| « Bizarre Open Letter from former SCO CEO McBride | Republican polit spam from Texas - Hutchison, Williams, Gingrich, et al » |
No more Elmex toothpaste in the US (updated 2x)
09/27/09
I know that lots of European expats, in particular from German-speaking countries, have continued to use products they know from their old home country. For me, that includes the Aronal and Elmex toothpastes produced by Gaba in Switzerland (Gaba was bought by Colgate-Palmolive in 2004.)
They are a big player in Europe. They have the second-highest toothpaste market share in Germany, for example (>30%).
Several European Delis and online stores used to sell the toothpaste products from Gaba. I recently noticed that one of them, Smallflower.com, where I used to buy this toothpaste from, doesn't have it in their product line anymore.
So, I sent them an email asking about it. Here is their answer:
Unfortunately we were forced to stop carrying these products due to an ingredient used in both products. We are not capable of importing them anymore so we had to discontinue the line.
Update: A couple of days after I posted their answer, the company seems to have it back in their offerings. Not sure what to make of that...
Update 2: I have found other companies that offer Elmex and Aronal in the US. One sells through Amazon, another one is here.
6 comments
I would suggest visiting www.smallflower.com again … I just noticed that they carry Elmex toothpaste, and today is 03/17/2010. You can also purchase the toothpastes in the USA from large vendors on the Internet like Amazon and eBay.
Amanda,
thanks for your comment.
I do know that smallflower.com offer it on their website, but they don’t have it in stock, at least not the Aronal toothpaste. I had an order outstanding with them for several months. They eventually canceled the order in mid-January, with this email: “The Elmex Aronal Forte toothpaste has been out of stock for a very long time and we have no idea when we will be able to receive it back in stock.”
Also, Amazon offers Elmex, but not the Aronal toothpaste, last I checked.
In any case, I brought several tubes of Aronal with me from my last trip to Europe 
I’m not quite familiar with this brand of toothpaste. I haven’t seen one being sold in stores here. Is it a good brand ?
They are basically a European brand, one of the big ones in Europe. The manufacturer is a Swiss company, which got bought several years ago by Colgate. Colgate hasn’t been marketing them in the US, but expat stores that cater to European expats living in the US usually carry at least the Elmex toothpaste.
The marketing in Europe usually says “Aronal in the morning, Elmex in the evening", basically because they have different ingredients that are useful protection during the day and during the night, respectively. At least that’s what their marketing says…
Thanks for the information, I am a new expat from Switzerland in the US and found your comments while trying to buy Elmex here. I have been using the Elmex line (toothpaste, mouth-rinse and proffesional toothpastes as well as the toothbrushes) for the last 11 years and I think they are just excellent. I am happy to see that amazon carries the toothpastes in the US (although heavily overpriced!!) but am dissappointed of not being able to get the mouth-rinses, I don’t know if you know them, but they are very good and essential in the prevention and treatment of dental problems. They are colourless, and with almost not taste and without alcohol, just with the ingredients that are specifically developed for the care of the teeth (caries prevention, over sensitivity, erosion and email protection)and not just for the breath. The rinses I found in the US (including from Colgate) are just dealing with the cosmetic part, which is to prevent bad breath but do not care about the teeth. Also they are with artificial colouring and very strong taste which is hard to hold in the mouth for the required time without sensation of strong burning. Would somebody know where could I get the Elmex mouth-rinses or another brand with similar ingredients in the US? I just checked the webpage of Colgate and found nothing regarding mouthrinses?
Thank you!
Hi I live in Spain and this week I’ve been having treatment on my teeth(veneers)by a very good german dentist. He recommended me to use Elmex which I hadn’t heard off, I’ve always used Colgate. This morning I went to the nearest city Cartagena and easily bought Elmex 2 for 6€, (special offer) Very easy to buy from Spain, they also had some mouth rinses by elmex
This post has 1 feedback awaiting moderation...
