What: Davids Natural Toothpaste
Toothpaste has been one of the most contentious item in our household for the zero waste transition. Granted, it's only my husband and myself, but we have our own different opinions on good toothpaste. For a good while prior to zero waste, I had a large range of teeth problems. Brushing and flossing and 6 month dental visits were never enough. I started to lessen my sugar intake and that really help me get on the right foot with addressing a lot of dental issues.
I definitely tried the DIY Toothpaste recipes and neither my husband or myself were very keen on it. We moved to using the LUSH Toothy Tabs and LUSH Toothy Powder and spent a few months trialing their product. That went better than the DIY paste. This still came in plastic so it still wasn't 100%. We then moved towards using BALM! Baby Teeth Paste. I know, it says baby on it, so if it's good enough for a baby, it's good enough for me. That Teeth Paste was better than we had hoped, but a little more expensive and not as portable since it was in glass. We went back to conventional toothpaste for a bit as we had some leftover that we found in our cabinet stash, but here we are today trialing Davids Natural Toothpaste.
I found this brand via the app Think Dirty which rates and provides transparency on beauty and cosmetic items. This was rated fairly well for their ingredients and sustainability factor. So here we are a with a review after a around 3 weeks of use. It is vegan, cruelty free and 98% of ingredients come from America with labor also in the US.
This product has been independently used and reviewed by myself and my husband (second opinion). No compensation was received from the maker of this product.
This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosures for details.
- Flavor/Taste
- Tastes just like regular toothpaste, minty, but no as strong. Easy to get used to it. It is all natural, vegan, fluoride-free and safe to swallow. Isn't it strange that some toothpaste are not safe to swallow even though you are putting in it your mouth? Note that this fluoride-free which is good for kids, but adults may need fluoride to help with tooth decay.
- Application Type
- This is toothpase out of a metal tube. It's just like any conventional toothpaste so the application is something that is easy. No dipping into powders or crunching tooth tabs or waiting for the toothpaste to soften or harden.
- Ingredients (straight from the product site)
Calcium Carbonate - Natural material mined from the earth. Used as a mild abrasive to help prevent plaque buildup, remove surface stains, and whiten & polish teeth.
Purified Water - Used to blend ingredients and give texture.
Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)- Natural material mined from the earth. Used to neutralize the plaque forming acids in your mouth. Helps prevent plaque buildup, remove surface stains, and whiten & polish teeth.
Vegetable Glycerin - Davids uses only food grade domestic non-gmo vegetable glycerin derived from vegetable oils ( not to be confused with industrial glycerin or other glycerin products produced from animal fats). Used to moisten the mouth and enhance the natural mint oil flavor. Also used as a natural preservative to keep the paste moist and to keep the ingredients from separating.
Hydrated Silica - Natural material from the earth that is used to help remove surface stains and whiten & polish teeth. Others use low quality imported silica with large abrasive particles that can scratch or damage the enamel....Davids uses only the highest quality USA made silica with ultra fine microscopic particles designed to safely clean and polish the enamel on your teeth.
Xylitol (birch derived) - a five-carbon sugar used as a sweetener, but more importantly, has the effect of reducing plaque formation and inhibits enamel demineralization. We use only a premium USA produced xylitol derived from birch trees, which is considered the best for both you and the environment. Research studies show that xylitol works to reduce the formation of cavities.
Sodium Cocyl Glutamate - Natural alternative to SLS which is derived from coconut oil and sulfate free. Used to create a mild foaming action which suspends the other ingredients in your mouth while brushing, helping the cleaning and whitening process.
Carrageenan- Seaweed powder. Natural seaweed is hand harvested from the ocean, dried, and milled to a fine powder. When we add the water and other liquids to the seaweed powder, it creates a gel paste. Without seaweed powder (carrageenan), our toothpaste would have a syrup like consistency. There has been confusion about this ingredient because there is a NON FOOD GRADE version known as degraded Carrageenan (aka poligeenan) - formerly referred to as degraded carrageenan. Learn More
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil - We us a pure domestic essential oil of peppermint derived from natural mint leaves. Used to give our toothpaste a natural peppermint flavor, to kill the bacteria in your mouth and freshen breath. We developed a custom blend of ultra premium, USA produced, mint oils from various mint growing regions around the US to create a one of a kind mint flavor that is amazing!
Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil - We us a pure domestic essential oil of spearmint derived from natural spearmint leaves. Used to compliment the peppermint flavor, to kill the bacteria in your mouth and freshen breath.
Piminella Anisum (Anise) Seed Extract - Derived from the perennial herbal plant anise. Used to compliment the peppermint flavor, to kill the bacteria in your mouth and freshen breath.
Gaultheria Procumbens (Wintergreen) Leaf Oil - We us a pure domestic essential oil of wintergreen derived from natural wintergreen leaves. Used to compliment the peppermint flavor, to kill the bacteria in your mouth and freshen breath.
Stevia (Leaf Extract) - Derived from the stevia plant. Used as a natural sweetener and to further enhance the natural mint oil flavoring.
- Product Packaging
- Comes in a recyclable metal tube with an old school tube key that allows you to get every last drop of the product. The tubes then come in FSC Certified cardboard packaging that is fully recyclable and manufactured using 100% wind farm energy. No plastic here!
- Cost
- Around $8 for a single tube of 5.25 fl. oz. Definitely pricey, but you are exchanging it for the standard product that is made of plastic and of artificial ingredients. If you think long-term, this could also mean less visits to the dentist other than the 6-month cleaning appointments which means less dental costs.
- Where to Buy
- Company Site: Davids Natural Toothpaste Company Site
- Amazon: David's Natural Toothpaste
- Shipping Packaging
- I ordered the 3 pack figuring we will use all of the toothpaste eventually. It came in a USPS Small Priority box with paper packaging as padding. No plastic or extraneous plastic tape. I was able to re-use the box for something I was selling on eBay.
- Final Disposal
- The piece that allows the plastic cap to be sealed comes off easily and can be separated from the metal tube. I just separate these so that hopefully it's easily to sort through our single-stream recycling system.
3-pack in a completely plastic free packaging.
Toothpaste packaging with tube key to get every last drop of the product.
Toothpaste tube with the tube key in space saving packaging.
Verdict
This product was pretty easy to get used to it. Tastes just like the conventional toothpaste I've used for years. The texture is the same as well. Not as minty strong or bubbly, but gets the job done. I also like that it's 100% American made from packaging to ingredients to to labor. Knowing that the ingredients are minimal and all natural, it's a buy for me.
Separately, during this time I went to my 6-month dental check-up and despite using various toothpastes during this time, I had no issues with my teeth to report on so yay! for going natural (and giving up soda).
