Garglin is a South Korean oral-care brand owned and developed by Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. It is best known for its mouthwash products and has expanded over time into a broader range of oral-hygiene products, including toothpaste, breath-freshening products, toothbrushes, and tongue-cleaning products. The brand traces its origins to 1982, when it was introduced as Korea’s first liquid mouthwash.

Brand overview

Garglin was launched in 1982 by Dong-A Pharmaceutical, becoming the first liquid mouthwash introduced in the Korean market. Its original purpose centered on everyday oral hygiene, including cavity prevention and freshening the mouth. Over the following decades, Dong-A Pharmaceutical expanded the brand’s formulations and product formats.

The brand subsequently evolved from being primarily a mouthwash into a total oral-care brand. A significant repositioning took place around 2009, when Garglin was renewed with a broader oral-health proposition. By 2011, the brand had several mouthwash variants aimed at different consumer needs, including Mild, Regular, Strong, Therapeutic, and Children’s versions, alongside products such as Garglin Fresh spray.

Garglin continued expanding its portfolio. Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s current product catalog lists Garglin Original, Garglin Strong, Garglin Zero, Garglin Zero Blast, Garglin Kids, fresh-breath mint, toothpaste, and toothbrushes, among other products.

In the 2020s, the brand further emphasized the concept of total oral care. Its newer portfolio has included products beyond conventional mouthwash; for example, Dong-A Pharmaceutical launched the Garglin Fresh Breath Tongue Cleaner in December 2025, describing it as the brand’s first tongue-specific cleaning product.1

The name “Garglin” is described by Dong-A Pharmaceutical as a combination of “gargling” and “clean.” The name therefore directly communicates the brand’s fundamental purpose: cleaning and caring for the mouth through gargling and oral-hygiene products.

The brand’s identity has traditionally emphasized cleanliness, convenience, trust, and everyday oral health. Dong-A Pharmaceutical describes Garglin’s mission in terms of making gargling and oral care accessible to everyone, while its current identity uses navy blue to communicate trust and maintains a relatively clean visual system.2

Garglin’s original and most important category remains mouthwash. Its current portfolio includes several formulations designed around different consumer preferences and needs. Dong-A Pharmaceutical currently lists the following major Garglin products:

• Garglin Original — traditional Garglin mouthwash.
• Garglin Strong — a stronger mouthwash variant.
• Garglin Zero — a zero-focused mouthwash formulation.
• Garglin Zero Blast — another variant in the Zero range.
• Garglin Kids — an oral-care product intended for children.
• Garglin Fresh Breath Mint — a portable breath-freshening product.
• Garglin Fresh Breath Toothpaste — available in flavors including Lime Mint and Spearmint.
• Garglin Standard Wide Toothbrush — a toothbrush within the Garglin oral-care range.
• Garglin Fresh Breath Tongue Cleaner — a tongue-cleaning product introduced in 2025.1

The range illustrates the brand’s transition from a single-product mouthwash identity toward a broader oral-care ecosystem.

Garglin has undergone several visual and packaging redesigns during its history. A notable 2014 brand-renewal project sought to modernize the brand for younger consumers while retaining the familiarity and trust associated with its long history. The redesign used stronger color differentiation, clearer information, icons, and a systematic package architecture across product variants.3

A later packaging concept developed for Garglin used the mouth and teeth as visual motifs. The mouthwash bottle was designed with forms inspired by teeth, helping consumers immediately associate the package with oral care and reducing the possibility that the bottle could be mistaken for an ordinary beverage. The design was launched in 2022 and received international design recognition.4

Garglin has historically held a strong position in the South Korean mouthwash market. Dong-A Pharmaceutical describes it as the No. 1 brand in domestic mouthwash awareness, while company materials have cited substantial market shares in different periods. A 2020 Dong-A Pharmaceutical-related report, for example, listed Garglin with a 48.2% market share and identified it as the largest mouthwash brand in that market.

Its longevity is particularly notable: the brand has operated for more than four decades, allowing it to develop substantial recognition in Korea while repeatedly updating its products and visual identity for newer generations.2

Garglin’s modern philosophy can broadly be summarized around three ideas:

1. Accessibility — oral care should be easy to incorporate into everyday life.
2. Essential oral hygiene — the brand focuses on practical products rather than treating oral care solely as a premium or cosmetic category.
3. Continuous development — Dong-A Pharmaceutical continues researching and expanding Garglin’s products according to changing lifestyles and consumer needs.2

The brand currently describes this approach as creating essential oral-care products for the whole family, while adapting its lineup to different ages and lifestyles.2

Garglin is part of the broader consumer-health portfolio of Dong-A Pharmaceutical, one of South Korea’s established pharmaceutical companies. The company also owns or markets other well-known brands, including Bacchus, Panpyrin, Benachio and Noscarna.

This relationship is important to Garglin’s positioning because the brand combines the consumer convenience of an everyday personal-care product with the pharmaceutical company’s research and healthcare heritage.

Although Garglin originated in South Korea and remains strongly associated with the Korean oral-care market, the brand has also been marketed internationally. Its trademark filings demonstrate international expansion, including a 2024 international registration held by Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. covering mouthwash, dental-care preparations, breath-freshening sprays, dentifrices and related oral-care goods.5

The brand has also been distributed through international retailers in Asian markets, contributing to its recognition as a Korean oral-care brand outside South Korea.6

A useful way to understand Garglin’s evolution is:

1982: Korean liquid mouthwash pioneer
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1990s–2000s: Established mouthwash brand
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2009 onward: Repositioned as a broader oral-care brand
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2010s: Expanded variants, children’s products, sprays and other formats
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2020s: Modernized packaging and expanded into toothpaste, toothbrushes, breath care and tongue care
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Today: A Korean total oral-care brand built around the original Garglin mouthwash heritage.

1. Dong-A Pharmaceutical Launches “Garglin Fresh Breath Tongue Cleaner” – The Asia Business Daily
2. Dmall디몰
3. Garglin — Brandsmith
4. iF Design – Garglin
5. 1
6. Garglin – LMCHING Group Limited