Success story French-style. Noting that during Covid, our compatriots were neglecting their oral health, two brothers decided to act. At not even 30 years old, Martin and Alexis Thiebaut launched into the adventure My Variations. That of an electric toothbrush whose interchangeable brush heads are offered in the form of a subscription, without commitment.
Three years after the launch of their company and their My Variations toothbrush, they have won over 200,000 customers and are hot on the heels of leaders of the electric toothbrush in France (Oral B and Philips Sonicare). To try to understand the reasons for such success, 20 minutes tested My Variations.
Rotary or sonic?
First of all, know that there are two types of electric toothbrushes on the market: models with “oscillating-rotating” heads, and those called “sonic”. The first (Oral B) have a brushing head which makes small circular movements. In the mouth, the brushing is quite vigorous, with a sensation that can be similar to that of classic manual brushing.
The latter (Philips Sonicare, Panasonic, Neopulse, etc.) have a head which reproduces a back and forth movement at very high speed. This technology, which offers softer sensations, is renowned for better fighting dental plaque, but obviously does not exclude sweeping the teeth from bottom to top applied by hand. Martin and Alexis chose her for My Variations.
Tickling and foam in the mouth
With a fairly fluid design but above all offered in six delightful colors (black, pastel pink, green, blue, orange and white) their toothbrush operates 40,000 movements per minute. This is more than basic sonic toothbrushes with “only” 31,000 movements. Each time you use it, you can choose from five brushing modes: Whiteness, Clean, Sensitive, Polish and Massage. Once the desired one is selected by successive presses of the button on the handle, the brush with soft nylon bristles (2,452 soft 0.152 mm Dupont nylon bristles) goes to work.
Anyone who has never used a sonic toothbrush may experience tickling sensations during the first few uses. We also note that, unlike rotating brushes, this sonic brush creates a slightly foaming toothpaste-saliva mixture in the mouth that you should not hesitate to spit out while brushing.
Featuring a timer for two-minute brushings, My Variations operates a micro break every 30 seconds. The idea here is to spend 30 seconds brushing on each part of the jaw (top/right; top/left; bottom/right; bottom/left). The brush stops automatically after 2 minutes, the “regulatory” brushing time recommended by dentists.
An efficient and autonomous model
Observation after 15 days of use: My Variation is very pleasant to use. Gentler in its brushing than our usual rotating brushes. Finer too: its small brush head gives the feeling of being able to go deeper into the mouth. And we can massage the gums with it without pain (or bleeding for us). At the end of each brushing, the feeling of having a clean mouth dominates, with very smooth teeth when you pass your tongue over them. Waterproof, the whole thing can be rinsed under water.
Charging via USB-C (cable provided), My Variations does not have a charging base like its counterparts. It’s undoubtedly better for the environment, but also when traveling: no accessories to lug around. It also offers battery life of up to one month (the equivalent of 60 2-minute brushings), whereas most are struggling after a maximum of 15 days of use.
A really different toothbrush?
But when you look closely, and as effective as it is, My Variation does not differ much technically from other sonic toothbrushes. What is changing is its economic model. Sold for 69 euros, its price drops to 59 euros if you subscribe to its supply offer of new brushes (5.90 euros each), delivered every 3, 6, 9 or 12 months without obligation.
What is changing above all is the marketing bulldozer deployed by the founders of My Variations, Martin and Alexis.
Born start-ups, digital natives, omnipresent on social networks, seen on TV sets, heard on the radio, the Thiebaut brothers are kings of communication. In three years, they have managed to dust off through their youth, their capacity to innovate, to reach young people in particular, their incarnation, the electric toothbrush market which seemed sluggish, and whose players hardly innovated, otherwise by offering more expensive, connected electric toothbrushes. Well done !
Today, Martin and Alexis Thiebaut are hot on the heels of the sector’s historic brands. With a good product, but also a good dose of storytelling, they have managed to offer a real customer experience, like Apple, with a lifetime toothbrush warranty for their subscribers. To sink their teeth into a business that seemed to be waiting only for them. And their ecosystem of products continues to grow: toothbrushes, brush heads, interdental brushes, dental floss and even organic toothpaste made in France in recyclable aluminum tubes!
On the market, there are sonic toothbrushes that are less noisy and more efficient. Cheaper ones too, like the Philips Sonicare 2.100 that we tested and which is still on sale for around thirty euros… There is even another French sonic toothbrush, called Neosonic (which operates from 30,000 to 50,000 movements per minute and displays up to 3 months of autonomy (sold for 69 euros). And you know what? It also comes with a subscription system for its brush heads…