Eco-friendly toothpaste: tablets, jars and recyclable tubes

Ask your dentist first

Toothpastes with and without fluoride are both sold in eco-focused forms. Whether to use one with fluoride is a question for your dentist, and for a child, the child's dentist or pediatrician. This page does not say how well any toothpaste works, and it does not recommend a choice. It explains packaging and labels so that you can compare products.

Tablets, jars and tubes

• Tablets: small solid tablets that you chew or crush, then brush with a wet toothbrush. They are sold in pouches, tins or jars. Check the directions on the package.
• Paste in a glass jar: usually a paste or gel in a reusable or refillable jar, often with a metal lid. Check how the paste is dispensed and how to keep it clean.
• Recyclable tubes: tubes designed to be recycled. Many toothpaste tubes are made from mixed materials that curbside programs do not accept, and recycling rules vary by place, so check what your area takes. Some makers and programs take back used tubes.
• Powders and other forms: sold by some brands. Read the directions.

Reading packaging claims

• Plastic-free and zero waste: marketing terms. Look at what the package is actually made of, including the pouch, lid and any liner.
• Recyclable and compostable: the FTC's Green Guides ask that these claims be clear about whether the product can really be recycled or composted where you live.
• Drug Facts: a toothpaste with fluoride has a Drug Facts panel in the United States. Fluoride-free products have an ingredient list instead. See our fluoride-free toothpaste guide for how the two labels are organized.
• Ingredients: check them, especially for foaming agents, flavor and sweeteners, if you are sensitive to any.

Our angle: count brushings, not ounces

Tablets are sold by count and tubes are sold by ounces, so the numbers cannot be compared directly. To compare them, convert each to a cost per brushing. For tablets, check the directions for how many to use per brushing, then divide the price by the tablet count and multiply. For a tube, divide the price by the number of weeks it lasts for you, then by the number of brushings in those weeks. Remember to add the cost of anything extra the system needs, such as a refill pouch or a replacement jar.

1. For tablets, divide the price by the number of brushings the pack gives you.
2. For tubes, note how many weeks one lasts, and estimate the brushings in those weeks.
3. Divide each price by its brushings and compare.