Colgate is one of the biggest brands in oral healthcare in the U.S. and now one of the largest companies in the world to debut its own CBD product line. In January 2020, Colgate announced it was acquiring Hello Products LLC including its line of CBD-infused health and wellness products. The collection of CBD-infused oral health care products will be available exclusively at Ulta Beauty.
Many larger consumer brands in the U.S. like Coca Cola and Mondelez have been rumored to be researching the CBD market but have stated they’re waiting on further guidance from the FDA before they dip into the market. The Colgate Palmolive Company is one of the largest privately-owned companies in the U.S. to debut a CBD line without firm guidelines from the FDA.
Hello, Products was founded by Craig Dubitsky in 2012 and has been financed by Tenth Avenue Holdings since 2013. In 2015 Lauri Kien Kotcher joined the company as CEO. The success of Hello’s products has kept Dubitsky and Kotcher at the helm through the acquisition. “We have great respect for the Hello team and their impressive product line,” says Colgate President and CEO Noel Wallace, “With its distinct on-trend positioning, Hello is a terrific complement to our Colgate and Tom’s of Maine brands.”
The team at Hello is also excited about the partnership with Dubitsky telling the press at the acquisition’s announcement, “It’s an incredibly exciting time for Hello, and this new collection is a really fun and engaging way to expand our product portfolio.”
Like many other cosmetic companies, Hello first dipped into the cannabis market with a hemp seed oil collection. Hello released a line of hempseed toothpaste and mouthwashes in October 2019 with great success. Though hemp seed oil and CBD oil are both produced from the hemp plant, hemp seed oil does not contain CBD. Hello used their experience with hempseed oil to learn more about the hemp market and make connections with their customers.
“What started as an oral care line,” says Dubitsky, “is now evolving into a naturally friendly personal care company. We’re confident we can provide a wide range of delicious tasting, highly effective, and naturally-friendly products that our retail partners and their shoppers can fall in love with.”
The product launch will start with a collection of different CBD-infused oral health products including a toothpaste, charcoal toothpaste, lip balm, and mouth wash. Though there’s no firm connection between oral health and CBD, a preliminary study released in January 2020 by Dr. Veronica Stahl found oral health care products infused with cannabinoids like CBD could be more effective at eliminating plague-causing bacteria than the products by themselves.
The line of CBD products are only sourced from domestic, broad-spectrum CBD oil and are available at all 1,190 Ulta Beauty locations starting February 1st. Hello’s other products can be found at more than 44,000 retail locations across the country.