Vitro’s herb-rich & fluoride-free toothpaste is good but not perfect.

◊ By Nitya Kaushik

 Visit ORGANIC SHOP by Pure & Eco India

How much are you willing to spend to ensure that your toothpaste uses “all natural herbs”, contains no artificial colours, is vegetarian, has no fluoride and follows the principle of Ayurveda?

For Vitro Naturals’ Herbal Toothpaste from its ‘I Am Natural’ collection offers you just that – a high-end tooth cream, for a premium price in classy, new recyclable packaging.

The product claims to use 10 super herbs including neem, cloves, babool (acacia) and mint leaves, many of which are known for their medicinal value in traditional Ayurveda. Its taste and colour resemble the ‘Lal Dant Manjan’ (red tooth powder) by Dabur, popular through the 80s and early 90s.

Upon first use, Vitro’s Herbal Toothpaste indeed delivered squeaky clean teeth and fresh breath. Low in sweetness, the toothpaste has a strong flavour and foams up amply, hence you can fill up just half your toothbrush to get adequate results.

According to the product’s description, this toothpaste helps to protect teeth and gums from infections, can help prevent cavities, bad breath, toothache, gingivitis, and reduce gum and teeth pain. It also claims to be fluoride-free and natural. However, its packaging shows a few chemical substances like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium methylparabene in its ingredient list (likely in approved quantities).

The toothpaste has a ‘Good Manufacturing Practice’ certification, based on the World Health Organization’s guidelines to ensure that “pharmaceutical products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards”. It is also marketed as a fully vegetarian product, containing no artificial colours or synthetic flavours, and is made wholly in India.

Vitro’s herbal toothpaste is a wee expensive – at Rs 169 (Rs 144 on Amazon) for a 100g tube. In comparison, Dabur’s ‘Red’ toothpaste, a commercial alternative for Ayurvedic toothpastes in India – and a successor of the Lal Dant Manjan – is available at just Rs 52 MRP (Rs 39 on Amazon) for 100g. Colgate’s 2017-launched Swarna Vedshakti is available at Rs 102 MRP for 200g (Rs 83 on Amazon); and Sensodyne’s herbal alternative, the Herbal Multi Care toothpaste, is priced at Rs 125 (Rs 110 on Amazon) for 70g, adding up to approximately Rs 157 for 100 g (calculated on Amazon price).

Vitro Naturals’ Herbal Toothpaste is indeed a quality product devoid of fluoride, artificial colours, etc. But it is not entirely “I am Natural” as it says.