Toothpaste tablets offer sustainable alternative to plastic tubes

Smyle's tablets do not contain any sulfates, parabens, allergens, dyes or other harsh chemicals

Spotted: Every year 1.5 billion plastic toothpaste tubes end up in landfills and oceans around the world. To avoid this, startup Smyle has come up with a new approach – toothpaste without the tube, in tablet form.

The toothpaste is made up of all-natural ingredients, including calcium carbonate which cleans and remove stains, xylitol, which fights decay by restoring pH levels, cocoa extract and sodium cocoyl isethionate to create foaming and natural flavours, such as menthe piperata oil, for the minty flavour. The tablets do not contain any sulfates, parabens, allergens, dyes or other harsh chemicals. They are available in both fluoride and fluoride-free versions.

To use the tablets, users simply crush them between their teeth and then brush as normal with a wet toothbrush – preferably with one which is not made from plastic. Smyle also sells bamboo toothbrushes. The tablets are available as a one-time purchase or on a monthly subscription. They also eliminate the problem of the wasted toothpaste left in the bottom of the tube – no matter how hard you squeeze. 

Smyle’s founders came up with the product as a way to help rid bathrooms of plastic and point out that while most people do not give much thought to the plastic used in toothpaste tubes, it is nonetheless a sustainability issue. They told Springwise: “Zeppelins, smoking in hospitals, the Tamagotchi, David Hasselhoff’s singing career, 24/7 reality TV, self-regulating banks, the gin and tonic diet and mullets all raise the same simple question as plastic toothpaste tubes: ‘What the ^&%$ were we thinking?!’” 

Toothpaste is not the only personal hygiene item that innovators are targeting for improved sustainability. We have also recently covered powdered shampoo that uses very little water, a disposable toothbrush made from paper and a soap company that reuses plastic dispensers from others brands. 

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