Lush Toothy Tabs Review

Toothy Tabs are Lush cosmetics name for toothpaste tablets, the small bite and chew alternative to regular tubes of toothpaste.

We’ve covered this new type of product in detail in our guide to the best toothpaste tablets, and we’ve also looked at similar products in the following posts:

• Bite Toothpaste Bits Review
• Denttabs Review

Do they actually work?

Yes, they clean the teeth and leave the mouth feeling fresh.

Simple to use, they are a more natural and environmentally considerate option to clean your teeth.

Just place it in the mouth, bite, mix with a bit of saliva, to create the paste and begin brushing normally.

The only catch is there is no fluoride in the tablets. (I am not saying this is good or bad, but it goes against the advice of most dental professionals)

How much do they cost?

Each container of toothy tabs contains 100 tablets and costs between £5.50 and £6.50 depending on the flavour chosen.

Where can I buy them?

You can buy in your local Lush cosmetics store, or from their website. They are not sold elsewhere.

Would I recommend them?

Yes and no.

Yes, because there is a lot to like.  They are ethical and a vegan suitable product.

They do leave the mouth feeling clean and fresh with some nice flavour options.

However, I do not recommend them all as some flavour options will not be for everyone, I really did not like the ‘Dirty’ toothy tab.

There is a powdery/clay taste that lasts for a short while and they do lack fluoride.

Full Review

Most people have now heard of Lush cosmetics, but just in case you haven’t, they are a UK based company that have made a name for themselves due to their policies.

They are centred around being ethical.

Their products are 100% vegetarian, with 80% now vegan.

They fight against animal testing and do none themselves.

Serious about the environment they avoid all unnecessary packaging and use recycled products where possible.

And they focus on humans making products rather than machines.

Essentially when you buy a Lush product, you are getting quality and satisfaction of knowing there is a lot of good inside where people and the world at large benefit rather than just the bottom line of a big corporations profit and loss statement.

How I tested the toothpaste

This review has not been conducted under any form of ‘clinical’ setup.

I have simply switched out my regular toothpaste for toothy tabs from Lush to see what they are like to use and my experience with them.

I bought 2 different flavours, ‘Limelight’ and ‘Dirty’.

The intention was to test each for a week, but to be honest, I really did not like the taste of ‘Dirty’ so stuck to ‘Limelight’.

Aside from this I have made no changes to my normal routine.  I am eating and drinking the same sort of things, I am still flossing and using an electric toothbrush.

The test lasted for 2 weeks.

During this time I used the Oral-B Genius 9000 electric toothbrush set to the ‘Daily Clean’ mode.

I brushed twice a day for 2 minutes each time and flossed once a day.

Summary of how I tested the toothpaste

• Test lasted for 2 weeks
• Used Oral-B Genius 9000 toothbrush on Daily Clean mode
• Cleaned twice a day for 2 minutes
• Flossed once a day
• No changes in diet

Daily Usage

At the time of review Lush cosmetics produce 4 different ‘toothy tabs’.

Toothy tabs is their name for toothpaste tablets.

If you are not familiar with what these are then you might want to check out our guide to toothpaste tablets.

Essentially a solid version of toothpaste, these tablets are to be bitten into and chewed.

As you do this, they mix with the saliva in the mouth or the wet bristles of your toothbrush to create a paste.

Of the 4 flavours available I bought ‘Dirty’ and ‘Limelight’ to try.

Therefore I cannot first hand speak about the ‘Miles of Smiles’ and ‘Boom!’ options.

I will be upfront and say personally I could not stand the taste of the ‘Dirty’ tablets.  I think it might have been the inclusion of neroli oils, but after several attempts I gave up, they were just not for me.

Limelight on the other hand was much nicer and I could happily brush with these on a daily basis.

For a start it is somewhat refreshing not to be your bog standard mint flavouring, but instead a heavy hit of zesty lime and lemon and it was really nice.

Using toothpaste tablets initially takes a little getting used to.

They are dry when first put in the mouth, as you bite it crumbles and there is a slight powdery taste.

Within a few seconds as you chew this powdered taste changes and you get a very slight clumpy paste taste but this again quickly changes to a flavoursome foamy paste.

The paste that is created is not as thick as the stuff that comes in the tube, much more watery, but you can feel the thickening and see the frothing of the toothpaste.

Within 5 seconds or so from popping the tablet in to chewing it you have formed the paste and you then just brush normally, there is no special technique to use.

You also get the perfect amount each time.

Ignoring my dislike for a certain flavour, I cannot fault the cleaning sensation and experience really.

Yes it is different to a normal paste initially but its not a big issue and once brushing, you wouldn’t really know.

The toothy tabs frothed more than the Denttabs I have also tested and were perhaps a touch less foamy than some toothpastes I have used.

After cleaning my teeth felt clean and the freshness lasted for a good while.

Handmade from a concoction of ingredients, the tabs could be considered better for you than some of the more chemical rich options that are present in most tubes of toothpaste.

As a result fluoride is omitted from the tablets.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on the good and bad of fluoride and I am not here to discuss the point, but for me personally, if the majority of professionals say it is good for the teeth, then I am going to follow their advice.

So, for me, I would prefer fluoride and with the nations dental health in mind, there are strong arguments as to why it is important.

That said, assuming you brush regularly and with the right technique I see no issue why these toothy tabs will not keep your teeth clean and plaque free.

Lush have what are considered either natural or safe synthetics within their products.

Each ingredient list is slightly different based on the flavour of toothy tab you opt for.

Taking the Limelight as one example, the ingredients are listed below.

Those natural ingredients are:

• Cream of Tartar
• Kaolin
• Lime Oil
• Lemon Oil
• Spearmint Oil
• Almond Oil
• Baobab Fruit Powder
• Gardenia Extract
• Citric Acid
• Titanium Dioxide
• Citral
• Limonene

The safe synthetic ingredients are:

• Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous
• Sodium Bicarbonate
• Lauroyl Sarcosine
• Sorbitol
• Silica
• Malic Acid
• Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
• Tin Oxide
• Sodium Saccharin
• Flavour
• Colour 19140:1
• Colour 42090:2
• Colour 77491

These are colour coded both on the website and the packaging to differentiate and make clear the differences.

All their toothy tabs are certified vegan.

You get about a years shelf life from these pots. So don’t go crazy and stock up like you might on tubes of toothpaste as they will not stand the test of time quite so long.  It is about a year from date of production.

Every toothpaste can be given what is known as an abrasivity scored.  The Relative Dentin Abrasivity (RDA) scale is what is used.

The more abrasive the toothpaste, generally speaking the more gritty it will feel to the taste and the more damaging it can be to the teeth.

The pastes I tried were smooth and there was no sensation of being rough or abrasive as I brushed my teeth.

Most of Lush’s toothy tabs fall into the low abrasivity classification as listed below.

• Miles Of Smiles toothy tabs – 43 – Low abrasivity
• Boom! toothy tabs – 96 – Medium abrasivity
• Limelight toothy tabs – 64 – Low abrasivity
• Dirty toothy tabs – 43 – Low abrasivity

Each of the options comes in a 50g plastic bottle that contains about 100 tablets.

The plastic bottle is made from recycled plastics and is of course recyclable.

With 2 tablets needed each day, you have just under 2 months supply.

Environmentally the packaging is better than a traditional tube of toothpaste and lighter because there is no water.

You will want to keep the tablets in the screw cap bottle to protect them from moisture otherwise this will ruin them.

Because they are a tablet and not a paste or a liquid, they should not count to your carry on allowances on aircraft, like a tube of toothpaste would.

However, whilst technically they might not be classified as needing to be declared, I suspect many a security personnel will question and test them until such time as they become more familiar.

Being a tablet form like this, what is nice is you can take just what you need.

3 weeks away, take just 21 tablets.  These take up a lot less space and weight than a conventional toothpaste tube would.

Expect to pay a premium for these tablets.

Where a tube of toothpaste is on average about £2 and will last you 3 months, a bottle of tablets will cost £5.50-6.50 and last about 1.5 months (based on 100 tablets).

They are therefore not as cost effective, but you get the benefit of the less chemical rich ingredient list.

Whether this is justifiable for you or not will be a personal decision.

Ultimately these toothpaste tablets do the same job as toothpaste, but are in a different form.

Please be aware that should you notice any abnormalities or extra sensitivity from using a different toothpaste you should stop and consult your dentist.

Summary of Daily Usage

• 4 different flavour options
• I didn’t like the taste of ‘Dirty’
• ‘Limelight’ wash a nice alternative
• Slight powdery taste initially
• Foam up well
• Clean felt as good as any other toothpaste
• No gritty sensation
• Low abrasivity
• Lack fluoride
• Come in recyclable packaging
• Don’t count to your carry on allowances for liquids and pastes
• More expensive than traditional toothpastes

The Results

In previous toothpaste reviews, particularly those designed for whitening the teeth, I have taken before and after photos.

I have not done that on this occasion as I did not feel it was relevant or necessary.

Lush have not designed the toothy tabs to actively whiten or achieve anything other than a good overall clean to my knowledge.

Over the years I have tried many different toothpastes and I like to think maintain a good standard of oral hygiene, so there is little staining on my teeth and not much in the way of colour improvement that can be achieved naturally, so I am perhaps not the ideal candidate to test such products for their whitening improvements.

Overall in comparison to other toothpastes used, I was very happy with the results.  I saw no colour improvement, but no dulling of the teeth.

Conclusion, are Lush toothy tabs any good?

Overall yes, the toothy tabs are pretty good, there is not much I can fault about them.

If you’re interested in them, you can buy them here on their website, or in your local Lush Cosmetics store.

The main negative I personally have is the lack of fluoride, as this goes against the guidelines set out by professional dental bodies and the NHS.

However, there are many arguments against fluoride and I understand, particularly with Lush cosmetics ethos why it is not present.

Putting this to one side, with the exception of the ‘Dirty’ tabs that I simply did not like, the cleaning experience was good, my teeth felt clean and there is certainly a lasting freshness.

It is good to know that there are less chemicals and the product is more organic and even though they command a premium you are giving back to the world as a whole.

FAQ

• Where can I buy toothy tabs?
  • You can buy from one of Lush own retail stores across the country or their website.
• What does it taste like?
  • The taste depends on the flavor you pick.
• How abrasive are Lush toothy tabs?
  • Miles Of Smiles toothy tabs – 43 – Low abrasivity
  • Boom! toothy tabs – 96 – Medium abrasivity
  • Limelight toothy tabs – 64 – Low abrasivity
  • Dirty toothy tabs – 43 – Low abrasivity
• How much fluoride is there in toothy tabs?
  • None.  They are fluoride free.
• Are Denttabs suitable for kids?
  • Yes, but ideally the child should be 6 years or older and capable of understanding how to use a chewable toothpaste tablet, parental discretion will be required.
• Are they Vegan?
  • Yes.
• Does it hurt?
  • I had no sensitivity, pain or side affects from using this paste, should you should gain additional sensitivity or side effects as a result of using it, stop doing so and consult a dentist.
• What are the ingredients in toothy tabs?
  • The ingredients depend on the flavour you pick.  All ingredients are clearly listed on the Lush website and the product packaging.