Recently I received three complimentary REACH by Design toothbrushes (approx. $3.99 each), which are part of a new limited-edition series of brushes created with fun patterns curated by interior designers Tom Delavan and Celerie Kemble and celebrity stylist Brad Goreski. Hey, if Christian Siriano is designing sponges, why not enlist Brad of The Rachel Zoe Project fame to design a toothbrush?! Sounds like good, clean fun to me—but are these toothbrushes really bananas or not? Keep reading to find out…
What they say: Recognizing the need to extend such style and vibrancy into our everyday lives and not just our closets, REACH® enlisted the help of tastemakers and industry insiders to makeover a most useful, yet unassuming product – your toothbrush!
Curated by interior designers Tom Delavan and Celerie Kemble and celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, the new REACH® by Design™ collection is a limited-edition series of brushes created with bright colors and unexpected patterns perfect for glamming-up your bathroom!
This unique collaboration adds a splash of style to your brushing routine while also offering the uncompromising cleaning performance you’ve come to expect from REACH®. After all, why can’t your toothbrush be functional AND beautiful?
Designed like a dental instrument, the REACH® by Design™ toothbrush features a specially angled neck and multi‐level bristles, and is clinically proven to remove more plaque than the leading toothbrush* and more than 95% of plaque between teeth.
What I thought: I was really excited to sample these toothbrushes. After all, the toothbrush is an everyday object that could totally use a fashionable makeover. But while I love the concept, I think the execution of these brushes is kinda lame. The designs are printed on that shrink wrap plastic stuff (like those Easter egg decorating kits used to have) with a noticeable seam and visible edges. They could peel right off.
Furthermore, the toothbrushes themselves feel and look like the dollar store toothbrushes, not that there's anything wrong with that, but for a toothbrush whose claim to fame is chic design, this isn't going to cut it.
Also, I never realized how important that rubber grip stuff was until I tried these, which have no grippy stuff. It's essential! And if I'm going to be really nit-picky, I do not care for the full size head on this brush. I discovered small head brushes a couple years ago and they are the bomb. They really get those hard-to-reach places better than a full head toothbrush, no lie.
It seems silly to have so many toothbrush preferences but in today's world, it's bound to happen. I'm all for innovative marketing but it was marketers that told me to look for all these fancy criteria in the first place! In conclusion, I will stick to my current toothbrush brand which might look less stylish but does a better job at brushing my teeth.
When I was a kid my mom found some classic (i.e. flat-handled and plastic with uniform bristles) toothbrushes with really pretty designs printed into the plastic at a store (Oilily or Bed Bath and Beyond, probably, given her obsessions at the time!) and my sister and I loved them so much we didn't want to get rid of them when they were worn out. These look like someone put stickers on my normal brush, but after removing the rubber bits.
I'd also like to point out that a ton of thought goes into the design of your average, rubber-gripped toothbrush. They're actually quite aesthetically pleasing if you look at them... sort of aerodynamic and sporty-looking without being utilitarian, like Adidas Sambas or Ace bandages in pretty colors.