What LISTERINE does

LISTERINE is a flagship oral-care brand founded in 1879 and currently operated by Kenvue Brands LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE), the consumer-health company spun off from Johnson & Johnson in November 2023. The brand manufactures and sells mouthwash, breath fresheners, kids' mouthwash, and fluoride toothpaste, organized into multiple sub-brand lines including the Antiseptic Collection (COOL MINT, FRESHBURST, Original), Clinical Solutions (Sensitive Teeth, Gum Health, Enamel Strength), GUM THERAPY, ULTRACLEAN (tartar control with whitening), TOTAL CARE, ESSENTIAL CARE, POCKETPAKS, POCKETMIST, and SMART RINSE for children. Core product technology rests on a proprietary blend of four essential oils — eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, and thymol — that the brand positions as penetrating dental plaque biofilm to kill 99.9% of germs in 30 seconds, with multiple products carrying American Dental Association (ADA) acceptance for antiplaque and antigingivitis claims.

The brand sells consumer-packaged goods through mass-market retail in the U.S. and U.K., with stated expansion plans to nearly 80 markets worldwide, and also distributes via e-commerce and on-the-go formats (POCKETPAKS strips, POCKETMIST sprays, alcohol-free mouthwash packets). Customer segments are horizontal and consumer-facing — general oral-care users, parents of children, and healthcare professionals/policymakers — with the #1 dentist-recommended mouthwash positioning (IQVIA ProVoice Survey, February 2025) anchoring professional endorsement as a key go-to-market lever. Marketing channels span experiential (music-festival activations such as the June 2026 Swish Tour at Governors Ball in partnership with Amazon Music's Breakthrough program), social-first (Twitch streamer collaborations), content marketing (educational articles), email, and retailer-locator-driven physical distribution.

Revenue is generated through one-time consumer purchase of branded oral-care products at retail price points set by individual retailers (pricing is not publicly disclosed by the brand). The company is privately held at the brand level but its parent Kenvue is publicly listed on NYSE under ticker KVUE, meaning capital allocation and strategic direction are set within a large public consumer-health conglomerate. Strategic priorities evidenced in the input data include geographic expansion to ~80 markets, a new flavor-intensity product line targeting 54% of American consumers preferring milder oral care, Gen Z-oriented experiential marketing, and clinical-evidence positioning through the Asia Pacific Dental Federation white paper on preventive oral care.

Name

LISTERINE

Legal name

Kenvue Brands LLC

Website

https://listerine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1879

Operating status

Operating

Short description

LISTERINE is a flagship oral-care brand, founded in 1879 and operated by Kenvue Brands LLC under Kenvue Inc. (NYSE: KVUE), that manufactures and sells essential-oil-based mouthwash, breath fresheners, kids' mouthwash, and fluoride toothpaste to general consumers, parents, and dental professionals across nearly 80 markets through mass-market retail and e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Oral Care

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Oral Care Products (Toothpaste, Mouthwash, Dental Floss, Whitening) (CRADAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mouthwash & Rinses (CRABAFAD), Toothpaste & Toothpowder (CRABAFAA), Children’s Oral Care (Kids Toothpaste/Brushes/Training) (CRABAFAJ)

Keywords

• Antiseptic mouthwash
• Oral care products
• Breath fresheners
• Consumer dental hygiene
• Fluoride toothpaste

Headquarters

HQ city

Neenah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consumer Oral Care Products: LISTERINE generates revenue through the sale of consumer oral care products including mouthwash, breath fresheners, toothpaste, and kids' mouthwash across retail channels worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LISTERINE® manufactures and sells a portfolio of consumer oral care products built around a proprietary essential oil-based antiseptic mouthwash formula (eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate, thymol). The brand's offerings include antiseptic mouthwashes, anticavity fluoride rinses, sensitive-teeth and gum-health clinical solutions, on-the-go breath fresheners (strips, sprays, single-use packets), kids' mouthwash, and fluoride toothpaste, sold globally through mass-market retail and e-commerce.

Product overview

LISTERINE is a comprehensive oral care brand offering a diversified portfolio of mouthwash, breath freshener, and dental hygiene products. The core product line includes antiseptic mouthwashes available in multiple intensity levels (Extra Mild, Mild, Intense) and flavors (COOL MINT, FRESHBURST, Original). The portfolio encompasses specialized sub-brands including TOTAL CARE (anticavity fluoride), ULTRACLEAN (tartar control with whitening), GUM THERAPY (antigingivitis), and Clinical Solutions (sensitive teeth, gum health). On-the-go products include POCKETPAKS breath strips, POCKETMIST sprays, and alcohol-free mouthwash packets. Additional offerings include kids' mouthwash and fluoride toothpaste. The products are formulated with essential oils and are predominantly positioned around germ-killing, plaque reduction, and gum disease prevention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LISTERINE® Antiseptic Collection: Core antiseptic mouthwash product line including COOL MINT®, FRESHBURST®, and Original flavors.
• LISTERINE® Clinical Solutions
• LISTERINE® GUM THERAPY
• LISTERINE® ULTRACLEAN®
• LISTERINE® POCKETPAKS®
• LISTERINE® TOTAL CARE
• LISTERINE® ESSENTIAL CARE®
• LISTERINE® POCKETMIST®
• LISTERINE® SMART RINSE®
• LISTERINE® WHITENING®

Products and services

• LISTERINE® Antiseptic Mouthwash Collection Core antiseptic mouthwash line that kills 99.9% of germs causing bad breath, plaque, and gingivitis. Available in multiple flavors including COOL MINT, FRESHBURST, and Original. For daily consumer oral care.
• LISTERINE® Clinical Solutions Sensitive Teeth Mouthwash

Quantifiable outcome

• 52% greater plaque reduction at 6 months when added to brushing and flossing
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amazon Music BreakthroughcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2026LISTERINE partnered with Amazon Music's Breakthrough program to support the 'Wash Your Mouth, Your Way' campaign and Swish Tour music activation at The Governors Ball festival. The partnership leverages music culture to engage younger consumers with the brand's oral care messaging.
• KenvuecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2026Kenvue (makers of LISTERINE®) supported the Asia Pacific Dental Federation (APDF) landmark white paper 'The Power of Prevention: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Self-Oral Care,' which highlights the effectiveness of therapeutic mouthwash in oral health.
• Twitch StreamersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLISTERINE collaborated with Twitch streamers for a social-first marketing campaign where creators made music based on mouthwash sounds, culminating in a collaborative music piece on January 9. The campaign targeted Gen Z consumers through interactive streaming content.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colgate-Palmolive: Owner of the Colgate toothpaste and mouthwash brands, the most direct global competitor in the oral-care category with overlapping mass-market retail distribution and comparable sub-brand architectures (Colgate Total, Optic White, etc.).
• Sunstar (GUM brand): Markets the GUM brand of toothbrushes, interdental, and oral-care products globally, with a professional-channel focus analogous to LISTERINE's dentist-recommended positioning.
• Procter & Gamble (Oral-B / Crest): Owner of Crest (toothpaste/mouthwash) and Oral-B (manual/power toothbrushes), the largest global oral-care competitor with similar clinical-endorsement strategies, ADA-accepted SKUs, and dentist-recommended positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Church & Dwight: Owns Arm & Hammer dental care and other oral-care SKUs sold through mass-market retail in North America, competing in the same aisle with similar price-tier positioning.
• Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health: Former parent of LISTERINE prior to the 2023 Kenvue spin-off; continues to compete in adjacent consumer health and oral-care adjacencies and provides a structural benchmark for valuation and category strategy.
• GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (Sensodyne / Aquafresh): Markets Sensodyne (sensitivity), Aquafresh, and Parodontax — directly competing in therapeutic mouthwash and toothpaste with clinical positioning and global retail distribution similar to LISTERINE's Clinical Solutions line.

Emerging players

• Tom's of Maine (Colgate-Palmolive subsidiary): Natural and fluoride-option toothpaste and mouthwash line marketed as the natural alternative to mainstream antiseptic oral care, increasingly competing with LISTERINE in the same retail aisles.
• Hello Products: Natural-positioned oral-care brand (mouthwash, toothpaste, breath fresheners) targeting younger and ingredient-conscious consumers, posing a positioning threat to LISTERINE's mass-market antiseptic narrative.
• Dr. Harold Katz (TheraBreath): Specialty bad-breath-focused mouthwash brand competing directly with LISTERINE's fresh-breath positioning using differentiated ingredient narratives (oxygenation, zinc, alcohol-free).
• CloSYS (Rowpar Pharmaceuticals): Alcohol-free, gentle-formulation mouthwash brand targeting sensitive consumers and healthcare professional recommendations — competing directly with LISTERINE's milder and Clinical Solutions SKUs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/listerine
• Facebookfacebook.com/ListerineIndia

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LISTERINE