Darlie, Listerine and more sink their teeth into Dyson's high-tech toothbrush

Darlie Singapore has taken a swipe at Dyson's new SG$699 CameraJet toothbrush, joining a growing chorus of brands poking fun at the tech company's high-tech entry into oral care.

In an Instagram post on 3 September, Darlie said toothbrushes "aren't meant to replace professional dental care", adding that it keeps its technology affordable enough to "elevate and sustain" consumers' oral care routines at home.

The post went on to spotlight Darlie's own products, including its professional-grade blue light technology and a toothpaste with built-in mouthwash efficacy, positioning the latter as a two-in-one "brush and gargle" step.

"And one you can afford," the brand added, before driving the point home in its caption: "Its not that deep, iykyk."

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The post appears to riff on Dyson's first foray into oral care with the CameraJet, an electric toothbrush that combines brushing, targeted liquid flossing and mouthwash dispensing in a single connected device.

Unveiled earlier this week, the SG$699 CameraJet features a built-in 100,000-pixel macro lens camera powered by machine learning, which detects and tracks gaps between users' teeth in real time. Its technology analyses 28 live images per second before triggering a targeted burst of mouthrinse between teeth.

The camera can also act as an endoscope, allowing users to see inside their mouths through the MyDyson app while brushing. According to Dyson, images from the camera are not recorded or stored on the device or in the cloud. 

The CameraJet was developed over six years and forms part of Dyson's broader push towards intelligent machines powered by technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning and vision systems. Dyson said the toothbrush was designed to tackle missed interdental spaces, inconsistent flossing and brushing routines by combining several oral care steps into one device.

The buzz around the brush

The launch generated a sharp burst of online attention, according to media intelligence firm CARMA, with conversation peaking at 1,992 documents on 2 September before falling to 800 the following day.

Technology and AI dominated the discussion, generating 4,858 documents from 1,445 unique authors, while 1,664 documents focused on the toothbrush's effectiveness, including plaque removal, flossing and its potential oral health benefits.

Price and practicality have also emerged as key talking points. CARMA found 1,414 documents discussing value and the CameraJet's SG$699 price point, while 850 questioned its practicality or necessity. Despite the debate, sentiment remained more positive than negative, with 32.82% of conversation classified as positive, 13.11% as negative and 54.07% as neutral.

Brands bite back

Darlie was not the only brand to sink its teeth into the launch. Listerine also joined the conversation on 3 September, reminding consumers that its mouthwash reaches the teeth, gums, tongue and cheeks "to complete your oral care routine".

"No cameras. No fancy tech. Just a simple swish for a whole mouth clean," the brand said, captioning the post: "Brush. Floss. Swish. Clean and simple."

Meanwhile, Ryanair took the conversation somewhere only Ryanair could, posting an image of a branded toothbrush-and-toothpaste combo priced at €99.99 alongside the words "better value for money".

Electric toothbrush brand Quip similarly weighed in, saying that while "cool tech is cool", it was more interested in products that make the biggest difference affordably, highlighting its range of oral care products priced under US$60.

"We saw the internet yesterday. Anyone else feeling camera shy?" Quip said in its caption, adding that consumers "don't need to spend $500 to clean your teeth".

The brand went on to highlight its electric toothbrushes and water flosser before concluding: "Sometimes less is more, especially when you get the basics right."

The wave of reactive posts comes as Dyson's move into oral care has sparked conversation around how much technology consumers need in their everyday routines, with rival brands using the launch's premium price point and camera functionality as fodder for some timely social media banter.

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Brand-on-brand social media responses are not new. In September last year, Google Pixel jumped on the conversation surrounding Apple's then-upcoming iPhone 17 reveal with an Instagram video featuring a Pixel phone alongside an iPhone, using the exchange to showcase the capabilities of its Gemini AI tool.

Set in a field of chickens, the video saw Pixel demonstrate AI-generated clips of singing chickens and turtles after iPhone struggled to do the same. Captioned "When iPhone's plans run afowl, Pixel promptly generates some helpful advice", the post positioned Gemini's capabilities against its rival while tapping into attention around Apple's latest launch.

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