Battle of 4 SLS and fluoride-free natural toothpastes
Appalled by the tubes of toothpastes lying around these days, my hubby asked me “why in the world do you need to use so many of them?” Well, the answer is I don’t need to but I just want to. Heh. Yes, I’ve gone quite mad over toothpastes all of a sudden after I wrote about herbal toothpastes last month and decided to take on the recommendations given by some of you seriously. So I went out to buy myself not one, but four natural toothpastes which are all SLS and fluoride-free.
Fluoride-free to prevent enamel fluorosis in kids
Actually the real reason why I decided to switch to using natural toothpaste is for the sake of my son. I figured out that while fluoride wasn’t doing any harm for my husband and I (at least not that I know of), I’m not too sure of my son because I noticed that he’s having this discoloration that does not seem to be due to improper brushing. I wasn’t sure if that’s a case of enamel fluorosis due to too much fluoride but I wasn’t quite prepared to take the risk with him.
Review of 4 natural, SLS & fluoride-free toothpastes
So after going through some of your recommendations, I went on a SLS & fluoride-free toothpastes hunt. In the end, I bought four – one of them from Bud Cosmetics, and the rest from iherb.com – all because I wasn’t sure what’s best and I figured it’s no harm just trying a few since changing toothpaste every day isn’t going to hurt my teeth anyhow. So here’s my quick review of them, after trying them out for about two weeks now and I’ve listed them by preference – from the least to the most favorite.
Weleda, Plant Gel Toothpaste, 3.3oz US$5.38 from iherb.com
Ingredients: Glycerin, water (aqua), hydrated silica, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, krameria triandra (ratanhia) root extract, commiphora myrrha (myrrh) extract, mentha viridis (spearmint) leaf oil, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) oil, algin, alcohol, esculin, limonene*. *From Natural Essential Oils
This plant gel toothpaste is said to work because of the natural silica. According to description, the unique combination of plant extracts helps balance the normal functions of the mouth, maintaining the natural flora. It’s gel-like in texture and comes in a dark pink shade; my mouth does feel refreshed using this and in terms of taste, this is the best of the lot with a mix of slightly sweet but minty freshness. Well, I’m not liking this one very much because it hardly foams and I find myself having to squeeze a lot of the toothpaste just to be sure. In addition, this one contains alcohol although the amount shouldn’t be high since it’s listed almost at the bottom.
XyliWhite Toothpaste Gel, 6.4oz US$3.81 from iherb.com
Functional Ingredients: Xylitol (25%), papain (whitening)
Ingredients: Water, xylitol (25%), hydrated silica, glycerin, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium coco-sulfate, carrageenan (chondrus crispus), tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia) leaf oil, peppermint (mentha piperita) oil, spearmint (mentha viridis) oil, papain, potassium sorbate. Gluten free.
Ingredients: Water, xylitol (25%), hydrated silica, glycerin, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium coco-sulfate, carrageenan (chondrus crispus), tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia) leaf oil, peppermint (mentha piperita) oil, spearmint (mentha viridis) oil, papain, potassium sorbate. Gluten free.
I was attracted to this one because of the number of positive reviews at iherb.com as many customers found this good for tooth whitening. This is a product from Now Foods and uses all-natural Xylitol as its main ingredient, which is not available in the other toothpastes in this review. I’ve not used this long enough to tell if there’s any whitening but it does keep my mouth fresh because of relevant ingredients. This toothpaste gel comes with a plain minty taste and while it foams better than the Weleda Plant Gel Toothpaste, I wish it can do better.
Logona Daily Care Toothpaste, 2.5oz S$9 from Bud Cosmetics
Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin, Silica, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Maris Sal (Sea Salt), Xylitol, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*, Xanthan Gum, Algin, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*, Aroma (Flavor), Limonene
I find this most suitable for my son because it’s a gentle foaming toothpaste that keeps the breath smelling fresh. Like the XyliWhite Toothpaste Gel, this comes with a plain minty taste and because it contains calcium carbonate, so its chalk-like consistency also gives me better peace of mind in terms of cleansing prowess.
Jason Natural, Powersmile, 6oz US$4.71 from iherb.com
Calcium carbonate, aqua (water), glycerin, sodium cocoyl glutamate, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, carrageenan, aloe barbadensis leaf gel*, bambusa arundinacea stem powder, carum petroselinum (parsley) extract, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, perilla ocymoides seed extract, stevia rebaudiana extract, silica, sodium bicarbonate. *Certified Organic Ingredient
This is my favorite of the lot. In fact, I’m pretty impressed as I find its performance above the normal Colgate toothpaste I was using and this can be attributed to the exclusive blend of natural polishers and stain-fighting botanicals, including bamboo powder, calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and silica. And because it’s quite potent, I don’t need to use that much of the paste compared to the others or I’ll get a rather bitter minty aftertaste. I was concerned that my son might find this too strong for his taste but turned out, he is okay using this.
Overall summary
It’s a bit hard to tell if these toothpastes are providing effective whitening properties but at the least, I do not see any discoloration. My boy’s teeth seem to be looking better but it might also have to do with his recent dental polishing. But of the lot, I will most likely continue to use the Jason Natural, Powersmile. It’s the best of the four I’ve tried and going by the usage and quantity, the price is reasonable if you were to get it direct from iherb.com (it’s expensive if you purchase it from the retailers in Singapore). I reckon that between my son and me, this tube can last us for around two months or so?
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Now this has gotten me interested in natural toothpaste. I shall place an order for iherb soon to get the stuffs I have in my purchase list including the toothpastes.
The good thing about ordering from iherb is that you get to read other customer reviews too.
me too! I actually only found out recently that my toothpaste contains paraben and I am probably swallow some while i brushed my teeth. I personally like logona and the jason natural toothpaste you reviewed .Will try these 2 brands soon!#k8SjZc9Dxk#k8SjZc9Dxk
Hope you’ll like that as much. ?
Sounds good! Good to keep in mind. I’ve stocked too many tubes of toothpastes at home… …
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Haha…I let my hubby use the stock of conventional toothpastes…anyway, he wasn’t interested to use these when I asked.
Thanks. I’ve been looking for SLS-free toothpastes, and will try your recommendations
Love iherb.com. Gonna try the Jason’s brand, haven’t been too impressed with natural toothpastes so far but still searching.
Okay, hope the one you’ll pick will work for you. ?
You might like Jason’s because it’s rather strong. IMO, it’s a little “spicy” than the conventional ones. I think the cleansing properties are not bad too but can’t tell till I use it longer.
yay! ? powersmile. I do think it helps with whitening! plus it works better than colgate and it’s safe for us. I should order from iherb too!
Just don’t use too much…cos it’s rather bitter. But I’m liking it. ?
Thanks for this review! Im very interessting in ingredients, and here in Norway we dont have any good toothpastes in the store, and the range are small. Now I need to order this toothpaste for iherb too ? Thank U again! I love your blog!
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Thank you for your comment! I hope you’ll enjoy using the toothpaste you’ll order. Good thing they’re not costly. ?
Hi Sesame, I wanted to order from iHerb, and during the checkout system there’s a referral code, I wonder if you have a referral code to use?
Oh I don’t have because I order via sprees from iherb. But run a check via google on iherb referral codes 2012 and you should get a few…decide the one you want to choose and support. ?
Thank you! ? Oh by the way, I just realized there’s free international shipping (by international airmail) at iHerb till 31 March.
Oh that’s great! Hope you’ll enjoy the toothpastes and whatever you’re ordering from iHerb! ?
I’m a huge fan of herbal and flouride-free toothpastes, and my favourite is by far Vicco! It’s an Indian brand and you can buy a big tube from Mustafa Centre at $5. My gums used to bleed everytime I brushed my teeth, but the bleeding stopped as soon as I started using Vicco. It tastes good, too.
Does it sort of lather up like usual toothpastes?
Not really, maybe a little but definitely not as much as the usual ones.
I see…thanks for letting me know. I will have a look the next time I’m in that area. ?
I have been using Jason Sea Salt ( I think that is the flavor). I will have to try out the Powersmile flavor.
I notice that this natural toothpaste foams, which some of them (you mentioned Welda) does not. . I enjoy the Jason brand, I feel like my teeth are clean after using it and my mouth feel refreshed throughout the day.
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Yes, I like the Jason brand very much. I will probably continue using it.
thanks! my son is having discolouration in his teeth too and he is only 5, which ones have no mint and is suitable for kids? I read that Logana may be minty. Have no idea too much floride causes discolouration! One of my son is more prone to discolouration than the other – I wonder why though. Thanks for the info!
All those I’ve tried comes with rather strong minty taste so not sure if your son can accept it. The Logana one is quite okay but my son can even take the Jason’s one, which IMO is rather strong.
Just wondering, has anybody here ever heard of the toothpaste brand Dentiste before? I’m not too sure if they sell it in Singapore though, but i heard its made from natural ingredients a? but not quite sure what it does.
I have seen the brand but am not sure if it’s natural…will take a look the next time I see the item.
Thank you for your reply! I really enjoy reading your blogs by the way ?
Oh thanks for that comment! ?
I’ve heard bad things about glycerin in toothpastes and carageenan as well. Does anyone know of any that do not have these ingredients?
Hi I’m a fourth year dental student and I found your post really interesting because one of the first things we learn in dental school is the importance of regular fluoride application on teeth. I’m really surprised that there are actually fluoride-free toothpastes around because fluoride is actually THE most important active ingredient in toothpaste that encourages remineralization and protection of teeth. There’s a reason Singapore’s water is fluoridated (since 1956), and fluoride in our drinking water is a major contributory factor to the low rates of tooth decay in Singapore compared to the rest of the world.
I’ll admit that fluorosis can be a problem appearance wise (it appears mostly as white flecks), but the white discoloration is pretty much harmless and not noticeable unless people look really closely. Fluorosis is only a major problem in areas where water has very high fluoride content naturally (e.g. some parts of Africa and China). The concentration of fluoride in Singapore’s water and in toothpaste is not high enough to pose a health risk. However, not using fluoride in sufficient concentrations (>1350ppm even for children, just a pea-sized amount will do) regularly could increase the risk of tooth decay. Discolouration does not necessarily mean fluorosis. It could be anything ranging from harmless staining to early tooth decay, and if it really concerns you it might be worth a mention to your dentist on your next visit. That said, thank you for a really informative and interesting post! It’s good to see things from a non-dentist’s point of view sometimes. ?
I understand where you’re coming from but surprisingly, after using a non-fluoride toothpaste for around 6 months, the dentist remarked that my teeth and gums are looking very healthy. This is the first time I’ve received compliments on them. So I think without the fluoride, it’s still okay.
I am searching for an organic toothpaste which is chemical free, fluoride free and glycerin free. Fyi, fluoride is a toxic industrial waste (please google search). Glycerin impedes the enamel repair that would naturally occur. Will keep looking.
Loved the reviews Sesame! True fluoride and sls are not as important as people think they are! Specially sls has absolutely no health value.
The probably is that almost every SLS and flouride free toothpaste has carageenan in it; and some have xanthum gum. They may be worse for you in the long run. If you ever find a good paste without all 4 of those things, let us know.
Try earthpaste.