Last November, we wrote about a Malaysian toothpaste and oral care brand by the name of Gogy Natural.
Starting out with charcoal-based tooth polishes, the brand has since grown to offer other variations of oral care items. The USP here is to offer teeth whitening solutions that aren’t chemical based.
In December, the Gogy team generously sent two of their kits—the Happy Kit and the Good Kit—for my managing editor Sade and me to try out.
Both kits are priced at RM90.10 and include three products (the No Pain toothpaste, the No Stain toothpaste, and a tooth polish).
The only difference is that the Good Kit comes with the sensitive variation of the tooth polish, while the Happy Kit comes with the regular one.
It’s been about two months since we started using the products, so here’s our honest review of Gogy.
The unboxing
Although the kits included a toothbrush, I opted to use my own as theirs didn’t seem to be much different, and actually felt a bit flimsy for my clumsy self. Meanwhile, Sade used her trusty Brudee electric toothbrush throughout this experience.
At first, I was very excited to try out the new products. I’m big on skincare regimens, and Gogy’s approach to oral care is one that’s very much like skincare in the sense that there’s a morning “cleanser” and a night “cleanser”.
The No Pain toothpaste is used in the morning. Its ingredients list includes virgin coconut oil, miswak (kayu sugi), xylitol, and cool menthol with wintergreen oil.
The No Stain Toothpaste, on the other hand, features bamboo charcoal for whitening benefits. It’s designed for nighttime usage for the maintenance of teeth brightness.
You can think of the tooth polish as an exfoliator of some kind, to be used once every few days. Gogy’s tooth polish is designed to act like a scrub that whitens yellow teeth and removes stubborn coffee, tea, or tobacco stains.
Compared to my usual, boring toothpaste, this routine was new and exciting. Admittedly, the novelty did die out after a while for me, but I still find myself looking forward to using the polish in particular.
The experience
One major difference I noticed with Gogy’s products, compared to the typical toothpastes, is the lack of frothiness.
This is because Gogy doesn’t use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), which is a very common foaming agent used by other brands.
Gogy’s founder, Ida, told us that this decision is due to the fact that there have been studies on the harmful properties of SLS.
This is corroborated by researches, such as a recent 2022 one published by the American Journal of Dentistry that stated possible harmful effects of SLS include mucosal desquamation, irritation or inflammation of oral mucosa or the dorsal part of the tongue, ulcerations, and toxic reactions in the oral cavity.
Rather than being foamy, I found the toothpastes to be a bit runnier, but it didn’t really impact the brushing experience by much.
The biggest downside to Gogy’s products for me is the minty-ness—or lack thereof. Although fresh breath is something that the products promise, I didn’t really experience the usual minty freshness I get from my regular toothpaste.
While this wasn’t a big issue for night use, I would much prefer a mintier taste in the morning.
My managing editor, Sade, has a differing opinion, though. Although she too loves a strong, minty toothpaste, she reported that her mouth still feels “really clean” with Gogy’s products. Plus, it wasn’t too difficult for her to adapt to the toned-down feel and taste of Gogy.
On another note, the less minty nature of Gogy’s products has got me using more mouthwash than ever, so maybe that’s a win for my overall oral health.
Final thoughts
I’ve been using Gogy consistently, but there was a period of five or so days when I was abroad and wasn’t able to lug along the products with me, though. Perhaps travel-sized items may be a good addition to Gogy’s catalogue of items.
To be honest, I don’t see much change in my before and after pictures, but somehow, I do feel like my teeth have gotten brighter when I check post-brushing in the mirror. Sade feels the same way too. I’m not sure whether it’s a placebo effect.
Efficacy aside, I found myself enjoying using the tooth polish, and might continue using it as an additional product every few days as needed.
While the No Pain and No Stain toothpastes complete the whole oral care regimen, the pricing is on the steeper side (RM28 per tube) which does put me off slightly.
Meanwhile, other whitening toothpastes on the market like Colgate’s Optic White goes for RM15.49 for the same 100g tube. Jordan’s whitening toothpaste is slightly cheaper at RM14.10 for 100g. Given, these options aren’t natural like Gogy’s.
If you’re looking to brighten your teeth and try out something natural, though, I do believe that Gogy’s No Stain toothpaste and the tooth polish is worth a go.
- Learn more about Gogy Natural here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
