India’s oral care market is undergoing a significant transformation, fuelled by a proactive oral health movement. Government initiatives and brand-driven, large-scale, AI-enhanced campaigns are playing a pivotal role in raising awareness and encouraging better oral hygiene habits. Despite these initiatives, only about 25% of respondents brush twice daily, pointing to a sustained need for education and awareness campaigns to improve daily oral care practices.
This Report highlights notable growth opportunities within staple categories, such as toothpaste. Many Indian consumers perceive current products as inadequate in addressing specific oral health concerns or offering desired beautifying benefits. This presents an opportunity to upgrade the category with advanced formulations.
Lastly, the Report points to the potential for growth in other product categories, such as electric toothbrushes and mouthwashes. It also explores the opportunity to promote multistep routines inspired by skincare, emphasising comprehensive oral care solutions for long-term health.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Key trends shaping the oral care category in India
- The rise of a proactive oral health movement in India
- Usage of oral care products
- Indian consumers’ key oral health issues
- Factors encouraging trial of new oral care products
- Opportunities for premiumisation in the toothpaste category
- Innovation opportunities for the mouthwash category
Enhance basic products with whitening and gum health benefits, while offering preventive, multifunctional and long-term solutions.
Twinkle Behl, Research Analyst – Beauty and Personal Care, India
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has defined the oral health (sometimes interchangeably referred to as oral care) market as follows:
- toothpaste
- manual and electric toothbrushes
- mouthwash, mouth fresheners/fresh breath sprays/strips
- floss, tongue cleaner/scraper
- tooth powder
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- The outlook of the oral care category in India
- Nudge brushing habits via education and innovation
- Graph 1: factors impacting overall oral health, 2025
- Upgrade the toothpaste category with advanced whitening and gum care benefits
- Graph 2: agreement with “Toothpastes are not enough for making teeth completely white”, by gender and age group, 2025
- Upgrade comprehensive oral care routines with features of interest
- Graph 3: repertoire of oral care product usage, by five age groups, 2025
- Tap into the potential of the mouthwash category
- Graph 4: frequency of using mouthwash, 2025
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key trends and market factors
- What you need to know
- The rise of a proactive oral health movement
- Oral health crisis in India spurring the need for oral health movement
- Government efforts in advancing oral health: introduction of the NOHP
- Oral health discussions gain momentum on social media in India
- Graph 5: social media search query for ‘oral health’, 2020-24
- Oral health’s impact on the gut, heart and brain will spark focus on total wellness
- Colgate India takes the lead in the oral health movement
- Launch of a total prevention range by Colgate
- Sensodyne sets a Guinness World Record for the highest number of online dental screening tests conducted
- Oral care category launch trends
- The oral care category has grown significantly over the past five years, led by toothpaste launches
- Graph 6: oral care product launches, by sub-category, 2020-25
- Graph 7: oral care product launches, 2020-25
- Toothbrush and toothpaste categories see limited innovation, underscoring the need for enhancement
- Graph 8: toothpaste and toothbrush launches, by launch type, 2024-25
- Breath freshening remains a key focus, while whitening and sensitive claims slowly gain traction globally
- Graph 9: toothpaste launches, by select claims, 2020-25
- Homegrown and mass brands premiumise toothpaste with whitening claims
- Social media discussions tie whitening benefits to toothpaste, suggesting an opportunity to extend this claim to other categories
- New whitening formats make way in the oral care category
- The desire for convenience and efficacy will drive innovation in oral care
- Ease of use and effectiveness drive BPC buying decisions
- A leap in convenience claims in oral care
- Graph 10: oral care product launches, by convenience claims, 2021-25
- Graph 11: oral care product launches, by convenience claim category, 2021-25
- Global oral care brands innovate with convenient oral care formats
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- Usage of oral care products
- Oral care product usage stayed mostly the same, with a slight increase in mouthwash use
- Graph 12: usage of oral care products, 2024 and 2025
- The routine of using oral care products twice daily is yet to become prevalent in India
- Graph 13: frequency of usage of oral care products, 2025
- Indians take a curative approach to oral health, highlighting a continuous need for awareness and innovation
- Graph 14: repertoire of oral health concerns and oral care products used, 2025
- Nudge brushing habits via education and innovation
- Indians associate dietary choices with poor oral health outcomes, yet often ignore oral hygiene practices
- Graph 15: factors negatively impacting overall oral health, 2025
- Now: nudge daily brushing habits by using dietary choices as triggers
- Now: turn brushing into a fun activity with engaging challenges that motivate users to brush twice daily
- Inspire consistent nighttime brushing by advancing toothpastes to tackle the effects of sugar
- Help consumers develop a consistent routine with the help of habit trackers, and incentivise good oral hygiene routines
- Integrate flossing effortlessly into brushing routines
- Case study: Colgate India ignites a conversation on the importance of regularly replacing toothbrushes
- Encourage consumers to maintain healthy toothbrush replacement habits
- Opportunity for mouthwashes
- The demographic profile of mouthwash users
- Users currently limit their mouthwash use to once daily, presenting an opportunity to encourage more frequent usage
- Graph 16: frequency of using mouthwash, 2025
- Unlocking new dimensions of value in mouthwash beyond its basic functions
- Graph 17: concerning oral health issues, by mouthwash users and non-users, 2025
- Status quo: innovation in mouthwashes centres on breath freshening and holds potential to expand into multifunctional benefits
- Graph 18: mouthwash product launches, the top five claims, 2020-25
- Enhance mouthwashes to ease and prevent ulcers
- Position mouthwash as an instant solution to tooth sensitivity
- Offer targeted relief with the help of anti-inflammatory ingredients
- Opportunity for electric toothbrushes
- Social media chatter reveals toothpaste and toothbrushes get significant attention online, while other oral care formats need to build awareness
- Graph 19: social media conversations around select oral care products, universe of posts by positive sentiment, 2022-25
- How to read this chart
- Boost electric toothbrush adoption by emphasising their superior effectiveness
- Collaborate with social media influencers to debunk electric toothbrush myths
- Provide real-time feedback to improve brushing techniques
- Create easy-to-use electric toothbrush solutions
- Integrate flossing into electric toothbrushes
- Opportunity to elevate toothpastes with a focus on whitening and gum health
- Whitening benefits are the most sought-after benefit in oral care, with India trailing behind in NPD
- Graph 20: oral care product launches with whitening claims, 2022-25
- Innovate daily staples with enhanced teeth-whitening effects
- Graph 21: agreement with “Toothpastes are not enough for making teeth completely white”, 2025
- Graph 22: toothpaste product launches with whitening claims, 2020-25
- Enhance the whitening benefit in toothpastes
- Revolutionise at-home whitening with dental-inspired toothpaste formulations
- Highlight whitening benefits tailored to food and drink occasions
- Address the abrasiveness of whitening toothpastes
- Highlight the enamel-safe, non-abrasive properties of whitening toothpastes
- Opportunity to look beyond toothpastes to offer whitening benefits
- Target gum health via advanced formulations
- Graph 23: oral care product launches, by the top 10 claims, 2020-25
- Graph 24: agreement with “Basic oral care product usage is not sufficient to keep gums healthy”, 2025
- Deliver superior gum care by advancing formulations
- Promote collagen production – a key component of gum tissue
- Help fight gum inflammation and repair gum tissue
- Provide clarity on fluoride and fluoride-free toothpaste choices
- Communicate the sodium fluoride concentration to build trust and highlight its effectiveness in oral health
- Enhance comprehensive oral care routines
- Opportunity to tap into younger generations’ interest in multistep oral care routines
- Graph 25: repertoire of oral care product usage, by age group, 2025
- Promote preventive multistep oral care wellness routines
- Draw parallels between skincare and oral care routines for being consistent
- Potential to upgrade comprehensive routine followers
- Graph 26: factors encouraging oral care product trial, by repertoire of oral care products used, 2025
- Marry multifunctionality with fast-acting formulas
- Innovate with skincare formats in oral care to hold appeal among younger users
- Support oral health with familiar skincare ingredients
- Tap into the longevity BPC trend by linking oral health to overall wellness for a longer, healthier life
- Connect oral health to overall wellness
- Promote gum revitalisation and support cell renewal for lasting oral health
- Unlock the connection between oral and gut health
- Raise awareness of the oral and gut health connection
- Case study: Dive launched oral-gut health supplements
- Recent patents cover advancements in using the oral microbiome and biomarkers to diagnose sleep and gut issues
- What next: investigate the link between oral health and heart health
- Mintel Spark develops ideas for incorporating heart and gut health benefits into oral care products
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APPENDIX
- Report definition
- Consumer survey methodology
- Repertoire analysis
- Social data research methodology
- Abbreviations
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