Philips Sonicare AirFloss named 2013 Product of the Year

More than 11,600 Australian household shoppers were surveyed by global research giant Nielsen to discover the most inventive and popular new products to hit the shelves in the past year, resulting in Philips new Sonicare AirFloss being named Dental Hygiene Product of the Year in the 2013 Australian Product of the Year Awards.

According to the judges, the revolutionary Philips Sonicare Airfloss, a new alternative to string floss that takes just 60 seconds to clean between all of your teeth, was one of the pioneering products that stole the show in this year's awards.

Other original concepts that romped to victory in the 34 categories judged in the 2013 Product of the Year Awards included Vaseline Aloe Fresh SPF Hydrating Lotion, a light body moisturiser that also offers great sun protection; Helga's Thins, a new take on bread; Schwarzkopf Shake It Up Colour Foam, a fun colouration that is ready to use simply by shaking, giving it a milkshake like effect; and the Queen Chocolate Mill, providing grated chocolate in a twist.

Product of the Year Director and mother of two, Sarah Connelly, said consumers are reaping the benefits of a marketplace where innovation and creativity makes everyday household tasks quicker and easier.

"With an increasingly competitive market, manufacturers have significantly upped their game as they battle to capture consumer's imaginations. They are striving to get the best, eye-catching products into the market, which is great news for shoppers," she said.

"Consumers are attracted to creativity that is relevant to their needs and the results reveal they are not averse to paying a little extra for this."

The revolutionary Philips Sonicare AirFloss has been shown to remove up to 99% more plaque in-between teeth than brushing with a manual toothbrush alone and during consumer testing, 86% of users found Sonicare AirFloss easier to use than string floss. Sonicare AirFloss uses breakthrough microburst technology specially designed to overcome the issues commonly associated with flossing to make cleaning in between teeth as easy as possible, while maximising plaque removal and ultimately improving your gum health.

AirFloss's breakthrough technology works via rapid bursts of air and water droplets to thoroughly fill up the areas between teeth; dislodging hard to remove food and forcing plaque and bacteria out. This rapid burst is directed using an innovative nozzle guidance tip that ensures targeted cleaning between teeth, while the one-button operation means users can clean their entire mouth in less than a minute.

"Sonicare AirFloss has exceeded all of our expectations," said Muir Keir, Senior Manager Sales & Marketing at Philips Oral Healthcare in Australia. "We continue to see sales of AirFloss increase month-on-month and we're also seeing commensurate growth in sales of the replacement nozzles indicating that the product is being used on a daily basis.

"Developing a solution that will encourage people to 'floss' on a regular basis is like the Holy Grail of dental products and by all accounts, we've finally been able to create a product that is not only easy-to-use and highly effective, but has also found favour within consumer's daily oral care routines."

In addition to AirFloss, GlaxoSmithKline's Sensodyne - Repair & Protect Toothpaste was also named 2013 Product of the Year in the Dental Care category.

Product of the Year is Australia's largest independent consumer survey of new products designed to reward innovation in products across a range of categories.

The ultimate purpose is to provide shoppers with a symbol that guides them to the best products in category, backed by the confidence of 11,667 others like them.

For more information, see www.productoftheyear.com.au