International Toothpaste Museum

This is a lovely paste. My sister who lives in Belgium gave it to me. Flavor: clove... what a pleasant contrast with the minty pastes we get here in the States! The color is a chalky green with a slight brownish tinge to it. No artificial anything. It does actually leave my mouth feeling fresh and clean. The main name, "dentifrice" means simply "toothpaste". In North America, you can buy some of their pastes here . But they don't sell clove. And you'll have to pay $15 for a tube! In France? Probably just go to your local pharmacie (and pay a lot less).

This toothpaste is packaged with completely Chinese script. So I have no idea what it is called. (I don't know anyone right now who could interpret. Contributions are welcome!) Again, one of my ex-colleagues brought it to me after a trip to China. Flavor? Bad. Kind of bubble-gum-ish. So it will remain unused in the collection's archives. (My general policy is to use the toothpastes in the museum.)

Neem Toothpaste is made in Calcutta, India. It has an herbal flavor that you won't find in any mainstream paste. Neem is an herb that has purported curing properties beyond what any western doctor (or dentist) would ever tout. The paste is green. Not a clear gel-like green but a chalky green-tea-ice-cream kind of green. (I don't know if you have ever been to a Japanese restaurant in America - but if so, that is a nice dessert to enjoy.) This one is strange in that it turned to solid between the time I used it last (about four years ago) and now. So now it's unusable. Sigh.

One of my very favorites. Unfortunately, it is not available in the USA. I had some New Zealander friends bring it to me from Switzerland, while they were studying French there. (This transaction happened when we were in Kenya.) It is expensive stuff! My love affair with Trybol began a long time ago. We were flying back from Kenya on Swissair, and they gave the passengers tiny tubes of blue Trybol toothpaste. (And I haven't been able to get that variety in at least ten years.) Anyhow, the green tea variety provides a very unique taste. Wonderful Clean. Fresh. You will notice the product description on the back in three languages - German, French and Italian, in that order. Those are the three main languages of Switzerland, in the order of numbers of speakers.

This is a very generic toothpaste made for Donovan Industries of Tampa, Florida - but it's made in China. I don't know where we got it. The size is kind of small, like what might be given to you in an amenities pack at a fancy hotel: 1.5 oz. It's basic mint - white and chalky. It's not smooth enough to really flow onto your toothbrush properly. The package designers were not ultra-professional; notice how the bar code is so prominent on the front. This tube is not part of the permanent collection. (Once it's finished, to the landfill it goes.)

(This has to be the most creative name yet.) This paste is from New Zealand. My buddy Steve, who works for Microsoft, kindly delivered it to me in Kenya. (It stopped in Dubai, on the way to Kenya.) Clean simple flavor, but a bit medicinal. Mint, of course. White paste. And yes, it's "for healthy teeth and gums". Can't beat that!

This one's from Spain. "Sabores Autenticos" is "natural flavors". The natural flavor? Cholorophyll. Because I'm not one of those people with a super-sophisticated palate, I can't describe the taste in terms of fruits and noses. However, it is green in taste and color. It's made by one of those multi-national corporations: Schwarzkopf & Henkel of Dusseldorf, Germany (and Barcelona). Their site seems to be oriented toward hair care products. (No mention of toothpaste!) Thanks to Jason & Seana for bringing it back after their vacation.

This one's the latest addition to my collection. My sister Amy sent it from Belgium (where she lives) last week. Hema is a chain of stores in Holland and Belgium. It's kind of Ikea, Target and Walgreen's - all rolled into one - only on a smaller scale. They have simple clean designs, as you can tell from this package. Cool stuff abounds in their aisles. This paste has a mild clean minty taste. It is a store brand (generic) with ingredient translations in Dutch, French and German (in that order). Something I have never seen before is the click-on top. It only requires about half of a turn to put the lid on. The product name wouldn't fly in America - too close to "Everclear". If you live near a Hema...

'Contains "purified salt" to make your gums come alive.' Reminds me of when baking soda was touted as a decent toothpaste. I have tried that, and it does work - though your mouth is left wanting to drink a lot of water to avoid feeling thirsty. This toothpaste does not leave me feeling thirsty. It is fairly refreshing. Salz is from Thailand. Only a small amount of the text on the front is in Thai script. (The ingredients on the back side are about 95% in Thai.) Check out their website page . It has an image that would not be used in American advertising. (Extra points to those who can tell why.)

This one hails from Dubai. For those of you who need a refresher in geography, that's a small country in the Arabian Peninsula. It's very wealthy and boasts the largest man-made spiral island I know of. Anyhow, Dabur is a brand from India. I bought it in Nairobi, Kenya, so this tube was made for Africa and the Middle East. The other side of the tube is English. This one's Basil flavor . Surprisingly, it does not taste like Italian food. In fact, the taste is quite refreshing. It is a chalky green, though - so I don't think it would sell very well in these old United States. I love the flavor, though. It's a great palate cleanser to ready the mouth for enjoying something different after a sugary snack. I've also bought this same flavor with the toothpaste made in Uttar Pradesh, India. The packaging was bilingual: French and English.

This lovely paste comes from China. "Everything's from China," you say. I mean this tube was bought in China and given to me by a friend. It's peppermint-flavored and has a pretty basic taste. It's white paste. The other side of the tube is completely in English. But that's not as interesting as this side!

Trybol. It's from Switzerland. I have never seen it for sale in the USA. This particular flavor, "Natur-Zahncreme mit Gruntee" or "Natural toothpaste made with green tea" is my favorite of all toothpastes. It has hints of anise. Like most natural toothpastes, they avoided flouride. (I like flouride!) On the back, the ingredients are in German, French and Italian - in that order. That's in the order of percentages of Swiss speakers. No Romanisch, which is the fourth (and smallest) official language of Switzerland. I'd wager that more people speak Turkish in Switzerland than Romanisch. Unfortunately, the tube broke at the weld a little, so I can't keep it forever. (I'm slowly using it up now.)