Toothpaste

We obviously want our toothpaste to look after our teeth but it's even better when its ethics also gives us something to smile about. We have rated companies on their animal-testing policies and taken a look at what animal ingredients might be hidden in your toothpaste so you can find the best cruelty-free and vegan options. We also explore the environmental impact of toothpaste, including the use of palm oil.

We also look at how well companies have been performing in terms of reducing their use of toxic chemicals and find that, at least in relation to toothpaste, significant progress has been made in relation to triclosan.

How to find the most environmentally friendly toothpastes

We don’t want the health of our mouth to come at the expense of the health of our planet. Considering that toothpaste is something that pretty much everyone in the UK buys the environmental costs can add up. We take a look at key environmental issues in relation to toothpaste, covering palm oil, organic certification, packaging, toxic chemicals, and microplastics.

Palm oil free toothpaste

The devastating effects the global demand for palm oil is having on our rainforests and the wildlife and people that live there has made it a highly controversial ingredient. It is also commonly found in toothpaste but it is possible to avoid it or choose companies that have better sourcing practices.
 

Organic toothpaste

The term organic can become a bit vague, especially in cosmetics where you don’t need to certify your product to describe it as organic. Its not uncommon to see products generally described as natural and organic without it being that clear what this means, which can make it confusing for consumers.

The following toothpastes were certified organic:

• Georganics (organic company)
• Green People
• Lavera
• Urtekram
• Logodent
• Colgate Smile for Good

It’s also worth saying that while Truthpaste’s toothpastes as a whole were not certified, it did provide full ingredients lists with its products and the majority of these were marked as certified organic.

Plastic-free toothpaste packaging

According to Recycle Now toothpaste tubes are not widely recycled because they are made from different types of plastic as well as aluminium, which makes any recycling process more complicated. Colgate and Terracycle have teamed up to offer a recycling scheme for all oral care products but, while recycling is an improvement, it does not adequately address the problem with plastic packaging as plastic cannot be infinitely recycled and will still break up and remain in the environment. It also relies on consumers to use the scheme.

Truthpaste, Georganics and Nothing Wasted are the only companies in this guide that sell their toothpastes in glass or metal jars. In fact, these companies use minimal to no plastic across their entire operations and certainly none of the products themselves come with any plastic packaging.

Toxic chemicals policy of toothpaste brands (scores are based on whole company group)

When rating companies for their policies on toxic chemicals, we looked specifically at policies relating to the use of triclosan, parabens and phthalates.

* These companies also lost half a mark under Pollution and Toxics for having inadequate policies on microplastics and liquid polymers
 

Is it the end for triclosan in toothpaste?

Triclosan is an anti-bacterial agent, first used by surgeons to sterilise their hands, which is still in use in health settings. Triclosan and other antibacterial agents have been in widespread use in a surprising array of consumer products including sports clothing, children’s clothing, soft toys, mattresses, deodorant, make-up, skincare lotions, chopping boards, pencils, and kitchen tools.

It has also been commonly used in toothpaste. Concerns over their impact on the environment and on increasing microbial resistance to antibiotics led to calls to remove triclosan from products.

The controversy over triclosan was inflamed in September 2016 when the US Food and Drug Administration effectively banned a range of antimicrobial agents including triclosan from hand and body washes. The FDA ruled that the evidence submitted by the manufacturers “were not sufficient for the agency to find that these ingredients are Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective”.

GlaxoSmithKline removed triclosan from its Aquafresh, Sensodyne and Corsodyl toothpaste ranges in 2010 in response to consumer concerns. Proctor & Gamble’s Oral-B toothpaste is also triclosan-free.

In 2017 Time magazine described Colgate as the only brand still using triclosan in its toothpaste. Despite continuing to insist that triclosan is safe, Colgate stopped using triclosan in its products in January 2019 (although be aware that the last of the old formula still seems to be available in some shops).

A search of the Superdrug and Boots websites, which sold a lot of brands and listed ingredients, appeared to suggest that triclosan in toothpastes is indeed a thing of the past! However, that does not mean that companies are not still using it in other products.
 

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)

SLS is a foaming agent, that dissolves and disperses dirt, widely used in toothpastes. Its use has been controversial as a number of consumers have voiced concerns over its alleged effects on human health.

This is mainly related to things like skin-irritation, and the potential to worsen some mouth conditions such as ulcers or ‘dry-mouth’. SLS-free toothpastes are available from, for example, Green People, Georganics, Nothing Wasted and Kingfisher. It is important, however, that concerned consumers check the list of ingredients. SLS and other detergents can often be products of palm oil.
 

Cruelty free toothpaste

Animal testing is obviously a key issue for any personal care products. The following brands received our best rating for animal testing policy because they were either certified by Cruelty Free International (Leaping Bunny) or they had a fixed cut-off date for animal testing:

• Georganics
• Truthpaste
• Green People
• Kingfisher
• Lush
• Weleda
• Urtekram
• JASÖN
   

Vegan Toothpaste

It’s not just animal testing that you have to look out as many toothpaste can also contain animal ingredients. Many toothpastes list glycerin as an ingredient which, while it can come from vegetable oil, can also be derived from animals. It often appears in the ingredients list simply as ‘glycerin’ and does not say what it is derived from, despite that being important information for both vegetarians and vegans.

While many companies now offer at least one type of vegan toothpaste, the entire range of the following toothpastes are clearly labelled or certified as vegan. We also state whether the whole company group is vegan, vegetarian or neither.

The score table above marks products with a ‘V’ or a ‘Vg’ when they were clearly marketed as vegetarian or vegan but only the vegan products were awarded positive Product Sustainability marks.

Marketing and advertising in the toothpaste industry

The UK market value for toothpaste is estimated at about half a billion pounds, and while there are hundreds of toothpaste products easily available the market is dominated by three main companies, Colgate taking by far the largest share.

In 2018 an estimated 33.3 million people in the UK were using Colgate and there are over 50 different products offered on its website. GlaxoSmithKline (Aquafresh, Sensodyne, Macleans and more) and Proctor & Gamble (Oral-B) also have a significant percentage of the market.

For most of us, the purchase and use of a toothpaste is part of a habitual routine.

Oral health and appearance, with its implications for disease, pain, breath odour, and self-confidence, are important consumer concerns. Corporate advertising reinforces these concerns and offers their products as the main solution, side-lining issues such as diet, smoking, genetics and the availability of affordable dental care.

In terms of marketing and advertising, the brands that dominate the market portray their products as scientific and technological with unique, specialised ingredients purportedly conferring proven health benefits. For example, in 2018, a Colgate advert was banned by the Advertising Standards Agency for making misleading claims that a product “repairs teeth instantly”, according to the BBC this is the fifth dental product advert Colgate has had banned in the last seven years.

Some toothpaste ingredients have raised intense debates and controversies on their effects on human health and the environment, such as triclosan and Sodium Laurel Sulphate (discussed below).

Natural, herbal and organic toothpastes can address consumer concerns on ingredient safety by emphasising in their branding the use of plant extracts and non-synthetic substances.In Ethical Consumer’s rating system, natural and herbal toothpaste brands were generally found to have stronger ethical policies, especially in the use of toxic chemicals, animal testing, animal rights, and product sustainability.

Although be careful as these terms can be used loosely and end up being just as misleading. For example, sometimes companies use the term ‘organic’ in a general way to refer to ingredients which are non-synthetic or plant based (rather than ones grown without chemicals) or place the emphasis on one or two natural or organic ingredients even while the rest of the ingredients might be anything but!

Always look for claims backed up with certifications, transparent ingredient lists and clear policies on what ingredients a company will not use.