A broad smile for sustainable oral care

After working in the oral health industry as a dental therapist and dental hygienist for several years, Laura Nixon decided things needed to change. “I got so frustrated by the amount of plastic we were using. I like to fix things and make things better. I’ve always been a tinkerer.” In 2019, Laura founded Solid Oral Care and began to formulate her own toothpaste from scratch. “I wanted to see what we could do to make it better.” 

Laura found her answers in sustainable packaging and high-quality ingredients. “Toothpaste, like a lot of personal care, is about forty per cent water.” Solid developed a toothpaste in a jar that is less than five per cent water. This results in a better clean. “We use really nice ingredients that are not just based on cost, but on what’s good for your teeth.” 

While there is no perfect packaging, Laura discovered glass was the best fit when it was refilled and reused. Solid has numerous refill and return sites around Wellington, which in turn keeps thousands of plastic tubes out of the landfill. 

When they started, Laura was formulating toothpaste in her Tītahi Bay home. Now the Solid team numbers five and has its own lab space in Porirua. “We think of ourselves as a values-led brand,” explains Laura’s husband, Adam McConnochie. “One of our core values is the concept of kaitiakitanga , the idea that we are guardians and stewards of the land. Our products contribute to protecting the land but also oral health, and for us, that’s all connected.” 

An example of their incredible mahi is the mobile dental clinic Solid has helped fund, alongside local iwi . “I whakapapa  to Wairoa up in the Hawkes Bay,” says Adam. “There are ten or fifteen thousand people there, and they don’t have a dentist.” Each year for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Solid changes its packaging to Māori. It is with money raised from this initiative that they helped support the mobile clinic. 

“Like many Kiwis who are part Māori, we didn’t necessarily grow up with the culture and the language.” By incorporating te reo Māori into their packaging, Solid is seeking to normalise the language. “Everyone brushes their teeth twice a day, so it’s just another way to show the language to people.” 

WellingtonNZ and the Māori Economic Development team have helped Solid Oral Care connect with local iwi and local businesses. “Being out in Porirua, we wanted to make sure Ngāti Toa and the rohe we’re making the toothpaste on are understanding what we’re doing.” 

Another successful partnership has been Solid's venture with Wellington Chocolate Factory. “In our original toothpaste, we use coconut oil,” explains Laura. “It’s sourced from the Pacific islands. Wellington Chocolate Factory use cocoa butter, which is sustainably sourced from the Solomon Islands.” Laura swapped the ingredients in her toothpaste and found the flavour combination worked well. 

The collaboration of these two Wellington establishments is proving to be popular both locally and afar. “Last year was our test in Australia. There isn’t a Solid equivalent there. We found that people were super into it. Australia is a big focus for us now.” 

Now stocked in New World supermarkets across the country, this homegrown toothpaste is competing with global brands. With solid values and quality ingredients, they’re carving out a more sustainable path in a market full of plastic and broadening smiles as they go.