QUARTERLY OF THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA - FALL 2005VIOlight Toothbrush Sanitizer- MINTY FRESH & GERM FREE
by Joel Pinsky, inventor of the VIOlight Toothbrush Sanitizer and Chairman of VIOlight Inc.“How come nobody thought of this?” That was all that I could think of when I came up with the idea for creating a toothbrush sanitizer. After dropping my toothbrush on the slate-blue tile floor of my bathroom and finding a hair on it, I had decided that simply rinsing it off with water was not going to clean it enough for me to feel comfortable sticking it back in my mouth. It also occurred to me that this was the same bathroom floor my electrician was standing on hours earlier with his mud-covered work boots. I wanted to dunk my toothbrush in a bucket of Listerine but new that wouldn’t taste so good.
The concept came to me at a time when you couldn’t help but notice the abundance of antibacterial household products on store shelves in response to society’s heightened germ awareness. I thought to myself, why wouldn’t someone take that much precaution with something they put in their mouth everyday?
The broad demographic appeal coupled with a wide-open marketplace was of paramount importance in my decision to pursue this. Studies showed that contaminated toothbrushes not only harbor but also transmit bacteria that could lead to everything from simple colds to flues to serious oral inflammatory diseases—even coronary disease. Several studies also reported that germicidal UV light bulbs could eradicate these threatening germs. And with those thoughts, I came up with the idea of creating a toothbrush sanitizer that uses ultraviolet light technology to eliminate almost 100 percent of the bacteria found on toothbrushes.
Stylewise, I knew the product had to be very easy to use, compact, and aesthetically pleasing. Working in the Fashion industry for many years had given me the creative edge for bringing products to market that were not only a necessity but beautiful to look at as well. The few toothbrush sanitizers that did exist were bulky or unsightly and required a complex multistep process to operate them. I dissected competitive products, which allowed me to better understand the critical elements that were missing and what I would need to do to avoid these pitfalls. I was on a mission to create a product that offered superior technology and a sleeker design
In order to make this toothbrush sanitizer a necessity in the home, I knew that I needed a design that didn’t require the consumer to learn any new steps or wouldn’t add any more time to their normal brushing routine. Simplicity was key if it was going to be a success, hence the tagline we currently use: Just brush, rinse, and sanitize.
The first few preliminary design sketches pinpointed the cylindrical shape as ideal for its efficiency and ability to separate the toothbrushes to avoid cross contamination.
Further design inspirations followed. Even though the VIOlight can sanitize up to four toothbrushes at a time (including electric and children’s toothbrushes), its footprint is no bigger than a standard sink-top toothbrush holder—so users aren’t forced to give up any additional countertop real estate. Following our goal of ease of use, it just takes one touch of a button to begin sanitization, that’s all. And it takes only 10 minutes to complete the job, after which the device even shuts itself off, automatically. Inside, toothbrushes are kept away from pooling water by resting on a drip tray, which is removable for easy cleaning, allowing users to safely store their brushes until the next cleaning.
When it came to putting together the bill of materials, my priorities were to use something that was all of the following: cost effective, lightweight, easy to mold, durable and readily available. ABS plastic lent itself to all of these requirements. Designwise, I decided to commission a designer who could lend a flavor of artistic inspiration to the product so that it would effortlessly blend into the bathroom environment. Fortunately for me, my wife was a friend of world-renowned designer, Philippe Starck. Most of the creativity was left to him, but there was certainly a melding of ideas between the two of us.
As with any new product launch, there are always going to be a few stumbling blocks. I thought the sanitizer could be battery-operated and went down that route for several months only to find that batteries burned out too quickly. I then settled on an electrical adaptor to power the unit. It was also very time consuming to find the right people to do the engineering, electrical, and packaging. Nonetheless, using an overseas manufacturer was an obvious choice in my ability to save costs.
Finally, I have to say that public relations exposure was a key element in the success of bringing the VIOlight toothbrush sanitizer to where it is today. We launched an extensive grassroots PR campaign to build consumer awareness. There were samples sent out, television and magazine exposure, media blasts via email and targeting of regional newspapers and television stations. In addition, we were embraced by the professional dental community at the Greater New York Dental show at the end of 2004.
Today, we are a company founded on one cohesive product design. At times it is hard to hold back the creative juices for the next great product, but I know that I need to take a moment, sit back, and enjoy the tremendous good fortune we have seen.