• by Les Luchter , September 13, 2023

Whoa! Dentistry lacks diversity.

And Listerine, Kenvue’s 108-year-old mouthwash brand, wants to help rectify that issue.

Noting that less than 4% of dentists are Black and that 40% of Black American adults have untreated cavities, Listerine and creative agency Compound have launched The Whoa Collection, leveraging the brand’s two-year-old tagline “Feel the whoa!” into a custom bottle, merchandise and painted canvas from visual artist King Saladeen and an original music track, “Compound,” from Grammy-winning producer Thundercat.

The colorfully decorated limited-edition bottles are now on sale at Target, with Walmart to come onboard in October. Kits including the bottle, a robe and slippers -- all similarly festooned with art from Saladeen, who has said he aims to inspire young Black artists -- will be available via a digital sweepstakes launching later this month.

Up to $150,000 in proceeds from sales of The Whoa Collection’s products will be donated to Increasing Diversity in Dentistry (IDID), a nonprofit focused on the development, mentorship, and retention of Black dentist professionals.

Joahne Carter, Kenvue’s commercial leader, oral healthcare, said in a statement that the funds will allow IDID “to provide additional support, scholarships and practice grants to the students they serve.”

Furthering what Carter called Listerine’s commitment “to increasing diversity in dentistry and empowering the next generation of Black dentists,” the brand and Compound are also hosting an event in Brooklyn on Sept. 14. It will include an auction of the King Saladeen canvas and a panel discussion on the lack of dentistry diversity.

The Thundercat music track, which includessounds of swishing, cap twists and pours, is available on social media, SoundCloud. Listerine.com and other channels. It’s free, as the partners “want folks to openly interact with it and share and inspire others to jump into the cause,” a spokesperson tells Marketing Daily.

"A compound is something that organically brings things together,” Set Free Richardson, Compound’s founder, said in a statement, noting that The Whoa Collection embodies that by “blend[ing] music, art, and oral health care in a way that helps the community.”