International Toothpaste Museum

Yes, Grapefruit toothpaste from France. Surprisingly, it has a very subtle flavor - grapefruit is almost hard to detect. The taste is fresh and clean - as a toothpaste should be! Provence Argile  is the creator of this lovely paste. They also manufacture a wide variety of health and beauty products. Not only does this toothpaste taste good, it is healthy - and organic - 99.4% of the ingredients are natural. (Of course, I wondered what ingredient was not natural.) The container is a handy stand-up plastic dispenser, which is helpful for conserving space in small European washrooms. (In the States, we would say, "bathrooms.") The consistency is very natural - lightly transparent with a touch of orange color. As you might expect, flouride is not on the list of ingredients, so it will not become my main daily paste. (But as some readers know, I am not restricted to flouride pastes - I always have at least three toothpastes on tap.) I love that it's not too sw...

This is my favorite toothpaste box of all time. Organique is a special brand of Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, which is based in India. Neem & Pomegranate is a refreshing and healthy toothpaste that is sadly not available everywhere. (My sister Amy sent it to me from Belgium - thanks Amy!) In the USA, you can buy it via the Himalaya Herbal Healthcare website . After I discovered that, I'm now motivated to try some of their other flavors. I've reviewed a more standard offering from Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, which was good but not nearly as distinct and unique as their Neem & Pomegranate. I'd guess that Organique is a boutique line of toothpastes for Himalaya Herbal - kind of like Lexus is to Toyota. Back to the toothpaste - it's off-white colored (no dyes) and left my mouth feeling very clean. The pomegranate aspect of the flavor was very subtle - adding just a tiny touch of sweetness. Using the language of modern toothpaste, mint is the primary fla...

blend-a-med is a wondrous blend of a white and a gel paste. But that's not what the blend refers to; I am assuming the paste creators were referring to a delicate blend of medicinal herbs. Sadly, the box is in every language except English. (Well, I do know that the world has 6,000-ish languages, so I am kidding...) Interestingly, the tube itself is in English. And as you can see, the paste tackles 7 common oral problems: root cavities, tooth cavities, gums (or gum problems, I assume), stains, breath (presumably bad breath), plaque and tartar. And the tube has an illustration of a two-sided capsule with "PRO" on one side and "M" on the other ("mineral"). It is a rare herbal toothpaste in that it has flouride. So I can attest to the fact that it does indeed contribute to oral health, at least when used regularly! For my test of blend-a-med , I brushed twice in a row. (My first photo of the paste itself was be out-of-focus... thus a necess...

Yes, Star Wars toothpaste. As you might guess, it's designed for kids. The label prominently displays the target demographic, "7+." I'd say 5+. Anyone five years or older could appreciate the action and excitement of any Star Wars film. (Undoubtedly, lawyers are concerned that anyone younger than seven might want to eat the tube's contents in one go.) This flouride toothpaste made in Spain but made in Italy. My friend Jim Kok brought it back from a trip to the land of Da Vinci and espresso. (Thanks, Jim!) The package has ingredients in five languages: Italian, Protuguese, French, Dutch and Spanish. Interestingly, the only English words on the tube or the box are: "Star Wars" and the manufacturer's slogan, "Healthy gums, healthy life." GUM is a brand of the international oral healthcare company, Sunstar GUM . Their aim is, "to improve overall systemic health by helping people of all ages have stronger, healthier teeth and gum...

Not only is this toothpaste from China, it's from The People's Republic of China . (I kinda thought that ended when capitalism started marching in.) It's great. I love the taste mix of ginseng, mint and a slight hint of bubblegum. After brushing, my mouth felt fresh and my teeth smooth. As always, I cannot vouch for the claimed medicinal qualities ("strengthening of the gum and good for the health"). Panaxin, a ginseng extract, is mentioned on the box. A Google search yielded a wide variety of positive claims related to its effects. The tube is aluminum with a very retro turned-stepped area that enters the cap. The paste has a nice off-white color that must be natural. I could not find this toothpaste on Google (beyond the first page results). I'm sure that if I could read Mandarin, the company that made this paste would have popped out at me on the package. My very kind sister, Amy, sent it over from Belgium. (The European marketplace gets a lot o...

This healthy toothpaste came to me from the foot of the Himalaya Mountains - Kathmandu. The official population of that city in 2011 was just over a million people. Americans who have never been tend to think of it as the launching pad for expeditions up Mount Everest. That's true, but it's a very small part of what happens in Nepal's capital city . My friend Jon Swanson journeyed to Nepal recently to serve people there by helping to set up an internet cafe - that will assist Nepalese people to do much more than just access the internet. (You'll have to read about his adventures on 300 Words a Day .) And Jon very kindly brought back a tube of a minty green toothpaste he purchased in the big city. Himalaya Herbals is the manufacturer of Active Fresh. Interestingly, they do not list this toothpaste on their website . A similar paste on their site is "Mint Fresh." Also of interest is that Himalaya Herbals is located in the heart of Bangalore, India, which i...

This lovely paste comes to me courtesy of the Camino de Santiago - in English, "the Way of St. James" - a pilgrimage walk across the north of Spain . How did a walk provide me with toothpaste? Actually, a walker did - my friend Jim Kok. He made this lifetime journey last year and very kindly returned with a tube in hand. Corpore Sano is a lightly minty green paste that Jim picked up at a Spanish pharmacy. (I have found many interesting toothpastes of the healthy/natural variety in European pharmacies.) Corpore Sano is Latin for "a sound body." On the tube, three main ingredients are featured: myrrh, propolsis and fennel. I'll quote from the box: Myrrh's essential oil "is astringent and stimulating." Propolsis "purifies and strengthens, improving mouth hygiene." Fennel "also acts as a stimulant and tonic." Interestingly (see photo inset), the paste was also packaged for Japan! I have not seen Corpore Sano in any stores...