MEET DR. SUSANNE COHEN – CO-FOUNDER OF SMARTMOUTH
Susanne Cohen is a dental professional who creates products to freshen, brighten and cleanse the teeth and mouth. She began her career as a dentist, but in 1991 left private practice to follow her passion for developing dental products. In 1996, she co-founded Triumph Pharmaceuticals Inc. with her parents Dr. Marvin Cohen and Charlotte Cohen. Together they created and launched SmartMouth, a one of a kind mouth wash formulated to provide 12 hours of fresh breath. Read on for a few of Dr. Cohen’s secrets to keeping your breath and smile fresh.
How does good oral hygiene contribute to overall health and beauty?
While often overlooked, good oral hygiene is a critical component of both overall health and beauty. And who doesn’t want to be healthy and beautiful?
In 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, spoke about oral health in America and stated, “We (also) found that oral health is integral to overall health. Simply put, that means you cannot be healthy without oral health. New research is pointing to associations between chronic oral infections and heart and lung diseases, stroke, low birth-weight, and premature births. Associations between periodontal disease and diabetes have long been noted.”
Good oral hygiene is also very important in maintaining a beautiful smile and fresh breath. You can spend a lot of time and money on hair, make-up, clothes, etc. to look your best. But if you have bad breath or missing or decaying teeth, it can dramatically and negatively impact your overall beauty and self-esteem.
What health changes can one make to improve their oral hygiene?
There are basic principles that should be followed to improve and maintain good oral hygiene:
- Proper brushing, flossing and tongue cleaning, twice daily
- Use of an alcohol-free, anti-bacterial mouthwash, twice daily
- Regular dental cleaning and check-ups, every six months
What are some of the causes of bad breath?
There are many misconceptions of how bad breath is created, but the simple truth is that 90-95% of all bad breath (or halitosis) is caused by sulfur gases that are produced naturally in our mouths as millions of germs eat protein particles.
A dry mouth can also cause or worsen bad breath. Alcohol is a known drying agent, so if you are using an alcohol-containing mouthwash, it may be working against you.
In addition, dry mouth is also a side effect of hundreds of everyday prescription and over-the-counter medications. Even activities like dancing or exercising can dry the mouth. Stress can also lead to dry mouth, so watch out on that next date or job interview.
Do people with bad breath have poor oral hygiene? Or is it simply genetics?
If oral hygiene is poor, it can certainly make bad breath worse. And approximately 10% of the population has a more serious, persistent problem and we just don’t know why. But the reality is that everyone has bad breath every day. We all wake up with “morning breath” and even after brushing, flossing and rinsing with a mouthwash, our breath becomes stale throughout the day. So whether you adhere to a healthy oral care regimen or not, you are subject to bad breath. The problem is that most mouthwashes only freshen breath for an hour. And Americans spend billions of dollars every year on ineffective mouthwashes, mints and gum to simply mask the problem for a short time.
What homemade remedies can one use for good breath in a pinch?
Some people try natural remedies to freshen their breath:
- Chewing parsley, mint or thyme
- Gargling with a tea made with ground cloves
- Sucking on a lemon wedge sprinkled with salt (but all that acid is not good for tooth enamel)
Unfortunately, these homemade treatments can only mask bad breath odors, just like most gum, mints and mouthwashes. They do nothing to eliminate or prevent odors from returning. Thankfully there is an activated mouthwash that can actually provide long-lasting, fresh breath – it’s called SmartMouth.
How does SmartMouth differ from other mouthwashes on the market?
SmartMouth Mouthwash provides 12 hours of fresh breath. Simply rinse in the morning for fresh breath all day; rinse at night and wake up without bad breath..no morning breath. In comparison, no other mouthwash provides fresh breath longer than one hour.
It sounds unbelievable but it has been clinically proven and independently verified by the Better Business Bureau. Its National Advertising Division (NAD), whose sole purpose is to foster truth in advertising, reviewed all scientific information and clinical studies. In its published report, the NAD confirmed that SmartMouth does indeed provide 12 hours of fresh breath, including waking up every day with fresh breath. They also confirmed that no other mouthwash provides fresh breath longer than one hour.
SmartMouth Mouthwash is an easy-to-use, activated mouthwash that contains two key ingredients. These ingredients, which come in easy-to-use pump bottles, are mixed just prior to rinsing. Once the Smart-Zinc technology is activated, millions of zinc ions are released which eliminate existing bad breath and prevent it from returning for a full 12 hours!
SmartMouth Advanced Clinical Formula Mouthwash (ACF) provides 12 hours of fresh breath PLUS contains an FDA-approved ingredient that provides advanced germ killing, anti-gingivitis and anti-plaque benefits. ACF addresses health and beauty oral care needs.
All SmartMouth Mouthwashes are 100% alcohol free (per FDA labeling regulations). This is extremely significant because studies have linked alcohol-containing mouthwashes to a higher risk of oral cancer, one of the few cancers on the rise in the United States. SmartMouth Mouthwash is also safe for diabetics.
MEET JOHNSON & JOHNSON’S DR. SAMANTHA TUCKER-SAMARAS
The laboratory mastermind behind such technologically driven products as RoC Wrinkle Correxion Sensitive and Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair, Dr. Samantha Tucker-Samaras strives to bring the latest scientific innovations to beauty and ultimately the shelves of drugstores and other mass market retailers. As Director of Skincare Innovation Platforms for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. since 2007, she leads a global team of 11 cross-functional scientists working on a variety of skincare, body and even baby products. Dr. Tucker-Samaras received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry in 1993 from Purdue University and in 2000, received her Master of Science degree in Biology with a Business minor. She even went on to complete a doctorate in 2003 as part of the Merck Research Laboratories Ph.D. program. Her work as a scientist has taken her to several leading consumer products companies including Unilever, Merck and now Johnson & Johnson. Read on for Dr. Tucker-Samaras’ insights into what’s new and exciting in the world of skincare innovation.
http://www.jnj.com/connect/
What is your position at Johnson & Johnson? Tell us a bit about your background. How did you become a product developer?
My title is Director, Skincare Innovation Platforms, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. Under that umbrella, I’m responsible for anti-aging face care, body moisture and compromised skin care, and baby leave-on product technologies.
I spent the beginning of my career in basic skin biology research, but then moved into pharma research and worked on discovering new antibacterials and antifungals from natural sources. During that time, I also did research into treatments for tropical diseases, like malaria. I moved back into skincare and have brought all the great scientific insights and knowledge of how to harness nature to power our skin care products. I’ve gotten to work with some wonderful people in some really dynamic areas.
Which products that you developed for Johnson & Johnson are your personal favorites and why?
I can’t really pick a favorite, I love all my “babies” the same. Right now, I do love Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair, as well as Aveeno Smart Essentials, and also RoC Wrinkle Correxion Sensitive. There is a new technology launching next year that I am very excited about, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
How has ageless skin care evolved in the past five years?
With the growing popularity of Cosmetic Dermatology, especially injectable fillers and Botox, consumers’ expectations of results have increased dramatically, and meeting these expectations has become more difficult. In addition, the landscape has become much more crowded, and it’s much harder for consumers to identify clinically efficacious products from those that do not deliver on their promises.
If you had one tip for ageless skincare and proper prevention/treatment, what would it be?
There really are two. Sunscreen every day, no exceptions, and ….retinol, retinol, retinol… this tried and true gold standard ingredient stimulates the skin’s renewal process and smoothes the appearance of wrinkles. It was first stabilized by RoC and brought to the masses in the U.S. by Neutrogena and Johnson & Johnson R&D continues to be a leader in this field.
What innovations do you see entering the beauty care space in the future?
More at home devices that leverage in office dermatologist technology, and more customized offerings for consumers who want products that address their specific and unique needs.
What types of products do you feel consumers are most interested in seeing developed?
It’s interesting, there is almost a dichotomy in what consumers are looking for – they want the most high-tech, efficacious, fastest anti-aging, to follow on the Cosmetic Dermatology trend, but they also want holistic, and natural products at the same time. We have large efforts in marrying the two of these, in order to bring “Science to the Art of Beauty.”
MEET DR. MUSTAFA OMAR – CREATOR OF THE PHYTOCEUTICALS SKINCARE LINE
Dr. Mostafa Omar
Dr. Mostafa M. Omar is Professor of Pharmacognosy at the University of Rhode Island, School of Pharmacy and the founder of the PhytoCeuticals skincare line. He is internationally known for his cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical formulations primarily based on modern application of ancient herbal medicine. He has built a strong reputation as a leading specialist in medic natural product chemistry worldwide and is recognized as the authority on topical vitamin C. Dr. Omar’s unprecedented formulation capabilities have earned him the title of “Father of L-Ascorbic Acid” as he is the inventor of a stable Vitamin C formula to protect the skin from signs of premature aging caused by environmental damage, particularly sun exposure.
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