Press Releases
You can find the full set of national press releases by clicking the button below.
Image Bank
Here we have images of the Old Spitalfields Event, Waken products and Rylan.
Video Assets
If you'd like video to accompany your story, we have several video assets available for you to use.
Key Campaign Dates
Survey Field Work - 15 to 18 May 2026
Launch of Rylan's Big Kiss - 27 May 2026
Launch of Big Kiss Report - 1 June 2026
Contact Information
Our press is being handled by the brilliant Daisy PR. You can get in touch with Daisy Leigh by emailing daisyleighpr@gmail.com
Waken Big Kiss Report 2026
Key Stats and Findings
Waken Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rylan's role at Waken?
Rylan is an investor in Waken, so this is not a conventional brand deal.
He is also our Creative Director and unofficially, very officially, our Head of Teeth. He is involved in the day-to-day life of the brand, from creative ideas and campaigns to helping us make oral care feel more human, entertaining and accessible.
For us, the important point is that Rylan is part of the team. He has not simply turned up for a shoot, smiled nicely and gone home with a hamper. He is helping shape how Waken shows up in the world.
You can see his original announcement from last year here.
What's the story behind Waken?
Waken is a British mouthcare brand making effective, everyday oral care feel simpler, fresher and easier to choose. Developed with dentists and expert chemists, the range includes alcohol-free mouthwash, SLS-free toothpaste and dental floss. Waken was founded by Simon Duffy and Rhodri Ferrier, co-founders of Bulldog Skincare, and is available through Tesco, Waitrose, Amazon, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Ocado and Asda.
Why did the founders launch oral care after men's skincare?
The founders moved into oral care because they saw many of the same problems they had found in men’s skincare back in 2008.
The industry was dominated by huge, slow-moving companies selling products that felt old-fashioned, over-complicated and oddly unchanged. In skincare, people had started asking better questions about what they were putting on their skin. But in oral care, those questions still felt strangely absent.
Why is mouthwash bright blue? Why does toothpaste foam so much? Why are so many products designed to feel harsh, clinical or medicinal? And why should people accept ingredients, colours or textures in their oral care that they would never accept in skincare?
Waken was created from the belief that your mouth deserves the same level of thought as your skin. Effective products, carefully formulated, but made to feel more modern, more considered and more pleasant to use every day.
Why did you choose kissing for this event?
Why kissing? Because it is one of the few moments where oral care suddenly becomes very human.
Our much larger competitors spend a lot of time talking about killing 99.9% of bacteria, clinical claims, or what 8 out of 10 dentists recommend. We take our product development just as seriously, and our products are very effective, but we also think oral care should have a bit more life in it.
Fresh breath is not just a functional benefit. It affects how you feel, how close you are willing to get to someone, and how confident you are in everyday moments. Kissing gave us a playful, memorable way to tell that story. It let us talk about mouthcare, confidence and human connection without turning it into another lecture about plaque.
What makes Waken different?
Firstly, we’re a proudly British start-up, and very much the David among Goliaths.
We care deeply about what goes into our products. Our aim is simple: everything you need, and nothing you don’t. That means mouthwashes without alcohol, toothpastes that are SLS-free, and no titanium dioxide. We focus on thoughtful formulations, clear benefits and products that feel good to use every day.
The same thinking goes into our packaging. We try to make the better choices quietly, so you don’t have to stand in the aisle decoding labels or wondering what matters. Oral care should feel simple, effective and reassuring, not like homework.