TheRoundup is reader supported. We may earn a small commission when you make a purchase via links on this site, at no cost to you.
All products are personally reviewed and tested in accordance with our Review Methodology.
Eco-friendly toothpaste brands are a sustainable alternative that feature recyclable packaging, biodegradable ingredients, and cruelty-free manufacturing. They eliminate harmful chemicals, reduce plastic waste, and minimize environmental impact while maintaining effective oral care.
Conventional toothpaste tubes are made from mixed plastic materials that cannot be recycled through standard programs (RecycleNow). Many formulations contain microplastics that harm marine ecosystems (Ocean Blue Project) or chemical ingredients like triclosan and sodium lauryl sulfate.
Some brands like Colgate and Oral-B use even palm oil derivatives that contribute to deforestation.
But here's the good news...
I found 7 eco-friendly toothpaste options that deliver the same cavity protection, cleaning power, whitening, and fresh breath as traditional brands, at affordable prices.
Say goodbye to chemicals and artificial ingredients, and hello to natural formulas that will have your pearly whites shining in no time.
✔ Plastic Free Glass Jar
✔ Zero-Waste Refills
✔ Home or Travel
Etee sustainable toothpaste tablets are the best option if you share your toothpaste with others in your house and don’t like dipping your toothbrush into ‘communal’ powder or paste.
They’re easy to use. Pop a tablet in your mouth, chew it to a paste, and then brush your teeth as you normally would.
The tablets are free from Sulphates, Parabens, and all other harsh chemicals. They contain only natural ingredients.
Etee is a great eco-friendly brand that produces a range of zero-waste products. These natural toothpaste tablets come in a glass jar with a steel lid. Refills come in a compostable pouch, and a subscription service is available for convenience.
These tablets are also very convenient when traveling. You can count out the exact amount you need for your trip and save space in your luggage.
We Say: This product is exactly the same as the overall winner, just without fluoride.
All the other benefits are the same, so you get an exceptional clean with all-natural ingredients, no plastic, and no animal testing.
There is no price difference either.
So the only question is: should you get your toothpaste with or without fluoride?
If you're not sure which to choose, scroll down - there's a section towards the end of this article that’ll help point you in the right direction.
✔ Biodegradable Pouches
✔ No Preservatives
✔ Naturally Polishes Your Teeth
Denttabs sensitivity relief toothpaste tabs work in the same way as the Etee tablets, but cost a couple of bucks less for around twice the quantity.
They don't come in a jar like Etee tabs do, so you need to find your own. Despite being marked as mint, I find them largely flavorless, whereas I prefer Etee's mild minty taste. That's why Etee is the overall winner.
Denttabs is a German company. It was founded by doctors focused on sustainable products to reduce their environmental impact.
These zero waste toothpaste tablets come in compostable cornstarch pouches. Simply open the pouch, store the tablets in any reusable jar you have around the house, and toss the pouch in your compost bin.
✔ No SLS, Paraben, or Glycerine
✔ Non-Toxic
✔ Vegan & Palm Oil Free
After testing The Dirt's tooth powder, I found it genuinely transforms your brushing experience. The bentonite clay-based formula cleans teeth remarkably well while delivering visible whitening results.
When you dip a damp toothbrush into the jar, the powder adheres perfectly and creates an effective cleaning paste. The essential oil flavors taste authentic and pleasant, with Sweet Spice offering warm cinnamon notes and Rose Clove providing floral complexity.
The premium glass jar feels substantial and eliminates plastic waste from your bathroom routine. My breath stayed noticeably fresher for hours compared to conventional toothpaste options. The mineral-rich ingredients actively support enamel remineralization without introducing harsh chemicals.
I recommend this powder for anyone seeking clean, effective oral care as part of a zero-waste bathroom.
✔ Compostable Packaging
✔ Certified Cruelty-Free
✔ Vegan
Unpaste tablets don't contain preservatives, SLS, sodium saccharin, artificial colors, aluminum, or nanoparticles.
One of the main ingredients is microcrystalline cellulose. It did a fantastic job polishing my teeth to what Unpaste says is a “smooth post-dentist feeling”.
You get 125 tablets per pack, which is enough to last one person two months.
As with the Denttabs, I recommend opening the pack and storing the tablets in a reusable jar to keep them clean, dry, and fresh.
You can then simply tear up the pack and compost it.
Unpaste also makes environmentally friendly toothpaste tablets without fluoride if you prefer. This is a great plastic-free alternative to conventional toothpastes.
✔ Zero Waste Recyclable Metal Tube
✔ Whitening
✔ Organic Ingredients
Davids all-natural, teeth whitening toothpaste comes in a recyclable metal tube and features a recyclable metal key.
The key is pretty neat. It allows you to effortlessly get every last bit of toothpaste out.
The tube does have a small plastic lid, but the rest is perfectly eco-friendly. It comes packaged in a sustainable cardboard box that’s 100% recyclable with your standard paper and cardboard.
This product whitens teeth just as well as conventional toothpastes, but in a more sustainable way. Like the rest of my picks, it's also cruelty-free and contains no SLS or sulfates.
Davids also sells kids' toothpastes, so this is a brand that's suitable for the whole family.
✔ Reusable Glass Jar
✔ Effective Cleaning
✔ Fresh Breath
Nelson Naturals delivers excellent sustainability with 100% plastic-free glass jar packaging and clean natural ingredients, including calcium carbonate, xylitol, and colloidal silver.
I found it highly effective, leaving my teeth with that "dentist clean" feeling and noticeably whiter appearance. The company's vegan, cruelty-free approach and Canadian zero-waste manufacturing align perfectly with eco-conscious values.
The spearmint flavor has a subtle saltiness that I found refreshing, though it's definitely different from conventional toothpaste.
The jar format requires stirring and dipping, which feels slightly messy at first but becomes routine quickly. But the sustainability benefits far outweigh any minor inconvenience.
This is an excellent choice for anyone seeking effective zero-waste toothpaste that delivers fluoride-free oral care with genuine environmental benefits.
Those are the top sustainable toothpaste brands you can buy, but what are the benefits of switching to eco-friendly toothpaste? The main benefits are that it's better for the environment in terms of both its ingredients and packaging.
Most regular toothpaste is made using ingredients that can harm the environment, and sell their products in containers and packaging that aren't sustainable.
Regular toothpaste tubes are not sustainable because they combine multiple materials that prevent effective recycling. In the US, 89% of toothpaste packaging uses laminated materials (GII Research, 2024), which creates significant disposal challenges.
Traditional toothpaste tubes contain an aluminum foil core surrounded by plastic layers. This combination of aluminum and plastic makes recycling impossible through normal waste streams (Recycling Today, 2022). Recycling facilities cannot separate these bonded materials using standard processing methods.
Residual toothpaste inside discarded tubes further complicates recycling. Properly emptied tubes achieve a 60% recovery rate, while partially filled tubes achieve only 16.7% recovery rates (WRAP, 2024). This contamination affects the entire recycling process.
The scale of toothpaste waste is substantial. The UK alone uses 300 million plastic tubes annually (British Dental Journal, 2021), while globally, 4.15 billion tubes of toothpaste are sold each year. Plastic toothpaste tubes end up in waste bins and sit in landfills for approximately 500 years before decomposing ("What should happen to your used Toothpaste Tubes" - Azaz, Sarma & Borsaikia, 2024).
Most toothpaste tubes enter municipal solid waste streams that lead to landfills or incineration. Since the plastic components do not biodegrade, these tubes contribute to long-term plastic waste accumulation in waste management systems.
Regular toothpaste contains harmful chemicals, including triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, microplastics, and palm oil derivatives, that cause environmental damage when they enter aquatic ecosystems through household drains.
Triclosan bioaccumulates in aquatic organisms and disrupts marine ecosystems. Studies demonstrate triclosan is "highly toxic to different types of algae, keystone organisms for complex aquatic ecosystems" (Beyond Pesticides).
The compound causes bacterial resistance in aquatic environments and degrades into more toxic byproducts, including dioxins.
Research by Asio & Sevilla-Nastor (2023) found "empirical evidence of this surfactant contributing to environmental toxicity at various concentrations (0.004–3509 mg L-1), with aquatic organisms at a higher risk from exposure."
While biodegradable, chronic toxicity occurs at concentrations as low as 0.1 mg/L in aquatic environments (Bondi et al., 2015).
Studies have found microplastics in commercial toothpastes, with research by Madhumitha et al. (2022) estimating 1.4 billion grams of microplastic particles are emitted annually from toothpaste in India alone. A systematic review found concentrations ranging from 0.2% to 7.24% by weight across different studies.
These microplastics pass through water treatment facilities and bioaccumulate in marine food chains, affecting organism feeding and growth patterns.
Palm oil derivatives in toothpaste contribute to deforestation. Research shows "palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation of some of the world's most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already endangered species like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino" (WWF, 2022).
There are no independent third-party certifications that relate specifically to toothpaste, but there are some that help verify a brand's environmental sustainability, animal welfare, or ethical claims.
I would not decide against buying a sustainable or plastic-free toothpaste just because it didn't have one or more of the above certifications. However, eco-labels such as these are useful in helping you to verify specific claims if you are ever unsure.
Now let's address some other common questions about natural toothpaste options.
Eco-friendly toothpaste does cost more than conventional brands. As a comparison, a 5.25 oz tube of Davids costs $9.95 ($1.90 per oz) compared to a 6 oz tube of Colgate Sensitive, which costs $4.96 ($0.83 per oz).
The price difference is due to the higher cost of natural ingredients, smaller production scales, and sustainable packaging materials compared to mass-produced conventional alternatives.
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a common ingredient found in many toothpastes that creates a foaming action when you brush your teeth.
It is a surfactant. This means it helps to break down the surface tension of liquids so that they can better interact with solid surfaces like your teeth.
SLS is generally recognized as safe by regulatory authorities. But some people may experience irritation or sensitivity to this ingredient and may prefer to use SLS-free toothpaste.
No, Tom's of Maine cannot be considered eco-friendly. A class action lawsuit alleges that the company misled consumers about the recyclability of its toothpaste tubes, with plaintiffs arguing that most US recycling facilities can't process these tubes (Resource Recycling).
There are also concerns over the ingredients they use. Tom's own website admits they use synthetic ingredients, including propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in their toothpastes, which contradicts their natural marketing claims.
For these reasons, I do not recommend this brand.
Xylitol is found in many products, including some toothpastes, and is poisonous for dogs.
Please ensure that your toothpaste is stored well away from our four-legged friends.
According to Healthline, brushing your teeth with activated charcoal toothpaste products is safe. However, the abrasive nature of the product might wear down your tooth enamel over time. This can lead to sensitive teeth.
I don’t feel that Colgate can be classified as a "waste-free toothpaste brand" yet. But they’re making some effort towards making their products eco-friendly.
For example, according to Business Wire, “Colgate has reduced absolute greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 37.5% from 2002-2020 and its water use per ton of production by 52%”.
Oil pulling is the practice of using oil (usually coconut oil) like you would traditional mouthwash to improve oral health.
According to Healthline, there are many benefits of oil pulling, including:
Our core values mean we always prioritize sustainability over profit. We carefully evaluate and personally test every product to ensure they meet our high standards. All products recommended in this article were tested in accordance with our Review Methodology.
TheRoundup.org - As Seen On
