BIG SM:)E: How MG60 Helps Brands Deliver Safer, Smarter Oral Care
A confident smile is more than aesthetics, it reflects oral health, wellbeing, and trust in daily care routines. As consumers increasingly demand gentler, safer, and more transparent oral care products, brands are challenged to innovate beyond traditional ingredients.
Brought to you by DKSH, in collaboration with Nagase Viita, this article explores how MG60 enables next generation oral care concepts, and how DKSH helps transform these concepts into commercial ready innovations.
The growing link between oral health and wellbeing
Oral health is increasingly recognised as a key indicator of overall wellness. Issues such as gum irritation, plaque buildup, and enamel erosion don’t just affect teeth, they impact confidence, comfort, and quality of life.
At the same time, consumers are becoming more cautious about ingredient safety, surfactants, and harsh actives in everyday oral care products.
Introducing MG60: Designed for modern oral care
MG60 (Maltooligosyl Glucoside & Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate) is a naturally derived, formulation friendly ingredient developed by Nagase Viita to support both oral care performance and evolving consumer safety expectations.
With support from DKSH’s technical, formulation, and market expertise, MG60 is helping brands re think how oral care products can be gentler, without compromising efficacy.
Key benefits for oral care formulations:
- Supports gum comfort by reducing irritation caused by surfactants
- Helps protect enamel by reducing acid driven demineralisation
- Inhibits plaque formation by preventing insoluble glucan adhesion
- Poorly fermented by S. mutans, supporting low carcinogenicity
- Compatible with existing oral care systems without impacting cleaning efficacy
Proven performance: From science to market success
MG60 has been successfully adopted in toothpaste and oral care formulations designed for:
- Sensitive gums
- Children’s oral care
- Daily preventive oral health
- Clean label and wellness focused brands
As an example, DKSH has developed a Black Diamond Toothpaste concept incorporating 10% MG60 from Nagase Viita, demonstrating how MG60 performs within a complete, commercially relevant toothpaste system.
DKSH Performance Materials formulation highlights include:
- MG60 as a multifunctional carbohydrate syrup supporting gentleness and foam performance
- Nano hydroxyapatite for sensitivity reduction and remineralisation
- Bamboo charcoal and stain lifting polymers for whitening performance
Performance benchmarked against conventional humectants
While sorbitol and glycerin remain standard ingredients in most toothpaste formulations, emerging evidence highlights meaningful differences in biological response and cariogenic potential when compared with MG60.
Because these ingredients are universally used, formulators may consider partial or full replacement with MG 60 to enhance oral care performance without compromising formulation familiarity.
Gum health – superior soothing effects
In comparative in vitro testing, MG 60 demonstrated significantly improved cell tolerance versus sorbitol and glycerin.
- MG 60 significantly reduced irritation markers by inhibiting inflammatory cytokine IL 8
- Lower cytotoxicity was observed compared with both sorbitol and glycerin
- This suggests MG 60 can help mitigate surfactant related irritation, supporting gum comfort in daily use formulations
Formulation implication:
MG 60 offers a differentiated approach to gum friendly toothpaste development, particularly for sensitive, children’s, and wellness positioned products.
MG 60 offers a differentiated approach to gum friendly toothpaste development, particularly for sensitive, children’s, and wellness positioned products.
Low cariogenicity – inhibiting plaque forming glucans
Unlike conventional humectants, MG 60 demonstrated a unique impact on plaque formation pathways:
- MG 60 was not converted into insoluble glucan
- When added with sucrose, MG 60 inhibited the formation of adherent insoluble glucan
- This inhibition was stronger than sorbitol, addressing a key mechanism in biofilm adhesion
Formulation implication:
MG 60 supports low cariogenic oral care concepts, helping brands address plaque control at a mechanistic level rather than relying solely on antimicrobial approaches
Why MG60 and partner with DKSH matters for brands
MG60 enables brands to:
- Respond to ingredient transparency and safety trends
- Develop gentler oral care products without sacrificing efficacy
- Differentiate through science backed functional claims
- Build trust with increasingly informed consumers
DKSH goes further. Beyond ingredient distribution, DKSH partners with brands to:
- Translate market trends into innovation concepts
- Provide formulation and application expertise
- Support scale up, regulatory alignment, and commercialization
- Accelerate the journey from concept to shelf ready solutions
