I was quite excited when I first heard about these small tablets that you use instead of toothpaste. I’ve got four flavours here, and started off with Aquatic, described as a ‘refreshing and seductively sweet blend of Earl Grey, lime and aphrodisiac jasmine’. The tab – which looks a little like a small dog biscuit – stayed in my mouth – ooh, one second – before I literally had to spit it out. It is easily one of the most revolting things I’ve ever tasted in my life. A back taste of bicarb and a very vague mintiness stayed with me for the rest of the evening. Never again.
I’m all for innovation, and in theory, these should be amazing. But, I couldn’t face trying any of the other flavours, was heartily put off by the fact you still actually need a toothbrush (so what’s the point of a solid tablet form toothpaste?) and the fact that they’re beige. It’s also annoying to me that they’ve billed the jasmine extract as ‘aphrodisiac’ when there is nothing less sexy than a grown woman spitting brown stuff all over the floor.
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18 comments
HAHAHA I was skeptical of these as well. I’d say the only reason for these is the all-natural, minimal packaging aspect. I am a LUSH girl through and through and when they do something good, it’s REALLY good! But when it’s not good, in my experience, it’s very bad. Perhaps they should stick to bath, body, skincare and lovely scents and leave the toothpaste to the teeth people! Thanks for the review 🙂
“(so what’s the point of a solid tablet form toothpaste?)”
Solid is always better than liquid; less packaging; fewer, if any, preservatives and less waste. That’s what Lush is all about – see their solid shampoos and cleansers.
These things remind me of those horrid little tablets you used to have to chew when the dentist came into the school to show how much plaque was on your teeth – nasty.
I will be staying away from these I think, Lush usually get everything so right, it’s a shame they have failed on this occasion!
I must admit I thought the same as you when I had read about it, a toothpaste on the go – rather than one needing a tooth brush. How disappointing, but I do understand what la Fee Verte says.
I’ve got the “Dirty” ones which are meant to taste like spearmint but to me it was like brushing my teeth with gritty soap. When I chewed the tab clumps of it got stuck in my teeth and it was generally disgusting. I feel like Lush have crossed the thin line into “gimmick” here, and it doesn’t work 🙁
I’ve been trying to work up the courage to try these but you’ve scared me all over again now!
I like the idea – great for travelling on planes with all the liquid restrictions. And indeed maybe that was where the idea came from.
But I think Phoebe from Friends probably had the best description of them … Ewwww!
this made me laugh think I’ll be sticking to good old toothpaste, thanks for thr review x
I laughed while reading this. Sorry chick. Hope the nasty taste has gone by now.
I’ve tried the aquatic and the ultrablast flavours and have to say I like them.
I’m someone who gets ulcers from regular toothpaste so any alternative is good by me.
I agree that the brown colour of the aquatic was pretty off-putting but the ultrablast was white and a more conventional flavour.
As a tip (after having used them twice a day for a week) I would say to break the tabs in half and only use half each time.
Other than that I’ve been impressed and they’ve even managed to remove some longstanding stains from my bottom teeth!
It’s quite worrying that there doesn’t appear to be any fluoride in them but that Lush suggests using them in place of the conventional stuff. Surely they should be used in addition to the normal stuff and even then only occasionally?
Also, just to note, they really don’t work if you have an electric toothbrush, but rather turn into a chalky, gritty mush with a distinct lack of froth! Even the enthusiastic Lush assistant seemed to struggle with them, making a hasty retreat to the sink after about 3 swishes of the toothbrush….
Thank you for completely confirming my suspicions about this product. I can safely skip this round. 🙂
I tried Dirty and even if the taste is not that good, my teeth become really bright after a while… Is not that the point?
I have a pretty strong gag reflex and I dislike anything that’s far from normal, so despite having purchased both “Sparkle” (a lemon, pepper and grapefruit flavour) and “Ultrablast” (minty thing) today, and THEN reading this review I was REALLY cynical about them.
I’ve gotta say I completely disagree with the poster of this blog – I have just tried my first “Sparkle” tab (so removed from conventional flavours) with my electric toothbrush, and I think it’s brilliant! Once you’ve crunched up the tab,and mixed with a bit of water it froths up really well. It’s slightly gritty texture makes it feel like a really deep clean. The problem of the not so conventional flavour is easily counteracted with a generous helping of mint mouthwash after 🙂
It makes me sick that some of you winge about not having the courage to try something new/and or judge something by a blog. The ultrablast was great, it has wasabi and lavender in it though thats not very noticeable. It tastes like mild mint and really gave my teeth a good scrub (like the scale and polish and the dentist). Teeth were smooth/breath fresh- whats to complain about if you’re saving on wasteful packaging and ditching preservatives??
I want them all!
I’m very concerned about these toothy tabs, they are very abrasive so are very damaging to tooth enamel, contain no fluoride and have no proved antimicrobial components. I’m a dentist and would not recommend using these. I see that they reduce waste but considering the extra dental work and equipment required to treat dental decay, tooth wear and gum disease due to these far outweight this. I love lush but they should not stray into healthcare products such as this, there is people’s health at stake. I tried putting my review of this product up on their website but they have not put it up – so much for free speech!
I have used the ‘Dirty’ flavour, and honestly, I don’t ever want to go back to regular toothpaste.
These were some of the greatest things I have ever used. They leave your mouth feeling so clean, its incredible. I have braces, and most of the time my mouth still feels gross after brushing, but not with these.
I think the problem lots of people are having is that they put the tablet straight in their mouth, on their tongue, when you are only supposed to put it between your front teeth and crush it up.
Also, fluoride in toothpaste really isn’t all that beneficial. Most people get plenty of fluoride from other sources, and too much of it can actually be bad for your teeth.
I just tried the Aquatic Toothy Tabs that I got as a sample from Lush – GAG! I had to brush as fast as I could before I couldn’t deal with the taste any longer. I bought a box of the Ultrablast to pack for an upcoming trip and now I’m nervous to try them. Might have to go get a mini-tube of toothpaste instead…