Beauty seems to be splintering off into even more niche categories, promising to cater for the specific needs of every area of our body and rendering otherwise pedestrian parts of our day somewhat more special. And it seems that dental care is now getting a luxurious makeover, too. And as much as I’m fond of a supermarket buy, these chicer renditions of everyday basics have captured my attention of late. Here, an edit of the best the category has to offer.

You might recognise Marvis’s retro packaging from chic department store shelves or adorning elegantly appointed bathroom shelfies on Instagram. Either way, the stuff inside totally lives up to its covetable design. It comes in an array of interesting ‘flavours’: mint, of course, for those who just can’t quit that classic, icy taste, as well as orange blossom, black forest, and jasmine, for the more adventurous. It also looks ever-so-pretty on one’s bathroom sink, which is an important factor in my books.

Mouthwash has typically been a pharmacy buy for me, but I’m now a convert to Aesop’s inimitably chic mouthwash. Housed in the brand’s classic apothecary-inspired packaging, it packs a refreshing punch without that eye-wincing after taste that many other offerings thwop you with, thanks to its alcohol-free formula.

Charcoal is probably an ingredient you associate with those satisfyingly cleansing face masks, but its use has been extended to keeping teeth ultra clean with PearlBar’s version. Alongside charcoal, it offers a host of other cleansing ingredients including baking soda and bentonite clay to purify and brighten. While I’ve personally got nothing against fluoride (which this toothpaste comes without), it’s a good option if you’re searching for a ‘greener’ whitening formula.

Take your traditional minty toothpaste, and give it a sophisticated and intriguing twist – that is what the clever minds at Officine Universelle Buly have done with their Opiat Dentaire. Certainly a more luxurious rendering than a bathroom basic, it brings the familiar flavour of mint but lightly spiked with coriander and cucumber leaves for a very clean finish. And the eye-catching packaging needs addressing: it comes clad in an emerald green metal tube illustrated with an intricate drawing of a snake. Totally elegant, both inside and out.

I’d been vaguely familiar with tongue scrapers for years, but had never quite bought into the practice – but after trialling Black Chicken’s offering, I’m a definite convert. And really, it makes perfect sense: I’m obsessive about brushing and flossing, so also cleansing my tongue of impurities seems like a no-brainer. Advocates of tongue scraping suggest that it removes toxins from entering your body, thus improving your overall health (much the same way that flossing is said to improve life expectancy). I rate it for helping leave my mouth that much fresher, especially after a particularly garlic-heavy meal.

Sea salt is renowned for its cleansing properties (as the myriad of purifying sea salt hair and body offerings attest to), so the logic follows that it should provide the same function as a toothpaste. Weleda’s Salt Toothpaste complements the rest of its natural product line in a pleasingly fuss-free but effective way. Its flavour was initially a little difficult to get used to as someone who is used to that Arctic chill that mint provides, but this one leaves a refreshed and clean feel in its own way, and so the switch was quickly made.

Story by Tess de Vivie de Régie. Holding image by Tom Munro.

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