Colgate is undoubtedly one of the most established brands of toothpaste in the UK and indeed worldwide. But did you know the company is 200 years old? No neither did I - just take a look at their website if you don't believe me! When it comes to toothpaste, I am loyal to two main brands - Aquafresh and Colgate. I tend to buy several tubes of whichever one happens to be on offer when I go shopping. My latest purchase was two tubes of Colgate Oxygen for £3 from Tesco - a saving of 88p. I had not bought this particular variety before, but was intrigued to find out how well it fared compared to my usual Aquafresh toothpaste.
Colgate Oxygen toothpaste comes in a standard sized box, with the Colgate logo embossed across the front. To the right of this are the words 'Oxygen Pure Freshness' and in the background are lots of small blue bubbles. The toothpaste even has its own slogan: 'For a clean, fresh mouth...Like a breath of fresh air!'
The toothpaste makes three bold claims. It promises a 'sensation of pure freshness', 'long lasting fresh breath' and 'care and protection for your teeth and gums'. Call me a sceptic, but don't all toothpastes say the same?! So what makes this one any different? Well according to the the box, the toothpaste releases fine bubbles of pure oxygen which lift away impurities like plaque, leaving your mouth feeling fresh and clean. This all sounds good in theory, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say!
When I first squirted the toothpaste onto my tooth brush, I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice blue gel with a strange translucent tint. When I looked more closely, I could just about make out lots of tiny, dark blue specks within the toothpaste itself. These are the fine oxygen bubbles which Colgate claim will get rid of impurities and freshen breath.
As I went to clean my teeth, I was hit by an intense burst of mintiness. It is a strong minty flavour - much stronger than the minty flavour you get with Aquafresh - but a refreshing one nonetheless. After the initial burst of mintiness comes a strange but pleasant sensation. You can actually feel the oxygen bubbles exploding and getting to work in your mouth. I have never felt this with any other toothpaste I have bought in the past. Now I know what Colgate mean by a 'sensation of pure freshness'! But the crucial question is, does this freshness last?
In my experience, it does, although only for around 30 minutes after brushing. Most other toothpastes I have used provide a similar level of freshness for about the same length of time, although Colgate Oxygen may have a slight edge over the others. I would say that it does quite well in the freshness stakes, but not exceptionally well. Despite this, your teeth are left feeling very clean and refreshed for several hours after brushing, so the oxygen bubbles certainly do their stuff!
When I bought Colgate Oxygen, I didn't expect anything special. The idea of adding oxygen bubbles to the toothpaste seemed like nothing more than a gimmick to get you to buy the toothpaste. But I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised. Yes, it is obviously still a gimmick, but there is more to this toothpaste than that...Colgate Oxygen is an excellent toothpaste because of its ability to provide an intense minty freshness and unique cleaning sensation.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Available in 100ml tubes and costs around £1.94.
(Manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive, Guildford. GU2 8JZ.) www.colgate.com
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Colgate Oxygen
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Oct 22nd, 2006
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