Can Toothpaste Be Sexy?

You know the scene.

A fogged-up mirror, a half-squeezed tube of toothpaste, the faint sound of running water. A ritual so mechanical you could do it half-asleep—and most of us do. For years, oral care has lived in that sterile, fluorescent space between necessity and neglect. Clinical tubes, plastic packaging, minty foam. Nothing sensual. Nothing cinematic. Just toothpaste, doing its job, quietly, forgettably.

And now, in a country that that worships skincare and invests in serums with the devotion of monks, a new oral care brand is trying to reinvent the wheel – Salt Oral Care. Two men from Bombay, Karan Raj Kohli and Viraj Kapur, are trying to make toothpaste feel… sexy.

I’m not talking shiny-commercial sexy, but more cool, noir sexy. I mean, there’s definitely something deliciously subversive about a brand that dares to make toothpaste feel hot.

Their pitch? Oral care with the aesthetics and care given to skincare.

They are doing to toothpaste what Aesop did to soap: stripping it down, dressing it up, and turning the mundane into an object of desire. It’s design as seduction. A ritual that’s intimate, sensory, a little bit voyeuristic. “We wanted to show that oral care could be playful and cinematic,” Kapur adds. “It’s not about brushing—it’s about becoming.”

You don’t hide these tubes before guests come over—you display them like your treasured objets d’art.

Both founders come from creative DNA. Karan, a descendent of the family behind Moti Mahal (yes, the Butter Chicken empire), carries a legacy of reinvention and craft. Viraj, a producer and storyteller with an education that spans UT Austin to Wharton, brings a filmmaker’s sense of narrative to even the most mundane moments.

We sat with the founders for an exclusive interview with Esquire India, as they spoke about their vision.

Excerpts from a conversation.

What was the inspiration behind the brand?

Toothpaste has always been functional, but we saw an opportunity to make it desirable, thoughtful, and even a little indulgent. Whenever we hosted parties, we’d find ourselves hiding those dull, traditional tubes before guests arrived. That small act said everything—toothpaste didn’t belong in the spotlight. We got tired of boring oral care and wanted to create a brand that redefined how people think about it. Salt was born because brushing your teeth should feel sexy, not just functional. Luxury isn’t just for handbags, it’s for your mouth too.

Why oral care? Why not skincare, grooming, or something “sexier”?

Oral care is universal. Everyone brushes their teeth every day—it’s intimate, personal, and impactful, but no one has made it glamorous. Skincare and grooming already have luxury segments, but oral care was untouched. It felt like the perfect blank slate to combine design, science, and storytelling.

Why does the world need a luxury toothpaste brand?

We’re not just selling toothpaste, we’re creating a ritual that combines performance with sensory pleasure. People deserve products that make them feel good even in small, everyday moments. If your toothpaste isn’t making you feel fabulous, what are you even doing?

Starting a brand is never as glossy as it looks. What were the early struggles no one saw?

Everything that could go wrong, did. From supply chain headaches and formulation failures to design iterations that didn’t land—we learned that making toothpaste luxury was as much about persistence as it was about vision. And convincing people to care about something as mundane as toothpaste? That was its own battle.

Salt feels more like skincare or fragrance than toothpaste. How important was “aesthetic” in your process?

Non-negotiable. We wanted every touchpoint—the packaging, the mouthwash bottles, even the scent—to feel deliberate. Aesthetic isn’t just style; it’s a reflection of the experience we want people to have every time they brush. If it doesn’t look sexy on your bathroom shelf, it’s not worth your time.

You made a noir film about toothpaste. Why?

We both come from storytelling backgrounds, so the film was our way of showing that oral care can be unexpected, playful, and cinematic. The noir format let us lean into drama and humour while communicating our core philosophy—oral care isn’t just routine, it’s an experience.

Elevator pitch in 100 words. Go!

Karan: Salt is luxury oral care for people who believe daily rituals can be beautiful. We blend high-performance ingredients, thoughtful formulation, and elegant design to create toothpaste that actually makes you want to brush.

Viraj: It’s a quiet rebellion—a brand that treats your teeth and your daily routine with respect. A small ritual, a daily indulgence, a confidence booster. Salt says: show up, shine, and smile like the world’s your runway.

India’s market loves affordability. Why go premium?

Because there are people ready to pay for a better experience, better formulation, and better design. Going premium was a risk, sure—but it gave us room to create something that didn’t exist before.

Karan: It’s also easy to compete on price. Harder to compete on taste.

What’s sitting on your bathroom shelf right now—besides Salt?

A good old Aesop, a few clean essentials, and some homegrown favourites. But Salt? Always front and centre. Non-negotiable.