Is Toothpaste Vegan? (Most Major Brands Are Not)

Toothpaste seems like it should be vegan, right?

Well, as I’m about to go over, most toothpastes are not vegan. I highly recommend finding a brand that has a clear vegan-certified logo on the packaging.

I’ll explain why, and then give you a few recommendations at the end.

Why Most Toothpaste Isn’t Vegan

There are 2 issues here:

• Animal products
• Animal testing (the main concern)

Many toothpastes actually have both these issues.

Issue 1: Animal Products in Toothpaste

There are several ingredients that are common in major brands of toothpaste to watch out for:

1. Glycerin: Glycerin is commonly used in toothpaste as a humectant to retain moisture. Glycerin (or glycerol) is sometimes vegan, but not always. It is derived from fats, and those fats can come from plant or animal sources.It’s in many of the most popular toothpastes, although not all of them (not in Crest for example).

   

2. Calcium phosphate: Some toothpaste formulations include calcium phosphate as a polishing agent. The source of calcium phosphate can be either mineral or animal-based.
3. Fluoride: Some vegans avoid fluoride in toothpaste because it may be derived from animal bones. However, many toothpaste brands use synthetic fluoride, which is vegan.
4. Propolis: Some natural or herbal toothpaste formulations may contain propolis, a resinous substance collected by bees. This is not vegan-friendly.
5. Carmine (cochineal): Carmine is a red pigment derived from crushed cochineal insects. While it is not a common ingredient in toothpaste, it may be found in some oral care products, making them non-vegan.
6. Stearic acid: Stearic acid is a fatty acid that can be derived from animal fats or plant sources. Some toothpaste formulations may use stearic acid from animal sources.
7. Xylitol: While xylitol is typically plant-derived, some may be concerned about its potential use in animal testing.

So, there’s a few animal products to look out for, but the biggest concern is animal testing.

Issue 2: Animal Testing and Toothpaste

There’s animal testing involved in toothpaste manufacturing in 2 ways.

First, most popular brands use artificial colors (e.g. red 40, blue 2, etc.), which are often tested on animals. Some vegans avoid these, while others don’t – choose for yourself.

Secondly, and most importantly, chemicals added to toothpastes are tested on animals.

Here’s a detailed look at the animal testing if you’d like to read it, but I’ll summarize it here.

Millions of animals have been caged, subjected to tests, and ultimately killed after being their “usefulness” was worn out.

The saddest part is that most of these tests continue to be on ingredients that we already know are safe.

All the most popular toothpaste brands test on animals and are not vegan. At least for the time being.

Toothpastes That ARE Vegan

The alternative is to buy toothpastes from manufacturers that don’t use ingredients that would have been tested on animals.

Most of these are marketed as “natural” toothpastes.

The easiest one to find is Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, it’s the one I use.

There are others like Dr. Bronner’s, but one thing to watch out for is that many “natural” toothpastes don’t contain fluoride.

Many varieties of Tom’s toothpastes don’t have it either (but the one I linked above does).

It’s not a “natural” ingredient, but it’s proven to be safe and effective over a long time period, and from what I can see, it’s not tested on animals either.

By all means, you can avoid it if you’d like, but just be aware that you may have to look around a bit to find a toothpaste that is both vegan and contains fluoride.

Colgate’s “Zero” Product Line

In early 2020, Colgate unveiled their new Zero product line, which includes toothpaste and mouthwash.

These products are all:

• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Free of artificial flavors
• Free of artificial colors and sweeteners

This may be the easiest vegan toothpaste to find depending on where you live.