Best Natural Toothpaste of 2020: Top 12 Picks

Finding the best natural toothpaste for your personal care routine isn’t just about the ingredients. Bathroom plastics are sucking the life out of our planet with waste and pollution, furthermore devastating marine mammals and sea birds. Data suggests that consumers throw away over one billion plastic toothpaste tubes every year. But that’s a solvable problem if/when companies decide to become sustainable manufacturers. A good start is using post-consumer plastics, which cuts down on the floating behemoth in our ocean. Even better is using compostable or fully recyclable materials. 

What’s the wait? There’s no time like the present to make a switch to natural toothpaste alternatives. That, and your cat probably doesn’t like the sharp, medicinal odor they have to smell now that you’re working from home. Hey, if it were up to them, your toothpaste would smell like tuna. Still, since we’re planning on social gatherings at some point down the road, it’s probably best to stick with sustainable, people-approved toothpaste flavors.

EcoKarma’s Top Picks: Natural Toothpaste

Don’t have time to read through our whole analysis of the best natural toothpaste on the market? Here are 6 quick picks for you to browse.

12 Best Natural Toothpaste Options of 2020

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As a B-Corp, Dr. Bronner’s takes all the right steps to ensure every part of the supply chain meets equitable and sustainable measures to create healthy human/earth impacts, including regenerative farming practices. They resource their products using fair trade policies without destroying the planet or harming people and animals.

You won’t find any artificial colors or flavors, carrageenan, artificial sweeteners, or detergent foaming agents in Dr. Bronner’s natural toothpaste. But you will discover refreshed teeth and gums.

The Green Beaver Company is a family-owned business. Through prior work in the pesticide industry, they saw firsthand the need to create products for natural personal care to promote a sustainable, chemical-free environment. Green Beaver has been certified organic from day one. 

You can choose from eight flavors for the adults and five “Naturapeutic” flavors for enamel protection and sensitive teeth, including two just for kids. 

David’s toothpaste is preservative-free, free of artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners, and uses sustainable packaging. When it’s finished, cut open the aluminum tube, clean it, then recycle. Even the cap is recyclable!

People rave about the charcoal + peppermint flavor while proudly picturing how white their teeth are getting. But while there’s no SLS in it, they do not verify that it’s kid-safe.

Bite figured out how to lower their carbon footprint (kgCO2e) by half of the big box store or third-party vendors. Not only is the packaging compostable, but you’ll receive an appropriately-sized box to make up for those times you’ve received what seems like a pebble in a refrigerator box.

Bite bits have a strong flavor. They make the kid’s version with nHAp (Nano-hydroxyapatite), which is a non-toxic fluoride alternative. Both versions are said to remineralize tooth enamel.

Are you concerned about the toxicology of stevia compounds? I did some digging on that. Back in the 90s, there was a scientific study concerning stevia’s tie to cancer. Those initial studies have since been refuted, but here’s another link to several scientific studies for some ‘light’ reading.

Moms and dads, you’re going to like the Charcoal Whitening while your kids will love the sparkly Unicorn flavor. Apparently, the watermelon is hit and miss. 

Schmidt’s started as a DIY deodorant in Portland, OR, selling it to a parent company in 2017. Under new ownership, they maintain that their journey for better living is still on the table, as are the ethical standards that founded the company.

Parents love that their kids are willing to brush without the push and pull. Plus, the strawberry and pineapple flavors are a welcome reprieve for those kids who aren’t in love with mint.

Top Pick: Burt’s Bees Baby, The Responsible Sourcing Pick

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Burt’s Bees is known for its sustainability approach since the beginning. And aside from the responsible sourcing, they’re avid participants in the Global Shea Alliance, Responsible Mica Initiative, Natural Resources Stewardship Council, Sedex, and AIM-Progress. 

Burt’s Bees maintains that the toothpaste is safe if swallowed, but parent supervision is a must. 

Tom’s of Maine is our Stewardship Pick. If the way the company treats its employees isn’t enough of a model for excellent business practices, you’ll love the environmental stewardship approach. Being a B Corp, they’re concerned with every part of the manufacturing cycle. And, yes, the tube is recyclable.

Parents love Tom’s of Maine toothpaste for their little ones because the flavor is mild enough not to scare them away, even if the price is somewhat off-putting. 

B Corp certified companies undergo a rigorous inspection for their cradle to the grave manufacturing, also considering the company employee profile. Before the 1980s economic restructuring, this was common. It’s great that companies desire the stewardship moniker once again.

Two ingredients of consideration include Arginine Bicarbonate, a salt derivative, and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, not Sodium Laureth Sulfate—which is the irritant.

Weleda’s products go through a rigorous test to verify sustainable, natural sources, without inflating the details to sound they’re doing more than they are. They’re also proud to deny all forms of animal testing.

Weleda’s toothpaste is salt-based to stimulate saliva production, so the body naturally helps in the cleansing process. An online list of ingredients shows the minerals used in conjunction with that salt.

Founder Ellie Lowe of the Czech Republic was working in pharmaceuticals when she got curious about toothpaste. She wanted to develop a toothpaste minus all the unnecessary chemicals but filled with natural ingredients.

The toothpaste tabs come with or without fluoride, you pick. And they recommend that you don’t rinse after using fluoride to achieve the right benefits.

DENTtabs is a German company certified organic through COSMOS. To gain this certification, companies must be organic, sustainable, and respectful of the environment. That follows the mission to be plastic-free and cruelty-free.

Products arrive from the EU, so expect a one-month wait. You can choose the faster route of two-week delivery, but that defeats the purpose of buying an earth-friendly toothpaste.

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