When a reviewer on Amazon stated that “It Contain Fluoride, so its not 100% Natural”, I doubted for a moment. I would never consider a Tooth Paste to be “rat poison” for it to contain Fluoride, as another reviewer mentioned, but was finally convinced to buy a Himalaya product when a friend of mine had me try a sample of Himalaya’s Organique “Neem and Pomegranate Toothpaste”.
After some thought, and having brushed myself through the remaining stock of Parodontax toothpaste, I ordered the entire Toothpaste line of Himalaya. “Sparkly White” seemed nice enough, as did “Complete Care”. Not to forget the Organic Tooth Paste, the most expensive of the offering.
To set the record straight, I am no dental hygiene freak nor do I aspire having the white teeth as one of the many Youtube starlets showing the latest Yoga poses. I was however very excited to start brushing my teeth using Himalaya’s “Aryuvedic Dental Cream” as soon as my package arrived in the mail. Only after my first gentle soaping of my fragile teeth with this magical aryuvedic solution, I took the packaging and reviewed the ingredients.
Himalaya’s “Aryuvedic Dental Cream” contains, even if I am uncertain what this exactly might mean, “100% herbal actives”. Among these, I find Pomegranate advertised for its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Neem is mentioned for its medicinal properties and Mewak is to prevent tooth decay. Nothing better than nature to help you in maintaining clean and white teeth, I reckoned. Or so it seemed, as one ingredient in the list showed the Pomegranate and Neem in the toothpaste are apparently not strong enough to keep the Herbal Tooth Paste 100% natural.
2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, also known as bronopol, is an antimicrobial substance used as a preservative in cosmetics and shampoos. Its usage is not without controversy, as it is a recognized allergen and, in certain conditions, can liberate nitrite and formaldehyde. Not an aryuvedic substance if you ask me and certainly not a “100% herbal active” ingredient.
In the end, not Fluoride but bronopol made me throw away my lot of ordered Aryuvedic Herbal Paste from Himalaya Herbals. Strange as it seems, the “Sparkly White” and “Complete Care” do not contain bronopol. Buyer Beware; Indian Made in this case does not mean Aryuvedic nor does it warrant a 100% natural product.
SO what toothpaste do you recomend?