There are many reasons why you may want to choose a non mint toothpaste – perhaps you don’t like the taste of mint, or you may find mint too overpowering.
Some people find mint can cause a burning sensation in the mouth and wish to avoid this.
Mint is the traditional flavour of oral care products, in part because it is known for its antibacterial and fungicidal properties, and because of its perceived refreshing flavour.
But companies are now reaching out to those looking for a mint free toothpaste. On this page I include various options for you to consider, and my comments about them as a dentist.
5 good non-mint toothpaste options
These are by no means the only good toothpastes that come without mint flavouring — there are various other options.
But to keep things simple, I have listed 5 good choices below. I also include other options later on in the article.
The toothpastes that have made it into this list:
- Contain fluoride — read on to find out why. If non-fluoride is what you are looking for I have these covered further on in the article.
- Avoid mint flavours.
Hello kids toothpaste with fluoride
The natural range produced by Hello toothpastes includes two non-mint flavours: blue raspberry and strawberry. Do not be put off by the fact that it is targeted at kids, it is totally suitable for adults too!
What makes this toothpaste special is the fact that it has been Awarded the ADA Seal of Acceptance, so you know that it will protect your teeth from cavities without doing any harm. It is also a relatively good price for a vegan, natural product with a fantastic taste.
Pros
- Contain fluoride.
- ADA Seal of Acceptance.
- Natural toothpaste.
- Two non-mint flavours available.
- Vegan and cruelty free.
- Free from artificial sweeteners and flavors.
- SLS free
- No parabens.
- Subscription available to reduce costs.
- Available online and in stores.
- Some (but not all) ingredients are organic, depending on the paste.
Cons
- Could have a stronger fluoride concentration
Where to buy
Price Comparison
- 4.2 ounce/119g tube
- Approx. $4-4.50 / tube
- $
Tom’s of Maine Whole Care Natural Toothpaste — Cinnamon
When looking for a non-mint flavoured toothpaste, you want to make sure you are still getting all the benefits of fluoride for your teeth. Well this natural toothpaste has fluoride, as well as zinc citrate to help prevent tartar (calculus) build up.
But one of the things that helps this brand stand apart from the others is their focus on responsible sourcing of ingredients, and giving back. As a registered B Corp, Tom’s of Maine has been recognised for its social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
For a wider range of non-mint flavoured toothpaste from Tom’s of Maine, you could also look at Tom’s of Maine Children’s fluoride toothpaste which still contains fluoride and which comes in fruity flavours.
Pros
- Contains fluoride
- Cinnamon flavour.
- Free of artificial flavors, fragrances, colors, sweeteners and preservatives.
- Contains zinc citrate — helps to prevent tartar build up reducing effects on gums.
- Free from animal ingredients and they do not test on animals.
- Working to minimize the total environmental impact, including moving towards recyclable tubes.
- 10% of company profits each year donated to charity.
- Easily available in supermarkets and drugstores.
Cons
- Contains alcohol, which can be drying in the mouth.
- Contains SLS (only negative if looking to avoid SLS).
- Not certified organic.
- Not vegan.
Oranurse Unflavoured toothpaste
This toothpaste has rave reviews on Amazon and Facebook.
What makes this one special? It is the only option I could find which is completely unflavoured toothpaste.
This is ideal if for those who have very sensitive mouths, whether that is because of autism or a wide range of oral diseases.
Pros
- Completely unflavoured.
- SLS free – also non foaming.
- Vegan.
- Two different fluoride levels available.
- Suitable for a wide range of medical conditions.
Cons
- Difficult to get hold of due to production and supply issues.
Where to buy
Price comparison
- 50ml tube (roughly 90-100g)
- Approx. $3-4 / tube
- $
Cleure Toothpaste
Cleure toothpaste comes in two different flavours, and both are fluoride free. But the reason I have recommended this toothpaste though is because it does contain calcium phosphate and xylitol, both of which help to protect teeth against cavities. So it is a good option if you want a non-mint fluoride free toothpaste.
At first this toothpaste seems expensive at $9 a tube, but the size of the tube is almost double that of a normal toothpaste tube, so it’s not so badly priced after all.
Pros
- Available as unflavoured or cinnamon flavoured.
- Free from artificial flavors and dyes.
- No parabens or harsh preservatives
- Gluten free.
- Naturally derived ingredients.
- Vegan and Cruelty Free.
- Ecologically responsible company.
- Calcium phosphate remineralizing agent
Cons
- No ADA-recommended fluoride
Crest Complete Whitening Plus Cinnamon Expressions Toothpaste
Mainstream brand Crest have produced this non-mint flavoured toothpaste.
Given the popularity of Crest, this toothpaste should be available to find on the shelf of you regular local supermarket store, unlike many of the other non-mint toothpastes available.
This toothpaste is also targeted for adults rather than kids (not that it matters too much, so long as there is fluoride in it). If you are looking for an accessible non-mint toothpaste, that is good value for money…then this will be worth trying!
Pros
- Cinnamon, non-mint flavour.
- Available in supermarkets.
- Well known brand.
- Contains fluoride for protection against cavities.
- Also a whitening toothpaste.
- Large tubes which last longer and mean good value for money.
- Widely available in shops and drugstores
Cons
- Potentially abrasive.
- Not vegan or cruelty free.
- Contains SLS (only negative if looking to avoid SLS).
Where to buy
Price comparison
- 6.0 ounce/170g tubes
- Approx. 6$ / tube
- $
Why go for a non-mint toothpaste?
There are a number of reasons that make non mint flavoured toothpaste preferable to some people:
- Personal preference — some simply don’t like the taste of mint. In particular, adults and children with learning disabilities can prefer a more bland tasting toothpaste.
- Mint may cause a burning sensation in the mouth.
- Certain oral conditions may make mint toothpaste uncomfortable in the mouth, for example:
- Oral Lichen Planus sufferers.
- Head and neck cancer patients after radiotherapy.
- Burning mouth syndrome.
- Sjögrens syndrome
- Behcets disease
- Allergies or intolerance to mint.
In addition to these reasons, there is some debate about whether you should avoid mint if receiving homeopathic medicines. Whilst the advice seems to be that you don’t need to avoid mint during homeopathic treatment, it is your choice – and hopefully this list of non-mint toothpaste will help you.
Can adults use kids’ non-mint toothpastes?
Generally speaking, kids’ toothpastes are more likely to be fruit flavoured than an adult toothpaste. But it doesn’t matter whether it is marketed at children or adults, as long as it has the correct amount of fluoride in it.
Children’s toothpastes may contain lower concentrations of fluoride, especially if they are targeted at children under 6 years old. Over this, they may well have the same concentration of fluoride as an adult toothpaste.
The take home message here is that as long as the toothpaste contains at least 1350ppm fluoride you will get a good level of protection, regardless of whether the flavoured toothpaste is marketed at children or adults.
Fluoride-free non-mint toothpastes
Fluoride is a vital ingredient to toothpaste, and only toothpastes which contain fluoride will have the ADA Seal of Approval. The recommendations in my more general best toothpaste article all contain fluoride.
To still get the anti-cavity benefits of your mint free toothpaste, make sure it still has fluoride in its list of ingredients.
As a dentist, I don’t normally recommend fluoride free toothpaste, as you miss out on the known anti-cavity properties of fluoride, but I do respect that some people may still wish to avoid toothpastes containing fluoride.
In which case, there are two main options available to you:
- A non-mint fluoride free toothpaste that contains no fluoride and no major source of remineralizing agent. Whilst ingredients like xylitol have a small anti-cavity effect, it would not be enough to be remineralizing in the same way as fluoride.
- A non-mint fluoride free toothpaste that contains no fluoride and which does contain an alternative remineralizing agent. Calcium phosphates (such as hydroxyapatite) help reharden the tooth surface in a similar way to fluoride. These ingredients are newer than fluoride and are still undergoing long term studies, but have been FDA approved. They are normally more expensive than fluoride, but there is lots of evidence supporting their effectiveness.
I’ve rounded up a whole list of non-mint toothpastes below, and you can see which ones don’t contain fluoride below.
Other mint-free toothpastes
The mint-free toothpastes included on this page have been selected using the criteria below:
- Contain fluoride — read on to find out why. If non-fluoride is what you are looking for I have these covered further on in the article.
- Avoid mint flavours.
If you are choosing your own toothpaste, I recommend factoring the above points in as well as the general advice on choosing a toothpaste from our toothpaste hub page.
| Name of Product | Anti-cavity protection | Flavour | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bite Bits | No | Berry Twist | $$$ |
| Redmond Earthpaste | No | Cinnamon Lemon Twist | $$ |
| Lush Toothy Tabs | No | Limelight (lemon and lime) Toothy Fruity (orange and lime) | $$ |
| Supersmile Professional Teeth Whitening Toothpaste | Fluoride | Cinnamon Green Apple | $$$ |
| The Dirt Tooth Powder | no | Sweet Spice | $$ |
| The Dirt Toothpaste | no | Sweet Cinnamon | $$ |
| Radius USDA Organic Toothpaste | No | Clove Cardamom Dragon Fruit Ginger Citrus Coconut Banana | $$ |
| Plaque HD Anticavity Toothpaste | Fluoride | Berry Bubblegum | $$$ |
| Auromere Ayurvedic Toothpaste | no | Classic Licorice Mint Free Cardamom Fennel | $ |
| Himalaya Botanique Complete Care Toothpaste | No | Simply Cinnamon Neem & pomegranate | $$ |
| Dr Bronner’s All-in-One Toothpaste | No | Anise Cinnamon | $$ |
| Jason Healthy Mouth® Tartar Control Anti-Cavity Toothpaste | fluoride | Tea Tree & Cinnamon | $$ |
| Jason Simply Coconut | no | Coconut Cream Chamomile Eucalyptus | $$ |
| Marvis toothpaste | yes | Amarelli Licorice Black Forest Other flavours with a hint of mint | $$ |
| Kiss My Face Kids Berry Smart Gel With Fluoride | Fluoride | Berry | $$ |
| Uncle Harry’s Toothpaste | no | Cinnamon Anise | $$ |
| Uncle Harry’s Tooth Powder | no | Unscented | $$ |
| Hello kids toothpaste with fluoride | fluoride | Blue Raspberry Strawberry | $ |
| Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque and Whitening fluoride free toothpaste | no | Fennel | $ |
| Tom’s of Maine Children’s fluoride toothpaste | fluoride | Silly strawberry Outrageous orange mango | $ |
| Tom’s of Maine Children’s Fluoride gel | fluoride | Fruitilicious | $ |
| Tom’s of Maine Whole Care® Toothpaste | fluoride | Cinnamon Clove | $ |
| Tom’s of Maine Children’s Toothpaste Fluoride Free | no | Silly strawberry | $ |
| Crest Complete Whitening Plus Cinnamon Expressions Toothpaste | fluoride | Cinnamon | $ |
| Kid’s Crest Cavity protection | fluoride | Bubble gum Strawberry | $ |
| Colgate Kids | fluoride | Strawberry Watermelon | $ |
| Colgate Kids (Trolls and Minions) | fluoride | Bubble Fruit burst | $ |
| Kingfisher Fluoride free | no | Fennel Strawberry | $ |
| Kingfisher Natural toothpaste with Fluoride | fluoride | Fennel | $ |
| Oranurse | fluoride | unflavoured | $ |
| Burt’s Bees Kids Fruit Fusion Toothpaste With Fluoride | fluoride | Fruit fusion | $ |
| Cleure Toothpaste | Calcium phosphate | Flavourless Cinnamon | $ |
| Dr Sheffield’s Natural toothpastes | None | Cinnamon Chocolate Mixed Berry Strawberry Banana | $$ |
Disclaimer
On this page we are collating a list of non mint toothpastes that are suitable for adults.
We have not yet been able to test all of the products listed below, so we rely on user feedback.
If you have tried one, please leave a comment to let others know how you found it.
We are aware that some toothpastes are labelled as ‘non-mint’, but still contain a mint flavour alongside the main flavour that is listed, so are not truly ‘non-mint’.
As time goes on, we hope to build a reliable list of toothpastes that are truly ‘non-mint’.