Continuing our household mission to swap our everyday essentials for eco-friendly alternatives, we began exploring the more sustainable kinds of toothpaste that were available.
We’ve tried a few eco-friendly brands in our household, and we’ve finally stuck with Waken as our go-to, which has prompted me to review why Waken toothpaste is our favourite eco-friendly toothpaste.
TLDR Review
I’m really impressed by its refreshing flavour, which left my teeth and breath feeling fresh and clean, as well as its consistency – which is similar to most other toothpastes. With its completely recyclable packaging, natural ingredients, and most importantly budget-friendly price this product has become a household staple!
First Impressions
One particularly nice thing about the tube design is that the lid is flat which means it can stand up straight on side of my basin. It sounds petty, but it looks much more neat than laying the toothpaste down flat on the side of my bathroom basin!
The tube is also a little smaller than most at 75ml, making it more handy to put in your travel wash bag.
On the other hand, you perhaps are getting slightly less for your money compared to a standard tube of toothpaste. In comparison a standard tube of Colgate Total is 100ml.
What Ingredients are in Waken’s Toothpaste
I won’t go into specific detail about all the ingredients, but I will mention this toothpaste isn’t made of 100% natural ingredients. Sodium saccharin, for example, is an artificial sweetener.
However, I did look up the safety of all the ingredients and there are no nasties in there.
Specifically, these are the ingredients in the spearmint flavour:
Aqua, Sorbitol, Hydrated Silica, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Aroma, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Fluoride, Sodium Saccharin, Allantoin.
One of the most important ingredients in this list is fluoride. Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral and a key ingredient in toothpaste because it helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening the tooth enamel and reducing the amount of acid produced by bacteria on the teeth.
If you were hoping that Waken would be fluoride-free unfortunately all of their toothpastes contain this ingredient.
It’s SLS-Free
You’ll see on the website that the toothpaste is ‘SLS-free’. I’ll quickly elaborate on what it means.
SLS is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is used in a lot of cleaning and personal care products like shampoo. It is essentially the ingredient that turns liquids into foam.
SLS can be obtained from petroleum, or plants like palm and coconut. SLS derived from petroleum supports the use of fossil fuels and from palm: deforestation. On top of that, SLS is considered toxic to aquatic life, and can even cause skin irritation to us. It’s not nice stuff.
Recyclable Packaging With a Premium Feel
Not only is the toothpaste tube made from recycled aluminium, but it’s also able to be recycled endlessly when you’re finished with it. You won’t need to open and clean out the tube either, you can just treat it like you would with general aluminium recycling.
It does have a plastic cap that can be recycled but you’ll need to remove it first.
The packaging itself is made of cardboard from FSC sources, so that can either go in your compost to add a bit of brown material or can be put in your recycling bin.
The tube’s design is striking and if I’m honest, it looks quite sleek. I’m a little ashamed to say I’m a bit proud of my bathroom, and the aluminium tube gives the toothpaste a premium feel to it.
Perfect with tube squeezers
You can find them on Waken’s website, or there are several available on Amazon.
Overall, I’m impressed with the sustainable packaging of the Waken Spearmint Toothpaste. It’s a step towards more sustainability, and I’m happy to support a company that shares that value.
Pleasant Spearmint Flavour
If you’ve ever made the mistake of buying Arm & Hammer you’ll know that some flavours of toothpaste taste foul. Waken, on the other hand, is very pleasant!
The spearmint flavour that I’ve tried is refreshing, it’s not too strong and it’s just the right amount of mint that you’d want for a toothpaste.
I suspect if you like a strong-tasting toothpaste this might be a taste a bit weak for you, but personally, I’m content with my toothpaste tasting either quite strong or weak so Waken suits me fine.
One important thing to raise that will differ from conventional toothpaste is that Waken does not foam up as much as conventional toothpaste, but I personally don’t mind this.
It still does a great job of cleaning my teeth and leaving my breath smelling fresh.
Vegan-Friendly and Cruelty-Free
It may surprise you to know that many leading toothpastes are not actually vegan! They can contain animal-derived ingredients like glycerin, propolis, and certain flavourings and colourings.
I’m not vegan myself but as someone who values vegan and cruelty-free products, it’s good to see that Waken toothpaste is certified vegan-friendly. It contains no animal-derived ingredients and has not been tested on animals.
Is It Budget-Friendly?
Almost always, good quality things cost more money. Incredibly that’s not the case with Waken’s toothpastes.
Currently, the Spearmint toothpaste is an affordable £2 per tube on Amazon, with an RRP of £4.50 on the Waken website. For comparison, I’ve looked up the price compared the UK’s four other most bought toothpastes (yes that research exists if you’re interested!):
| Brand | Price on Amazon (Dec 2023) |
|---|---|
| Waken Spearmint Toothpaste | £2 |
| Colgate Total | £1.65 |
| Oral-B | £2.05 |
| Sensodyne | £2.49 |
| Aquafresh | £2.06 |
The price for Waken is very competitive compared to the leading toothpaste brands.
This is a nice surprise given that a lot of natural and sustainable alternatives are priced higher than the most popular products on the market.
Waken Toothpaste Review Summary
Waken is without a doubt my favourite sustainable toothpaste brand. It’s a like for like swap for regular toothpaste that’s recyclable, uses natural ingredients, and importantly is really low-priced!
🌱 Vegan-friendly
🙌 100% recyclable packaging
🇬🇧 British Business
💧 Natural Flavouring
Pros
- Recyclable Packaging
- Vegan-friendly
- Natural refreshing flavour
- No SLS or artificial dyes
- Low Price
Cons
- Lightly foaming
- The tube is a little bit small
FAQs
As someone who has been using Waken’s Spearmint toothpaste for a while, I have had the chance to explore its features and benefits. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that I can elaborate on:
Waken or Georganics?
Waken toothpaste is similar to Georganics in that they both offer natural, sustainable toothpaste options. However, Waken’s toothpaste is lightly foaming and has a similar texture to your usual toothpaste, which Georganics does not. Additionally, Waken’s toothpaste tube is made from recycled aluminium, while Georganics use glass jars for their toothpaste.
I prefer Waken to Georganic’s toothpaste because I like the foaming effect once you start brushing. I find Georganic’s toothpaste can become quite dry whilst I’m brushing so I always felt I needed more on the brush or to sip a bit of water midway through cleaning my teeth.
On top of that, Georganic’s toothpaste is a lot more expensive, nearly three times the price! So if you’d like to maintain your current experience with buying and using everyday toothpaste then I’d recommend Waken.
Can Waken toothpaste help with teeth whitening as well?
While Waken’s Spearmint toothpaste is not specifically marketed as a teeth whitening product, it does contain fluoride which helps protect against cavities and reduce plaque buildup. Waken do have a whitening-specific toothpaste that I haven’t tried but would like to in future!
Does Waken offer a fluoride-free option?
At this time, Waken does not offer a fluoride-free option for their toothpaste. However, the toothpaste does contain natural ingredients and is free from artificial colours and dyes, making it a great option for those looking for a more natural toothpaste.
Where can I purchase Waken toothpaste in the UK?
Waken toothpaste is available for purchase on their website, on Amazon, and also in Waitrose! You may also find it in select health food stores and zero-waste shops throughout the UK.
