Holo founders Gian Drilon and Samantha and Kevin Herrera

It used to be that healthy teeth meant they’re clean and free of plaque and tartar. Today, however, advertising says it’s better to have “whiter teeth”—as toothpaste brands claim in their latest products.

As it turns out, there’s a big difference when one’s teeth seem clean in front, but are actually stained at the back. This is caused by food, cigarettes, coffee, tea, red wine, old age and genetics.

There are two ways to clean those stains: applying teeth whitening strips, and with the gel that dentists use as a final cleaning touch.

But it took three friends to see that these methods have drawbacks. The friends agreed that they can fill a gap among teeth-whitening products and offer something better—and cheaper in the long run. They created their own teeth-whitening formula which they called Holo.

Teeth whitening in a box

“It’s a kit, like having a dental clinic teeth-whitening session in a box,” says Gian Drilon. Drilon and siblings Kevin and Samantha Herrera are the brains behind Holo.

Before putting up Holo, Drilon, 29, was a Lazada crossborder seller, one of the few Southeast Asian sellers to have an online shop in China. Kevin, also 29 and Gian’s high school buddy, was Lazada head of retail and special projects. Samantha was formerly with advertising agency Ogilvy.

Says Drilon: “We were actually the first guinea pigs of the different products we tested from different suppliers. We’ve tried strips, toothpastes, other teeth-whitening kits.”Strips, explains Drilon, are “effective but cause tooth sensitivity. They don’t reach nooks and crannies, making it hard to whiten teeth evenly. We’ve seen people who used strips and have white teeth but have dark areas near tooth gaps. It’s also harder to avoid hitting the gums, making users more susceptible to gingival irritation.”

The dental teeth-whitening gel is likewise effective, but costs P4,000 per session, says Drilon.

He adds that teeth-whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes are good for oral hygiene, “but they’re not very effective for teeth whitening. While there can be a whitening effect (especially when these have peroxide in the ingredients), studies find that the effect is significantly lower compared to that of carbamide peroxide-based teeth whitening gel.”

What dentists use

He points out that he and his business partners researched what dentists and other professionals actually use—and then made it more accessible.

“Carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide-based whitening methods are clinically proven to effectively whiten teeth safely,” he says. “It is approved by the American Dental Association. It is also Holo’s philosophy to avoid using ingredients that harm teeth, such as activated charcoal (even though this is one of the current buzzwords among teeth-whitening products). Our formula also has potassium nitrate which is used to reduce or prevent tooth sensitivity. Potassium nitrate is the active ingredient in Sensodyne.”

But how important really is it for people to have their teeth whitened regularly?

Drilon says that a study found that “people are more likely to be hired, receive larger salary offers, and are more likely to interest others in continuing romantic interactions with them after having their teeth whitened. Having a bright smile has real world benefits and psychological effects, but most of our customers never really thought about teeth whitening before. Many of them found us through their friends’ Instagram stories and feedback. After using the kit, all were very happy with the results. One of the best parts of our job is receiving messages from happy customers.”

Holo is exclusively available online. As for its brand name, Drilon says they were tossing around phrases like “bright teeth and smiles,” but these sounded ordinary. “Holo sounded snappy.”