When I first heard about floor cleaner being in my toothpaste I was shocked. Not sure if I was seeking the information, or just came across it – it is too long ago. But one thing I was sure of: I did not want it in there.
Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), or Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) play similar roles in home cleaners and cosmetics. They are used as common cleansing agents because of low cost and excellent foaming.
Sodium laureth sulfate and Sodium lauryl sulfate can be found in dish soap and toilet-bowl cleaners, bubble bath and laundry detergent, toothpaste and floor cleaner. Don’t you think there is something wrong? I do.
What is wrong with SLES and SLS
“If I were to tell you that your personal care products could be putting you at risk for hair and skin damage, immunological problems, damage to your eyes, and possibly even cancer, would you pay a little more attention to their ingredients?” Dr. Mercola
According to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Reviews,6 research studies on SLS have shown links to:
- Irritation of the skin and eyes
- Organ toxicity
- Developmental/reproductive toxicity
- Neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, ecotoxicology, and biochemical or cellular changes
- Possible mutations and cancer
Safe alternative
Toothpaste can safely be made at home. Tessa from homesteadlady says: “My favorite is Redmond Salt 
If you are like me, who prefers a real toothpaste, thankfully there are safe alternatives, too. One that has worked for us and we have been using for many years is the Toothpaste from MODERE.
The company claims that they avoid controversial ingredients in all their products:
When formulating our products, we refuse to include more than 3,000 controversial ingredients, including the following:
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
A common cleansing agent used because of its low cost and excellent foaming. Often used for chemical skin-irritation testing.Ethoxylates/PEG
Common chemicals used in consumer products to make creams, lotions, or foaming agents like shampoos.Diethanolamine or Triethanolamine (DEA or TEA)
Additives in cleaning products to boost their foaming ability.Phthalates
A common fragrance additive.Formaldehyde
A chemical byproduct of some preservatives used in consumer products.Sodium fluoride
Used as a remineralizing agent in toothpastes.Talc
Used as a drying powder and flow enhancer in skin products.Hydroquinone
A skin whitener used in skin-care products. It use is now being questioned globally due to irritation potential.
I am all for safe products, especially if they work even better than the conventional ones. The toothpaste has a great fresh taste and does a good job cleaning our teeth.
I am sharing this with you because maybe you too want to convert your bathroom to safer products and stop brushing your teeth with floor cleanser. You can order Toothpaste from MODERE here.
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I’m all for safe products, too! I didn’t know about the toothpaste. It’s sad that chemicals have been added to just about everything we use in order to make our world progressive and “better” when, in fact, the addition of chemicals has hurt us and the earth. Great info, Anna!
Yes it is sad. We constantly have to be on a look out not to harm our self with new and “better” products.
Thanks for the mention, Anna! I forgot to tell you that I love tooth powder, too – you don’t have to DIY that one because you can buy it at your local health food store. I put that one in my but out bag.
Thank you for helping out with your ideas.
Extremely interesting information! I will be doing some further investigation to learn more about this matter. Thank you for bringing it to our attention 🙂
You are welcome. I am thankful to whoever brought it to my attention years ago. We love our safe toothpaste!
Oh dear. Off to read the ingredients of my toothpaste…
Hope you are not shocked to much, but glad there are alternatives that are safe.
Man, is there anything they don’t get their dirty hands in? It is so sad to learn that we are being poisoned with just about anything we put in our mouths if we’re not careful. Thank you for the info.
It is a sad reality we have to live with.
We’ve recently switched from “normal” toothpaste to a more natural one. I’ll have to try this one and some of the other ideas – it’s definately a journey.
Yes it is. Hope you find one that you really like.
We switched from normal toothpaste to plain sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, but without any additives) some month ago.
You have to get used to it because there is no foam and you start to drool while brushing your teeth.
But our teeth actually feel cleaner and stay like the whole day long.
And my daughter, who has very sensitive teeth (she can´t eat sweets or sweet fruits because the teeth hurt while chewing), felt an improvement after some days. She can actually eat an apple now without having toothache.
Awesome testimony, thank you for sharing! We sure all need to get away from those harmful toothpastes on a market.