Meet the Neighbours – Marisa Battrick, Founder of Truthpaste

While we’re thrilled about the exciting new developments at Moulsecoomb Place, it’s just as important for us at East Brighton Trust to shine a light on our other fantastic site, Westergate Business Centre.

Westergate is home to a diverse mix of organisations, ranging from costume design to construction. Among them is Truthpaste, a natural and sustainable oral healthcare brand founded by Marisa Battrick in 2018.

It was fantastic for us to catch up with Marisa and hear more about her business, how it all started, and her connection to East Brighton Trust and the local community.

The story behind Truthpaste is wonderfully unconventional.

Marisa herself admits: “Truthpaste started sort of by accident.”

Marisa spoke about how after an episode of stubborn toothache, she had to visit a dentist and get a temporary filling. Unfortunately, this worsened the issue, resulting in an infection and more pain. Marisa therefore aimed to create a remedy for the pain using what she had in her cupboard. When we asked her what the first Truthpaste was like, Marisa confessed that: “It was really, really disgusting and a horrible green colour.”

However, Marisa then continued to say that “it really did soothe my toothache.”

From this point, Marisa continued to create these concoctions, sourcing natural ingredients and creating oral healthcare products. These were tested on her friends and, as Marisa joked, “anyone who was brave enough to try my weird concoctions.” After this passion began to grow, Marisa was directed to The King’s Trust, a charity which helps people start and grow their businesses, providing mentorship and funding.

Marisa gained a start-up loan and mentor from the charity, which allowed the business to grow and expand.

For years, Truthpaste remained a side project while Marisa worked as a teacher. Eventually, she made the leap and left teaching to focus on the business full-time. Seven years later, Truthpaste is a thriving, fast-growing brand.

When asked about the values behind her work, Marisa’s passion was unmistakable, and her motivation is rooted in personal experience.

“Truthpaste started because of my own oral health concerns,” she explained. She then widened the conversation to a national issue:

“Oral health is such a massive problem in the UK. The majority of adults are living with gum disease or tooth decay, and right now it’s so difficult to get a dentist appointment.”

Determined to make a difference, Marisa committed to creating sustainable, ethical products that genuinely support people’s health. “One of my values is making the best products I possibly can that have the biggest impact on health,” she said.

Marisa also spoke about the mental health benefits of oral care; she discussed the anxiety that can arise around going to the dentist, losing teeth and smiling if you are insecure about your teeth. Marisa can empathise with these concerns, stating that “Because I’ve been through that, I’m passionate about making products that really help people improve their oral health because it’s so important.”

As the business started to grow, Marisa required more space for expansion. After hopping between artist studios and other temporary arrangements, she found Westergate Business Centre. This extra space was very important in the expansion of Marisa’s business — she said that “It was so hard to find industrial space so as soon as this place came up I thought ‘Right, I need to get it!’.”

Marisa’s values of environmental sustainability align with the considerations that went into the design of Westergate: “I know there was a lot of environmental input into the design of the estate, so that was a big thing for me.”

This links to the brand’s dedication to zero waste.

Another reason Marisa decided to base her business at Westergate is that her rental of the space helps to fund East Brighton Trust’s community events and projects. This is largely due to her connection to the area.

“I have lived around the Lewes Road area for about ten years.” Marisa is an integrated member of the East Brighton community, having also lived on Bates Estate: “right at the top, at the back.” She spoke about how the delivery vans couldn’t come up the hill, so Marisa spent many hours lugging packaging and ingredients up the hill to her flat. Marisa also spoke about the insecurities of living in shared accommodation in Brighton with passion and empathy. The love for her local community was very clear, as was her passion to support it: “To know that this business is helping to contribute to the local community is really important to me, especially because I live in that community.”

Part of this passion for community outreach is due to her personal experience with non-profit organisations such as The King’s Trust. Marisa showed this gratitude warmly: “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for schemes like that, so to know I can have an impact on them is really important to me.”

When asked about next steps, Marisa’s enthusiasm shone through.

“We’ve seen a lot of growth, and I want to keep on that trajectory by launching new products. One of these ventures is the company’s new Enamel Repair Mask. This is an intensive treatment to support tooth enamel and reduce tooth sensitivity.”

Marisa is really proud of the product, but she’s not stopping there! Her goal is to create “more innovative products, reaching more customers,” and she closed the chat with the promise that “I’ve got more products in the pipeline.”

At East Brighton Trust, we’re incredibly proud to support local businesses like Truthpaste, whose creativity, innovation and community spirit embody the values at the heart of East Brighton. Through spaces like Westergate Business Centre, we’re able to provide a home for enterprises that not only grow sustainably but also give back to the neighbourhoods they’re part of.

We can’t wait to see what Marisa and Truthpaste achieve next!