Yonkers company takes bite out of germs

Julie Moran Alterio
jalterio@lohud.com

Would you put a dirty fork back in the cutlery drawer with just a rinse? If your answer is "ick," then why do you do almost the same thing with your toothbrush?

That's one of the questions a Yonkers-based maker of a toothbrush sanitizer is posing to consumers to win them over to the idea of blasting their brushes with germ-killing ultraviolet light.

Raising the specter of millions of disease-causing bugs like strep, staph, E. coli and even swine flu lingering on unsanitized toothbrushes, Violight Inc. promises its gadgets will kill 99.9 percent of germs - and look cute on the bathroom vanity while they do it.

"There are other sanitizers out there, but what Violight does better than anyone else is look great. You want to put it in your purse or on your countertop," said Bedford resident Jonathan Pinsky, who is partners in Violight with his father, Joel Pinsky.

The pair founded Violight in 2004, not long after the senior Pinsky ordered a toothbrush sanitizer from a catalog and was repulsed by its looks.

Knowing that design would be as important as function to their venture, the Pinskys tapped industrial design guru Philippe Starck to design the first Violight sanitizer.

Compact with a sleek metallic shell and a translucent cap that glows with the light of the UV bulb, the Violight holds four manual toothbrushes or electric toothbrush heads.

Costing $49.99, the Violight came on the market in time for the 2004 holiday season.

After Ellen DeGeneres featured it on her show as a holiday giveaway that December, interest exploded and Violight sold 10,000 that month alone.

It also won design accolades as Time magazine named it one of the "Coolest Inventions of 2004" and the Industrial Designers Society of America gave it a gold award in the medical and scientific products category.

The next year, Violight came out with a travel version for $29.95.

Since then, Violight has expanded its product line with a version for dentures, one for razors and a UV wand designed to kill germs on countertops, cutting boards, pillows and computer keyboards.

This holiday season, the company rolled out a line of colorful personal sanitizers with the name "Zapi."

Wobbling a bit like Weebles toys, the Zapi was featured in the 2008 holiday gift guide in Oprah's O Magazine.

"It's just a fun item. It's a huge gift," Jonathan Pinsky said. "Far and away, the Zapi is our best-seller."

Originally available in white, blue, green and orange, Violight just added purple and pink, with the latter a partnership with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Adding to the cute factor, a new line of Zapi Doodles is coming soon with feet and ears.

Violight is also planning to bring out a cell phone sanitizer in time for this year's holiday season.

So far, the company has sold 250,000 sanitizers since its founding by the Pinskys, who started the company after exiting their own business ventures.

Joel Pinsky, a resident of Manhattan, retired from a career in the women's leather accessories business.

Jonathan Pinsky had sold a company he founded to create image databases for the fashion and apparel industries and was looking for a new opportunity to apply his entrepreneurial skills.

Jonathan Pinsky did not want to give an exact figure but said the pair invested $250,000 to $400,000 to start Violight, outsourcing engineering and manufacturing and focusing on marketing the gadget.

"We both have a design background and we're both great marketers," said Jonathan Pinsky, who has appeared on the Home Shopping Network to hawk Violight.

Persuading consumers to buy something they never imagined needing is the biggest challenge, he said.

"Nobody had been sanitizing their toothbrushes, and then we come along," he said.

Using ultraviolet light to kill germs is not a new idea. Long used in water treatment plants, hospitals and food service, UV light is starting to find its way into consumer products.

UV light kills germs because it destroys the DNA in their cells, making it impossible for them to reproduce and cause illness.

After a consumer inserts a toothbrush, Violight kills germs in six to 10 minutes, depending on the model, and then automatically switches off.

Toothbrush sanitizers do not need approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but the factories must register with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Violight sent its products to independent laboratories for testing to confirm that 99.9 percent of germs were eliminated.

Tim Dowd, a senior analyst for the market research firm Packaged Facts, said using UV light is a minitrend in the oral care business.

Phillips' Sonicare brand, which makes electric toothbrushes, has also introduced a UV sanitizer.

There are several other lesser-known brands on the market as well, but Dowd said the Violight models stand out.

"I think the Violight product is brilliant," Dowd said. "It's beautifully styled for one thing. It's a terrific idea. People have had enough of products that don't fit well in the bathroom."

The oral care market is a lively one for innovation, Dowd said, with 572 new products coming on the market between 2007 and 2008.

Last year, consumers spent $751 million on electric dental appliances, like toothbrushes and sanitizers. Dowd projects that will grow 20 percent to reach $904 million by 2014.

Pinsky is not releasing sales figures for Violight, a privately held company that employs 10 people.

The company has been successful in getting its product shelf space at mass-market retailers such as Target, Walgreens and Rite-Aid as well as specialty stores.

Douglas Mott, senior director of merchandizing at Drugstore.com, said Violight fits in well with the store's mix of specialty products.

"This is a great little product from a niche standpoint," Mott said. "They have been very innovative in keeping the line fresh and coming out with new products each year."

Brooke Minteer, a buyer for The Container Store, said the travel Violight has sold well since she began stocking it two years ago.

"This is something we have not seen before. It does really well, especially in the holiday season when people are looking for fun, functional gifts that are unique," she said. "This really hit who our customers are, keeping everything tidy and clean and germ-free."

While it might sound comforting to know that you're killing germs, the official word from dental authorities is that products like those from Violight aren't strictly necessary since the health benefits of sanitizing a toothbrush aren't proved.

The American Dental Association advises consumers to use common sense and avoid sharing toothbrushes and replace them three to four times a year, or more often if you've been sick.

Lynn Ramer, president of the American Dental Hygienists' Association, said consumers worried about germs can immerse their toothbrushes in Listerine or similar solutions for 20 minutes for the same effect as using the Violight.

"It's a nice product, but it's not a necessary product, because there are less expensive ways to sterilize your toothbrush," she said.