If you own a Bruush electric toothbrush and recently tried to reorder brush heads — or noticed the website acting strangely — you are not alone. A lot of customers have been asking the same question: is Bruush still a functioning company?
The short answer is that the evidence points strongly toward Bruush having stopped normal operations. But the full picture is worth understanding, especially if you are a subscription customer who still has the hardware and needs replacement heads.
This article covers what Bruush was, what went wrong, what the evidence actually confirms, and what existing customers can do now.
What Bruush Was and How It Operated
Bruush was a Toronto-based oral care company founded in 2018. It sold a sonic electric toothbrush kit and then made ongoing revenue through brush-head refill subscriptions. The whole model was e-commerce only — no retail stores, no physical locations.
The company was originally incorporated in Vancouver and operated fully online. At its peak, it went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange and raised roughly $15.5 million in gross proceeds from its IPO. That is not a massive raise, but it moved Bruush from a small startup into a publicly traded company with real obligations.
The subscription model matters here. When you buy a Bruush toothbrush, the handle is just the starting point. The product only continues to work properly if you can keep getting compatible replacement brush heads. That means customers are tied to the company staying operational — not just to keep buying, but to keep the product functional at all.
The Warning Signs That Appeared in 2023
By 2023, several public signals made clear that Bruush was in serious trouble. These were not rumors or speculation — they were documented, official events.
The Nasdaq Delisting Notice
In July 2023, Bruush received a formal delisting notice from Nasdaq. This means the company had failed to meet the exchange’s listing requirements. Nasdaq delisting notices are public and serious. They typically happen because a company’s stock price has fallen below the minimum threshold, or the company has failed to meet financial reporting or equity requirements.
Receiving a delisting notice does not mean a company is immediately removed from the exchange, but it is a major red flag. It signals that the company is not meeting the basic standards required to be publicly traded.
The 1-for-25 Reverse Stock Split
Also in 2023, Bruush announced a 1-for-25 reverse stock split. In plain terms, this means the company took every 25 shares and combined them into one share. The goal is to push the per-share price higher so it meets the exchange’s minimum price requirement.
A 1-for-25 ratio is steep. It is not a strategic growth move — it is a rescue move. Companies do this when their stock price has fallen so far that bundling shares is the only way to technically stay compliant with exchange rules. It is one of the clearest distress signals a publicly traded company can send.
Together, these two events — the delisting notice and the aggressive reverse stock split — paint a picture of a company that was fighting to survive on the public markets, not one that was growing or stable.
Did Bruush Actually Shut Down?
This is the core question, and it deserves an honest answer rather than a definitive claim that goes beyond what the evidence supports.
The available evidence strongly suggests Bruush stopped normal operations. However, publicly available sources do not confirm a formal court-filed bankruptcy or an official winding-up order. Those are meaningful distinctions.
Here is what the evidence does support:
- BURST Oral Care publicly referenced that both Bruush and Smile Direct Club had announced they were ending their services. This is meaningful corroboration — a separate company acknowledged the shutdown in public messaging to its own customers.
- Customer reviews on Thingtesting report that the Bruush website showed products as unavailable and that brush heads could not be reordered.
- There is no indication that Bruush’s normal e-commerce and subscription operations are functioning.
There is a practical difference between a company going quiet, a company stopping service, and a company filing for formal bankruptcy. The available evidence supports the first two. Whether a formal legal filing happened has not been confirmed in publicly available sources at the time of writing.
One thing worth clarifying: Bruush is not the same company as BURST Oral Care or Smile Direct Club. Those are separate brands. BURST is referenced only because its public message mentioned Bruush by name when discussing the service shutdown. Smile Direct Club was also going through its own separate closure at that time.
Why This Hurts More Than a Typical Product Discontinuation
When a standard product brand stops selling, it is inconvenient. When a subscription-model hardware company stops operating, it creates a different kind of problem for customers.
Bruush sold a physical toothbrush handle that is designed to work with its own specific brush heads. The handle does not stop working immediately when the company goes quiet. But it becomes harder and harder to maintain over time as heads wear out and cannot be replaced.
Think of it like a car manufacturer shutting down while vehicles are still on the road. The car still runs today. But finding compatible parts, getting service, and keeping it running becomes a growing problem the longer you own it.
Customers who bought the Bruush handle as a long-term purchase are now in a situation where the hardware works, but the supply chain that keeps it useful has likely disappeared. Thingtesting reviews confirm this — customers were already reporting they could not get brush heads even before the full picture of Bruush’s situation was widely known.
This is the specific risk that comes with buying into subscription-model hardware from a small, single-product company. The product and the company’s survival are tightly linked. When the company struggles, the customer’s product eventually does too.
What Existing Bruush Customers Should Do Now
If you still have a Bruush toothbrush, here are practical steps worth taking right now.
Check Your Subscription Status
If you signed up for automatic brush-head deliveries, check whether your subscription is still active and whether your payment method is still being charged. If Bruush has stopped operating, you do not want to be billed for shipments that will not arrive. Contact your bank or credit card company to dispute any charges for undelivered goods.
Look for Compatible Brush Heads
Bruush used a sonic toothbrush design. Some third-party brush heads may be compatible with the handle depending on the attachment type. Search for Bruush-compatible brush heads on Amazon or other retailers. Some users have reported finding third-party options that fit, though compatibility is not guaranteed and results vary.
Consider Switching Platforms
If you cannot find compatible heads, it may be time to move to a different electric toothbrush system. Oral-B, Philips Sonicare, and BURST are all widely available options with strong replacement head supply chains and established track records. The upfront cost of switching is frustrating, but it is more practical than waiting for a company that may not return.
Check for Any Official Communications
If Bruush ever sends an official notice about wind-down procedures, refunds, or subscription cancellations, that communication will likely come through the email address you used when you signed up. Make sure you check that inbox.
For anyone researching business closures, consumer risks tied to DTC brands, or how public company distress plays out at the customer level, iBusiness Voice covers these topics with straightforward reporting and practical context.
The Bigger Lesson Here
Bruush’s story is not unique. Small direct-to-consumer brands go public, raise money, build a customer base, and then run into trouble when growth stalls, costs stay high, and investor patience runs out.
The specific risk with subscription hardware is that customers get pulled along for the ride. You buy the product in good faith, sign up for refills, and then find yourself stuck when the company can no longer deliver on its promises.
Before buying into any subscription-model hardware from a small brand, it is worth asking: what happens to my product if this company stops operating in two years? The answer to that question should factor into your purchase decision.
For now, if you are a Bruush customer, the practical move is to stop waiting for the brand to recover, secure your payment information, and find a reliable alternative. The evidence available suggests that Bruush, as a functioning business, has likely already passed the point of no return.
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