I tried both of these toothpastes firsthand and I am also comparing them on ingredients and cost.
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Comparison Overview
- Compared to Tom’s of Maine, Tom’s claims to have all naturally derived ingredients (even though the end ingredient might be the same, for example, both have glycerin but Tom’s uses naturally derived glycerin.) Burt’s doesn’t make this claim but the ingredient list is just as clean.
- Both brands contain options with and without fluoride. Both lines avoid stannous fluoride (the type with tin).
- In terms of Titanium Dioxide, both brands have lines with and without it.
- Tom’s also has Xylitol which is beneficial for teeth remineralizing, I like it for that reason. Burt’s Bees uses stevia instead for sweetening though this does not have any anticavity effects.
- Some of Tom’s options have SLS and some don’t. Burts Bees does not use SLS.
- Tom’s also has more active ingredients (also natural) like Zinc Citrate, Sodium Bicarbonate and Calcium Carbonate in the Anti-Plaque & Whitening, Calcium Carbonate and Licorace Root Extract in the bad breath fighting Wicked Fresh, and Arginine, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate in the Rapid Relief Sensitive. Burt’s Bees doesn’t have any of those ingredients (only silica and charcoal).
- Some of Tom’s lines contain preservatives, none of Bert’s Bees do.
- Both brands are free of dyes, artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners.
Tom’s Claims
Tom’s Simply White toothpaste claims to be “natural” and it does have all naturally derived, or partially naturally derived, ingredients, with “clinically proven whitening” due to the silica, and “remineralizing” due to fluoride and xylitol.
It’s gluten-free, paraben-free, Trisoclan-free (not found in toothpaste anymore as far as I know, but still technically allowed), formaldehyde-free, artificial-color-free, artificial flavor-free, and no preservatives in this variety.
Extra credit: All of their toothpaste lines are not tested on animals, and they are also a B Corp.
Review of Tom’s
Coming off of a more natural “crunchy” variety of toothpaste with odd flavors I like the mint flavor of Tom’s Simply White though it is very strong while brushing, and I like how it foams up and gets into the crevices of the teeth.
While this toothpaste isn’t in the most extreme “natural” category, for me it was a good mix of ingredients I needed like silica for whitening, SLS for foaming, and fluoride to help repair my teeth while still being 100% naturally derived and avoiding problematic ingredients.
After 6 months of using the Simply White (or maybe more if we include my time using the kid’s version reviewed below), two of my small cavities have naturally repaired themselves. Before using these two fluoride toothpastes I was using an all-natural fluoride-free type.
In terms of whitening the results are very subtle but I do think it helped a very small amount.
Overall I think Simply White is a good mix of effectiveness and natural ingredients. I’m going to try their charcoal type next which I decided after seeing the comparison chart I made at the end of this post.
Cost: $5.99 for 4.7 ounces on their website. On Amazon, you can find even better deals on the three-pack with the subscribe option.
Burt’s Bees Claims
Burt’s Bees Charcoal + Whitening toothpaste “gently whitens teeth by removing surface stains”.
Made with fluoride. (They also have Flouride-free options are below in the table).
Made without SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), Triclosan (no longer used in toothpaste as far as I have seen, though not technically banned), parabens, artificial flavors and sweeteners, preservatives, blue, red, yellow dyes, gluten, titanium dioxide (some lines), plastic microbeads.
They also say it’s made of “ingredients from nature”, they don’t make the claim it is 100% natural but the ingredients are just as clean.
Environmental specs: Leaping Bunny certified/not tested on animals. Recyclable packaging. Carbon neutral operations.
Review of Burt’s Bees
Coming off of Tom’s Simply White toothpaste I like that the mint flavor was more subtle in Burt’s Bees and didn’t have a burning sensation.
It didn’t seem overly sweet to me and I could not pick up on the stevia flavor but I am someone that uses stevia a lot.
It still foams up well without SLS (though it’s slightly less foamy).
I wanted the fluoride since before using fluoride-based toothpaste my teeth were quickly deteriorating. But I like that they offer both options.
I like that it has charcoal and silica for whitening, and the charcoal did not leave any stains.
I liked that it’s mostly natural ingredients, free of SLS, and has a simply ingredient list.
Cost: 5.99 on their website. But you can find better deals on Amazon for a pack of three.
Comparison Table Tom’s Vs Burt’s Bees Toothpastes
Tom’s of Maine | Burt’s Bees | |
Natural Ingredients | All Natural | Mostly natural, still just as clean |
Fluoride | Options with natural fluoride and without fluoride | Options with and without natural fluoride |
Titanium Dioxide | Options with and without Titanium Dioxide | Options with and without Titanium Dioxide |
Basic Active Ingredients | Hydrated Silica (whitening) Xylitol (anti-cavity) | Hydrated Silica (whitening) |
Extra Actives in Special Lines | Calcium Carbonate (whitening) Sodium Bicarbonate (whitening) Charcoal (whitening) Zinc Citrate (plaque/tarter/bad breath) Licorace Root Extract (bad breath) Arginine (sensitivity) | Charcoal (whitening) |
Surfactants | SLS in most lines Except Lauryl Glucoside & Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate in Botonically White & Activated Charcoal | Sodium cocoyl glutamate or Cocamidopropyl betaine Sodium Lauryl Glucose Caboxylate and Lauryl Glucoside Sodium cocoylglutamate |
Comparison of Burt’s Bees Toothpastes
Charcoal + Whitening Flouride | Charcoal + Whitening Flouride Free | Extra White | Purely White | |
Active Ingredients | Silica Charcoal | Silica Charcoal | Silica | Silica |
Sodium Flouride | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Surfactants | Sodium cocoyl glutamate or Cocamidopropyl betaine | Sodium cocoyl glutamate | Sodium Lauryl Glucose Caboxylate and Lauryl Glucoside | Sodium cocoylglutamate |
Titanium Dioxide | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Comparison of Tom’s of Maine’s Toothpastes
Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Licorice Root Extract | Whole Care | Anti-Plaque & Whitening | Botanically White | Activated Charcoal | Luminous White | Propolis & Myrth | Wicked Fresh | Rapid Relief Sensitive | |
Active Ingredients | Silica Xylitol | Silica Xylitol Zinc Citrate Sodium Bicarbonate | Silica Xylitol Zinc Citrate Sodium Bicarbonate Calcium Carbonate | Silica Xylitol | Charcoal Silica Xylitol | Silica Xylitol | Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Propolis Myrth | Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Licorace Root Extract | Arginine Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Sodium Bicarbonate |
Sodium Flouride or Sodium monofluorophosphate | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
SLS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Preservative | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Vegan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
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