

CrossAction Power is Gillette’s first product introduction in the entry-level battery toothbrush segment, the fastest growing sector in the physical oral care market. “Our new CrossAction provides us with the opportunity to trade manual users up to the battery segment, and is the ideal entry vehicle to our premium rechargeable toothbrushes,” said Mr. Cleverly.

In consumer use tests, nearly 80% of manual toothbrush users stated that CrossAction Power is better than their current manual toothbrush. Additionally, when compared to Crest Spinbrush, the leading battery brush selling for less than $10, consumers preferred CrossAction Power by a two-to-one margin. CrossAction Power will be available at food, drug and mass outlets in North America in April 2003 and in other markets around the world during the following 18 months. The suggested retail price for CrossAction Power in the U.S. is $6.99.

Clinically proven to significantly reduce gingivitis in only four weeks, Oral-B CrossAction Vitalizer is the best-performing manual toothbrush available. It removes 90 percent of plaque between teeth after one brushing, and removes twice as much plaque along the gum line than the leading manual toothbrush.

CrossAction Vitalizer will be marketed to adults 25 to 54, with a special emphasis on adults over 35 (of whom 75% have some form of gum disease.) Advertising and other marketing vehicles will emphasize the new product’s superior performance, particularly its effectiveness in reducing gingivitis.