The Toothbrush, Têtes à Clac® is composed of a handle made of compostable and 100% French beech wood, and a rechargeable head, made of nylon without chemical glue, manufactured in Italy and 100% recyclable.
Camille and Benoît, the creators, agreed to answer our questions.
My Boo Company is Camille and Benoît. Optimistic by nature, lovers of the oceans and in love in real life, we enjoy hiking (a little), traveling (a lot), reading (more than is reasonable), spending a night outside gazing at the stars and admiring the moon (and falling asleep too…). And we're also amateur photographers in our spare time! Curious by nature, Camille holds a doctorate in ecology and has professional experience in fundamental research, heritage conservation, archaeology, and teaching. A born globetrotter with a degree in international business, Benoît has (almost) traveled the world and worked in the environmental, professional training, and web sectors.
The creation of the company in 2016 was a true synergy of complementary skills. Both of us were concerned about limiting our environmental impact, so we decided to take action. With a long-standing entrepreneurial spirit and a full portfolio of projects, a new idea germinated one evening while we were brushing our teeth. The observation was simple: too much plastic and unrecycled waste in our daily lives. Plastic toothbrushes, so deeply ingrained in our habits, represent 4.7 billion toothbrushes worldwide each year and 1,400 tons of plastic waste in France. They end up in nature and our oceans because they are not recycled due to being composed of several types of plastic. We dreamed of a toothbrush with as little plastic as possible and where only the head needs replacing…
We started working on our initial idea in February 2016, but to no avail. Nevertheless, we embarked on this adventure because we wanted to do our part, pioneering in France to offer you a bamboo toothbrush for which we were uncompromising regarding its origin and manufacturing. We launched our crowdfunding campaign on the Ulule platform in mid-September 2016. It was a resounding success, reaching 684% of our initial goal! Since mid-November 2016, we have been distributing our toothbrushes, charmingly named Boo, to individuals through our online store and to our partners (nearly 400 today, in France and Europe): grocery stores, boutiques, e-commerce sites, subscription boxes, gift sets, concept stores, and more.
Creative and brimming with ideas, we're constantly striving for the "less is often more" approach! After creating our upcycled fabric travel toothbrush case in 2016, we've been offering toothbrushes with transparent bristles—meaning they're completely dye-free—since January 2018. We're a small French company where we handle everything ourselves: from the website and social media to sales and order fulfillment! And our philosophy? Transparency and a personal touch!
At the end of 2015, during a meal with Benoît's family, in the course of a conversation about the beginnings of our shift in consumption habits, we mentioned our idea for an eco-friendly toothbrush where only the head would need replacing. A cousin who had taken over the family pharmacy suggested we come by the next day because he had something to show us. He proudly presented us with a pretty pink plastic toothbrush with a replaceable head, taken from the back of his pharmacy, which had been sold in the 1980s by their grandfather (a true pioneer!).
Since then, our desire to make it more environmentally friendly has never left us. We worked on this project starting in February 2016, but to no avail. It was probably too soon! Nevertheless, we launched it, pioneers in France, to offer you a bamboo toothbrush for which we were uncompromising regarding its origin and manufacturing. My years of fundamental research in ecology allowed us to meticulously verify the information and materials used. We also surrounded ourselves with competent people working for a French company with a presence in China, and Benoît went there to meet the director of the small family factory that makes your toothbrushes.
But this initial idea of a rechargeable head remained in the background, and we never stopped searching for the right partner. At the end of 2017, when we finally met the exceptionally skilled carpenter in Nantes, we were finally able to move forward with this project, drawing on our limited experience.
Prototypes, setbacks, technical problems… wood is a living material, and working with it is not something you can just improvise. For the past two years, we have tested different models. At the Bulk Trade Fair in May 2019, we presented the prototype to industry professionals… without its final head! The technical solution was finally there! Before filing the patent, we began testing it in September 2019, for a minimum of six months, with a panel of woodworking professionals to ensure its reliability.
We have been personally and professionally committed to reducing our waste since the end of 2015. We are not yet completely zero waste—that's why I emphasize "reduction"—and we advocate for a non-judgmental and gradual approach, so that it can be adopted and successfully implemented by as many people as possible. If everyone simply used solid soap and shampoo and bought their pasta and rice in bulk, it would be (almost) wonderful!
For My Boo Company, for over four years now, we haven't used any ink cartridges (we refill ink tanks from recyclable containers) and have never included new cardboard boxes in our shipments to businesses: it's all upcycling. Shipments to individuals are also designed to minimize their environmental impact. In short, we produce barely one basket of non-reusable waste per month, related to our busy business operations!
A huge congratulations on their initiative, we wish them immense success!
If you'd like to switch to an eco-friendly toothbrush, find Têtes à Clac® products from My Boo Company HERE.
