Alan Daly (left) and Wayne Solan have come up with an idea that could not only take off, but blast off!
By Evan Short
Two Dublin men who set out to revolutionize the way we use toothpaste have announced they are now in talks with NASA about supplying space voyages with their product.
Wayne Solan and Alan Daly have pioneered the individual toothpaste sachet that they claim saves waste and encourages children to brush their teeth.
Wayne says the idea came to him after friends came to visit him in Florida.
When cleaning the guest bathroom, he was wondering why there was so much toothpaste on the sink and realized that kids often struggle to put the right amount of toothpaste on their toothbrush.
He says he thought there must be a better way and together with Alan, who has two little girls and identified with the problem, started developing “Poppits.”
To use the product you simply take a Poppit soft gel pod, pop it in your mouth and brush teeth normally.
The pod melts in your mouth releasing the toothpaste. There’s no plastic tube and no mess.
It is this aspect that has caught the interest of NASA.
“Traditional toothpaste tubes have been around for over a hundred years,” said Wayne.
“Our soft gel pods are a revolutionary way to use toothpaste. It’s more hygienic, dentists love it, kids love it, it reduces plastic pollution and so it’s better for the planet.
“Not to mention there’s no more of that gunky residue that builds up on the nozzle of squeezed up tubes.
“Eliminating the need for plastic tubes is huge, and so much better for the environment.
“We are currently in talks with NASA and awaiting approval to have Poppits used in space aboard the International Space Station, so we’re very excited about that.”
“My kids absolutely love these things! We’ve had great feedback from families all across America,” added Alan.
Both Alan and Wayne live in the U.S. and have a kick starter campaign running to help fund their project.
More at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1117452230/poppits-the-biggest-breakthrough-in-toothpaste.
