Upon a recent trip to my local health food store for some toothpaste, I was dismayed to find that they were all sold out of the Green Beaver toothpastes. Hence I had no choice but to look for another brand that would be somewhat comparable in terms of being natural and fluoride and SLS free.

After examining numerous tubes (again), I decided upon Jason Healthy Mouth Natural Tea Tree & Cinnamon toothpaste. Jason is a company who has been making natural personal care products since 1959. They have a variety of different products and their mission involves making as natural as possible products that are still effective.

The strong point of this toothpaste is definitely the large variety of natural, beneficial and healthy plant ingredients. Overall the ingredients are very good where a truly natural product is concerned, although I still have a preference for the Green Beaver ingredients for several reasons, which will be explained below.

In terms of taste, at first this toothpaste was very unpleasant. I got used to it, but after every single brushing, right up to the finishing of the tube, I did not enjoy the bitter-like aftertaste it leaves in one’s mouth. Although I generally love cinnamon, perhaps the combo of plant extracts here just does not blend well in terms of a pleasant taste.

In terms of the texture and consistency, it is much more viscous than the Green Beaver toothpastes or any commercial ones and almost like a putty paste.

In terms of foaming action, this toothpaste foams and foams a lot! That property comes from the sodium cocoyl glutamate. Sodium cocoyl glutamate is a synthetic chemical. It is similar chemically to sodium lauryl sulfate – SLS (a common unhealthy foaming agent), hence the similar properties of extreme foaming. They say on the package that children under 6 should use a pea-sized amount, but I myself was not able to use more than a pea-sized amount as this toothpaste can be very overwhelming in terms of taste and foaming in the mouth.

Finally, this toothpaste does include directions and warnings if using it for young children under 6 and another warning under 2 years old – something the Green Beaver company does not as they stand by any of their products being safe if swallowed. Hence, while it may be okay to swallow a normal single brushing dose of this product, the company advises to contact a physician or poison control center if more is swallowed.

While this toothpaste contains NO fluoride, NO sodium lauryl sulfate, NO preservatives, NO parabens, and NO animal by-products, it does not rate as an outstanding natural product compared to the Green Beaver toothpastes. This is a good toothpaste perhaps for someone who wants to go more natural and wants to make a transition from commercial to natural toothpastes (which are very different), but as for me it is a no go as I have found the Green Beaver toothpaste line to be much better, and one which may be hard to beat where truly natural and healthy are concerned.

Ingredients

(All Plant Based Ingredients Are Italicized)

  • Calcium carbonate
  • Aqua (Purified Water)
  • Vegetable Glycerin
  • Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
  • Carrageenan
  • Aloe barbadensis Leaf Gel
  • Bambusa arundinacea Stem Powder
  • Perilla ocymoides Seed Extract
  • Carum petroselinum Extract
  • Melaleuca alternifolia Leaf Oil
  • Eugenia aryophyllus Oil
  • Cinnamomum zeylancium Bark Oil
  • Melia azadirachta Seed Oil
  • Menthol
  • Sodium Bicarbonate
  • Silica
  • Stevioside
  • Citrus grandis Seed Extract

Packaging

The toothpaste comes in a small 4.2oz or 125g tube that comes in a fully recyclable box.

Price (as of this posting)

Availability

  • Health Food Stores across Canada
  • Online stores for US, Canada and International (see above for examples)

The Good

  • Made up of mostly natural, safe and healthy plant-based ingredients
  • Promotes healthy teeth and gums
  • No fluoride
  • No preservatives
  • No parabens
  • No colors or dyes
  • No SLS
  • No animal by-products (Vegan friendly)
  • Not tested on animals
  • Contains natural antibacterial ingredients
  • Leaves teeth feeling clean
  • Is not tested on animals

The Bad

  • Unpleasant taste
  • Overwhelming foaming action
  • Contains Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate