Colgate Wisp: A Moment On The Lips, Several Lifetimes In A Landfill

In the past few weeks, it seems like I’ve seen Colgate Wisp in countless magazines and on every site on the Interwebs. But if you've been living under a rock and you haven’t yet heard about the Wisp, I’ll bring you up to speed. Here’s the Cliffs Notes cheat sheet:

Colgate Wisp is a single-use mini-toothbrush with a breath freshening bead to give you a clean, fresh mouth with no water or rinsing required. Smaller than a lip-gloss, you can keep Colgate Wisp with you for anytime you may need it. Colgate Wisp has cleaning bristles which gently remove food and plaque from between teeth and along the gum line, giving you a just brushed clean. As you brush, a refreshing, liquid filled bead (available in three mint flavors) releases a burst of freshness in your mouth. No need to rinse, just brush and go.

Available in a pocket-sized package, each brush is individually sealed, making the Colgate WISP an all-in-one convenient solution that allows you to clean teeth and freshen breath away from home.

Sounds like a clever and convenient product, right? I mean, no one is actually born with minty fresh breath, so it’s easy to understand how the Wisp would appeal to the masses. But I can’t be the only person on Earth who finds this product’s timing incredibly ironic. With Earth Day on April 22nd, it seems very foolish to launch a product that is meant to be tossed after just one use. Whatever happened to the Three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)?

And get this: even if you wanted to reuse the Wisp and be mindful of Mother Nature, Colgate puts the kibosh on your tree-hugger tendencies. In the FAQ section of the Wisp website, the brand says, “No. Colgate Wisp is designed for a single use. Keep in mind, each pack comes with four brushes, so you can freshen up multiple times a day.” Awesome answer. Don’t bother trying to go all green, ladies. Just buy more Wisps and hand over your greenbacks to Colgate. Brilliant!

Think that's bad? Oh…it gets worse. The website also states, “Because Colgate Wisp is comprised of more than two different types of plastic, it’s categorized #7 for recycling - which is not recycled by most municipal programs in the United States.” Ouch.

Well, there you have it, straight from Colgate's mouth...

Wisp: a moment on the lips, several lifetimes in a landfill.