International Toothpaste Museum

Things are small in Japan. This packet contains four handy tubes for maybe four weekends of travel (or "trabel"). Xylitol is a natural sweetener with fewer calories than sugar. (But then, who would want a toothpaste with sugar?!) Wikipedia says, "As with most sugar alcohols, initial consumption can result in bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence" ... a bit scary. As you know, most toothpastes aren't meant to be consumed - just spit out after use. So those problems might not affect you. Aqua Xylitol is a basic blue gel paste. Very mild (forgettable) flavor. A special thanks to Jason and Seana, who kindly brought me the packet from their recent trip to Japan. Friends are great!

Darlie is a toothpaste that originates in Taiwan. Originally, it was called " Darkie ". For obvious reasons, they changed the name. "They" is Hawley & Hazel, a company that is not part of Colgate. The Museum is privileged to host Darlie - sourced from Malaysia. (Special thanks to my friends from there who brought it over for me.) The paste itself is very unremarkable. It's basic smooth white mint flouride. If you live in the Pacific Rim, you should pick up a tube for the novelty value alone. Finally, you must view this 1990 commercial that details the name transition.

Another neem toothpaste came to me (literally). Autumn, the CEO of Organix South , sent me a tube of their TheraNeem herbal mint flavor. It is excellent! The country of origin is India. Natural ingredients include grapeseed, licorice, fennel, clove, peppermint, spearmint - and of course neem. I love the exceptionally interesting mix of flavors - very hard to describe. This has quickly become my current favorite paste. It's the color of coffee with milk and has more texture than most pastes. Users are supposed to make the toothpaste part of a three-step oral health regimem - the other steps being TheraNeem mouthwash and "Supercritical Extract" - an elixir the user consumes. My neem package included the mouthwash but not the extract. The mouthwash has an amazingly complex flavor - nearly impossible to describe. I can't vouch for all the health benefits of neem - "purifying and antioxidant", but I do like the taste of Theraneem and how it makes my mouth feel cl...

I love this one. (It's also courtesy of my sister Amy.) "Email Diamant" is roughly translated "diamond enamel". It's proudly French and made since 1893. Normally this Museum does not feature boxes that pastes come in, but this time I had to show you a closeup of the bullfighter guy, since he's in full color on the box. He's a happy user of the paste! The taste is different - with a nose of anise, to use wine terms . The paste is indeed very red - it almost stains my toothbrush. I love the description. The translator from the original French did not have a good command of English: it "respects" the tooth enamel. And it has "natural light reflectors". (I'd recommend regular users riding their bicycles at night with their mouths wide open.) If you're in the USA and desperately want to try some, it's a bit expensive: $19 from here . (I'd recommend instead that your sister who lives in Belgium bring you some when she v...

I've written about Neem before . But they've gone more mainstream since the first time I tried it. The tube of their new paste looks similar to the old, but the paste does live up to the "New" on the label (though funny enough, the old tube also had "New" on the label). This time, the paste is also green, but it's a little bluer in tint than the last yellow-khaki-green. And it tastes much more like a traditional mint paste. "Active"? I'm not sure how it makes me more active. Maybe the fresh minty flavor leaves me wanting to be more active. I doubt it. Special thanks to my sister Amy, the lady who started my journey into toothpastes (she bought it for me) - and also to my brother Bill, who mailed it to me.

Shenhua toothpaste is part of a hospitality pack given to guests at the Sun Hotel of Ulaan Baator, Mongolia. All guests are welcome! The pack includes a lovely skinny basic toothbrush, with inside bristles in a lurid shade of green. The paste is basic white mint with very mild flavor and unknown chemical composition or effects on human health. The paste is manufactured by the Shenhua Daily Chemical Products.Co,.Ltd Special thanks to my buddy Shane , who made the trip to Mongolia on behalf of the International Toothpaste Museum. (Other scouts are welcome!)

Mu'min is certainly one of the more unique members of the International Toothpaste Museum. Why? It's halal - the Muslim equivalent of Kosher. You see, the majority population of Malaysia is Muslims. A friend who normally lives in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, brought over this tube as a wonderful addition to the museum. (I won't say that was his only reason for visiting Colorado!) Review? white paste. Flavor? complex. My 13-year old son called it similar to Stride gum's sweet mint flavor. My 8-year old daughter said it was a mix between mint and bubblegum. I couldn't figure out what I thought it tastes like. To me, the toothpaste is a winner because of the picture of the happy kids on the box.