Buzz
We’ve all been there: You’re about to brush your teeth, only to realize the toothpaste tube is almost empty. Yet, you’re convinced there’s enough left for one final use. You squeeze from the bottom, hoping for just a tiny bit of Crest to appear.
Or consider this scenario: You’re ready to enjoy a plate of hot french fries, but after vigorously shaking the ketchup bottle to get enough for a few fries, they’ve already cooled down. How much time and food are wasted? The frustration is real, and it’s astonishing that no one has addressed this issue until recently.
Introducing LiquiGlide, the innovative solution created by MIT dropout David Smith. Responding to our collective frustration, he developed a super-slippery coating that allows thick substances—like toothpaste, peanut butter, or wood glue—to glide effortlessly out of their containers. No more aggressive squeezing or shaking. Watch:
The LiquiGlide coating acts as a slick layer between a surface and a liquid substance. Smith and LiquiGlide’s president, Carsten Boers, explain it as a “structured liquid” that is “solid in form but lubricated like a liquid.” It can be applied to surfaces to make them permanently wet.
If this innovative material is going into our ketchup bottles, is it safe to eat? Smith and Boers are tight-lipped about the exact formula (“we’ve patented the hell out of it”), but they confirm it’s odorless, tasteless, and made from non-toxic, FDA-approved ingredients. “The materials we use for food coatings are essentially food themselves,” Boers told Fast Company.
This week, the company revealed an exclusive licensing deal with Elmer’s Products Inc., the creators of the beloved craft glue for preschoolers. “We see a clear opportunity for a competitive edge,” Anthony Spath, associate manager for innovation and business development at Elmer’s, told The New York Times.
Here’s how LiquiGlide works on a glue bottle:
“They actually sell more product—since consumers dispense a full dose every time, they use up the product faster than without the coating,” Boers said. “It’s a perfect win-win: consumers get the product out more easily, and brands sell more.”
LiquiGlide’s mission, beyond simplifying daily tasks, is to minimize waste. They project that coating every sauce bottle with LiquiGlide could prevent approximately one million tons of food from being discarded annually. The material also has diverse applications, such as preventing oil pipeline blockages, maintaining clear windshields, and enhancing medical devices. Additionally, it can significantly reduce paint waste in bottles, leading to a licensing agreement with an Australian packaging company.
The exclusive partnership with Elmer’s will likely be short-term, aligning with LiquiGlide’s broader aim of reducing waste globally. A mayonnaise bottle and toothpaste tube featuring LiquiGlide technology could hit the market by 2017, and Smith predicts his innovative coating will become “ubiquitous” within a few years.
