Burts Bees Vs Tom’s Toothpaste (Tested & Compared)

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 Fluoride-free options that 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 simple 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 Botanically 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 Fluoride	Charcoal + Whitening Fluoride Free	Extra White	Purely White
Active Ingredients	Silica Charcoal	Silica Charcoal	Silica	Silica
Sodium Fluoride	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 & Myrrh	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 Myrrh	Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Licorice Root Extract	Arginine Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium Fluoride or Sodium monofluorophosphate	Yes	Silica Xylitol Calcium Carbonate Licorice Root Extract	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