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Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

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Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#241

Post by ptaipale »

drakonandor wrote: post #80
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks ... but I live in Norway. I'm not sure any of the water is fluoridated here. In the states, however, everywhere I lived had fluoride in the water.

Water often has some levels of fluoride naturally.

Yes, and it always has had - one would expect that during the human evolution, the human body developed to expect and utilize variable levels of fluoride in drinking water.

Nowadays we consume processed water which is clear of many impurities and tends to come just one source. The quality is extremely consistent, so we don't die of poisonings and contaminations. But then, the selection of where our drinking water comes from, and the purification processes may have the impact that the fluoride level is consistently lower than is good. Hence the possible need to add fluoride to water.

Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#242

Post by jimmytidey »

ben_jones wrote: post #238

Caffeinated gum is also a big thing. Same idea I think: passive caffeine consumption with the implication that you'll be saving tons of money that would've been spent in coffee shops. But don't most people want to limit their caffeine consumption? I feel like caffeine has an identical mindshare as cigarettes in the '60s: Haha we know it's not great for you but everybody does it, especially business people!'. Not tryi…

I don't think caffeine has many negative health implications. Although it has certainly wasted my time by leaving me too jittery to work.

There is a great cgp grey video on caffeine:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OTVE5iPMKLg

Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#243

Post by Broken_Hippo »

brenschluss wrote: post #220
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a way, both, depending. In the case of toothpaste, we've already tested fluoride. I'm going to guess we know the safe limits and the recommended amounts in the stuff. So as long as there isn't any new sorts of drug in the toothpaste and one is using pretty standard safe sort of ingredients, there isn't really a need for some of the testing - animal or human testing. Tests to verify the percentage of fluoride in th…

> So as long as there isn't any new sorts of drug in the toothpaste and one is using pretty standard safe sort of ingredients, there isn't really a need for some of the testing This is probably exactly what the testing is for. Consider a drug that is (fluoride + X), where both fluoride and X are "already tested and safe". Are we sure that for all values for X, (fluoride + X) is safe also?

I certainly can't be sure - I don't know that much about fluoride itself and the limits that are on it nor exactly what research has been done. It seems the main concerns with fluoride is getting too much of it along with some environmental damage. I doubt testing for all values of x is prudent: simply the ingredients compared to the allowed amount of fluoride allowed (there is a limit in amount in the over the counter stuff). I'd think at minimum, he should be able to send a sample to the FDA or independent company for analysis to compare it with research already on file. Or be able to cross reference the ingredients himself. So long as his stuff is within the tested parameters, he'd be allowed to go ahead.

Of course, it might also be prudent to get certified to handle fluoride as well as manufacture toothpaste with it and other such things.

But then again, caffeine is a drug occasionally as well. Excedrine has to list it on their FDA required product information: No-Doz (caffeine pills) has the same sort of label. Granted, it might be more benign than fluoride - yet the FDA sees no problem with it being in toothpaste so long as he doesn't have the fluoride.

I don't know all the details, mostly because I've never wanted to manufacture toothpaste. But it seems there should be a simple way of doing this stuff with simple tests in most cases, and that the information should be easily accessible.

Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#244

Post by mikekchar »

koliber wrote: post #237

Caffeinated toothpaste is so 2016 Q2. I heard there's a stealth startup doing caffeinated toilet paper that will disrupt this market by hitting the customer with a dose of caffeine earlier on in the morning pipeline.

Sorry man, I'm old. I need the caffeine in order to need the toilet paper, not the other way around ;-)

Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#245

Post by nikolay »

Zalastax wrote: post #235
nikolay wrote: post #39

There's no list of ingredients. Anyway, most toothpaste today has glycerin in it, which prevents tooth remineralization. Most toothpaste today also has carrageenan, which also is questionable - including by the WHO. SLS is not without issues either. Most non-natural toothpaste has aluminum. Most natural toothpaste is too abrasive. In general, I wasn't able to find a balanced product all these years - and it's a shame…

Are you sure that glycerin prevents remineralization? Dr. Schau[1] thinks it's unfounded. [1] http://www.myfamilydentist.ca/glycerin-and-remineralization-...

Why take the risk? There's toothpaste without it and it works just as fine.

Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#246

Post by justinlardinois »

msane wrote: post #146
justinlardinois wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's clever of you to spin the lack of fluoride as a benefit. It'll satisfy people who are paranoid about fluoride, and people who aren't probably don't care.

Yay marketing! I feel inspired to remove expensive healthy ingredients from other products.

If the alternative is not having a profit margin, why not?

Re: Show HN: I invented a caffeinated toothpaste

#248

Post by iamwil »

ontoillogical wrote: post #194
nappy wrote: post #4

I invented the world’s first caffeinated toothpaste - get a rush while you brush! I’m a serial entrepreneur, YCW16. Though it is a simple idea, I went through at least 60 formula iterations before I got the flavor chemistry right. This toothpaste seriously works. I actually had to lower the caffeine content from the original version. Our toothpaste gives you a quick caffeine boost that works as soon as you start brus…

What was your YC startup?

I'm also curious, for the same reason ontoillogical is.
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