Paris-based oral care brand The Smilist has landed on UK online shelves, swapping peroxide for prebiotics on the theory that a brighter smile starts with a healthier mouth, not a bleach job.
What is The Smilist?
he Smilist was created by three people who came at oral care from completely different angles: François Bonnat, a former luxury cosmetics executive; his mother Christiane Bonnat, a dental surgeon with more than forty years of clinical practice; and Ivan Kricak, an artistic director. François grew up watching his mother’s patients come in with yellowed teeth, which is where the idea for the brand took root – before he went on to work across beauty giants including Chanel, L’Oréal and LVMH.
Quick to recognise that the market is saturated with products that wipe out everything in the mouth indiscriminately, François knew what is needed is rebalancing the oral flora with good bacteria via prebiotics – since he puts 99% of the most common oral issues (dull teeth, halitosis, gingivitis, plaque) down to microbial imbalance.
“Like skincare for your teeth,” as he describes it, the brand also had a very breakout moment. In February 2025, The Smilist appeared on “Qui veut être mon associé?” – the French version of UK’s Dragons’ Den – and all five investors on the panel made an offer, a first in the show’s history. And from then, business in France boomed.
Why do you need prebiotic oral care?
The mouth hosts over 700 species of microorganisms and close to 10 billion bacteria, and roughly half of adults carry some degree of imbalance in that ecosystem – the kind linked to cavities, gingivitis, bad breath and, per the studies The Smilist cites, knock-on risks for conditions like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
That’s why this brand’s formulas centre on a patented Solidago flower extract combined with prebiotics, aimed at the bacteria behind staining, odour and gum inflammation while leaving beneficial strains intact. Over a 28-day clinical trial, the extract reduced Streptococcus mutans (a major contributor to plaque and staining) by 31% and Candida albicans, linked to oral thrush, by 98%. Every formula is Ecocert Cosmos Organic certified and peroxide-free.
So, what’s in the range?
There are three core ranges:
Healthy whitening works stains at the root instead of oxidising the enamel. The remineralising whitening toothpaste (£19) cleans with pomegranate enzymes and hydroxyapatite, the plaque-removing whitening micro-essence (£44) uses Korean seaweed extract to keep buildup down, and the tooth-whitening night serum (£44) concentrates whitening enzymes for overnight use.
Pure breathe is a five-step routine for tackling odour at the source: a double-ended tongue scraper (£27), a detoxifying micro-oil (£44), a zinc toothpaste (£19), a concentrated purifying tongue serum (£44) that claims visible results within 15 days, and a purifying booster spray (£17.50) for an on-the-go hit of freshness.
Hydra+gum care is aimed at sensitivity – a hyaluronic acid toothpaste (£19), a soothing micro-emulsion (£44) and a concentrated regenerating gum serum (£44) formulated with saffron extract for irritated or bleeding gums.
The oral care heroes we absolutely recommend
We haven’t tried all three ranges just yet, but we’ve been sinking our teeth (quite literally) into plenty of The Smilist products – and these are the ones we’re particularly fond of:
- The Plaque-Removing Whitening Micro-Essence from the Healthy Whitening range contains whitening minerals, pomegranate enzymes and Korean anti-plaque seaweed extract. It smells (and tastes) extraordinarily close to a vanilla-rose latte – which probably doesn’t exist, but totally should.
- The Concentrated Purifying Tongue Serum from Pure Breathe is a rather ingenious little liquid, formulated with mineral zinc, spirulina and Phyllanthus (Indian gooseberry) extract to help clean bacteria from the tongue. It leaves your mouth feeling impressively fresh and clean, without the aggressive mintiness of some traditional oral-care products.
- Then there’s the Concentrated Regenerating Gum Serum from the Hydra+Gum range: one of those products you didn’t realise you needed until you tried it. If your gums are often inflamed or particularly sensitive, will miracle-in-a-bottle will soothe and smooth them.
You can browse all the products here.