Made in Switzerland: A redesign for manual toothbrushes

Sometimes my electric toothbrush gets on my nerves. It adds to the pile of devices that I constantly have to charge. And its case, the charging cable and the mouth scrubber itself are like rocks for my suitcase when I'm travelling. It makes me long for the days when I still used simple manual toothbrushes. The plastic or bamboo toothbrushes didn't need a power-hungry battery. But they regularly ended up in the bin because they had to be replaced after three months at the latest for hygiene reasons - no matter how intact they still looked.

I was all the more enthusiastic about the idea of the Berninox toothbrush. It is made in Switzerland and has just been presented in the House of Switzerland exhibition at Milan Design Week. With a new shape and different materials, the design is intended to help reduce plastic waste while "offering exceptional hygiene properties and optimum brushing comfort".

Strong steel: SUPER150 Berninox is an alternative to bamboo and wood options

The base of the Berninox brush heads is made from recycled plastic (rPBT) from the Swiss company Tide Ocean AG instead of new plastic. The bristles are also made from recycled plastic obtained from PET bottles (56 per cent). In contrast to their bamboo alternative made from castor oil, they are said to wear out less quickly. The slim handle, on the other hand, is made from 316L stainless steel.

Stainless steel 316L is commonly used for medical instruments as well as in the Swiss watch industry because it is corrosion-resistant and biocompatible. It also has the advantage over bamboo or wood that it does not have to be imported from Asia, does not become brittle and does not absorb water. For all those who want to take the plunge: These properties even make the toothbrush handle dishwasher-safe.

The idea and the Berninox brand are the brainchild of Studio Super150. The Swiss design studio was founded in 2018 by marketing expert Muriel Ganière Bernard and product designer Julien Bernard and specialises in watches and luxury goods. With SUPER150 Berninox, the duo is venturing into new waters. According to them, their manual toothbrushes contain eight times less plastic than conventional models.

If you are a fan of manual scrubbing and would like to try out a new solution, you can now purchase a starter pack from the Berninox shop for CHF 39.90. There is a choice of three degrees of hardness and three - and perhaps soon more - colours.