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Best Charcoal Toothpaste

Danielle Mcleod

Looking to replace some of your day to day routines that depend on synthetics with more natural ingredients? Your toothpaste choice is a great place to start and allows you to keep your mouth healthy all while brightening teeth with the use of a more natural ingredient: activated charcoal.

Charcoal toothpaste may sound funny (and yes, it will make your mouth black while you use it), but it rinses amazingly clean and provides a whiter, brighter smile. Take a look at this healthier toothpaste alternative in our list of best charcoal toothpaste picks below.

RankProductHighlights
#1hello Activated Charcoal Fluoride Free Toothpaste

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  • Amount: 4 pack, 4 oz tubes
  • Flavor: Fresh Mint
  • Active Ingredients: activated charcoal, natural mint, coconut oil, tea tree oi, and xylitol
#2Colgate Activated Charcoal Toothpaste

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  • Amount: 3 pack, 4.6 oz tubes
  • Flavor: fresh mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated charcoal, fluoride
#3Organic Bamboo Charcoal Toothpaste

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  • Amount: 3 pack, 6.5 oz
  • Flavor: Light mint
  • Active Ingredients: activated charcoal, thyme oil, cardamom
#4Activated Charcoal Natural Teeth Whitening Powder

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  • Amount: 1.76 oz
  • Flavor:  mint
  • Active Ingredients: activated charcoal, calcium carbonate
#5Tom’s of Maine Fluoride-Free Activated Charcoal 

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  • Amount: 3 pack, 4.7 oz
  • Flavor: Peppermint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated charcoal, peppermint oil
#6Dental Expert Activated Charcoal

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  • Amount: 2 pack, 4 oz
  • Flavor: mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated charcoal, peppermint oil, clove oil
#7Schmidt’s Wondermint with Activated Charcoal Toothpaste

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  • Amount: 2 pack, 4.7 oz
  • Flavor: crisp mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated Charcoal, CoQ10, goji and pomegranate extracts, organic aloe leaf juice, magnolia bark extract, and vitamin E
#8Cali White Activated Charcoal

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  • Amount: 4 oz
  • Flavor: Mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated Charcoal, Peppermint Oil, Certified Organic Coconut Oil, and Baking Soda

Our Top Charcoal Toothpaste Picks

Our following top picks provide you the best charcoal toothpaste selection out there from which to choose from. These are all popular options and offer a variety of types and ingredients to fit your specific needs.

1. Editor’ Choice: hello Activated Charcoal Fluoride Free Toothpaste

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 4 pack, 4 oz tubes
  • Flavor: Fresh Mint
  • Active Ingredients: activated charcoal, natural mint, coconut oil, tea tree oi, and xylitol

Made from activated charcoal and other sustainably sourced ingredients, hello Charcoal Toothpaste is designed to both polish and clean your teeth of surface stains all while refreshing your breath. Fresh mint, spearmint, and peppermint oils work with a charcoal made from bamboo to offer a healthier alternative to toothpaste. No artificial anything is included, and neither are dyes, sulfates, or parabens. It also is an animal friendly option (Leaping Bunny Certified)!

ProsCons
  • Works as a great whitener
  • Tastes great and leaves your mouth minty fresh
  • Environmentally friendly option
  • Is abrasive and should not be used in thinning enamel

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2. Runner Up: Colgate Activated Charcoal Toothpaste

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 3 pack, 4.6 oz tubes
  • Flavor: fresh mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated charcoal, fluoride

Sugar and gluten free, now you can enjoy your favorite brand of toothpaste made with activated charcoal to remove surface stains and impurities for a healthier, whiter smile. Safe for enamel, it contains gentle micro polishers for daily use. Made with fluoride to help strengthen enamel and prevent cavities, it has a cool mint flavor to help you feel fresh.

ProsCons
  • Great minty flavor
  • Fairly gentle overall
  • Really helps whiten teeth
  • Doesn’t have as much charcoal as other brands, but that does allow for more daily use

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3. Best Organic: Organic Bamboo Charcoal Toothpaste

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 3 pack, 6.5 oz
  • Flavor: Light mint
  • Active Ingredients: activated charcoal, thyme oil, cardamom

This wholly organic toothpaste alternative option combines activated charcoal derived from coconut shells, and is mixed with natural oils and cardamom to provide a healthy paste for cleaning your teeth. The light mint flavor is refreshing, and critics love both the whitening and polishing it does, as well as the clean, healthy feeling it leaves behind.

ProsCons
  • Very effective at cleaning and whitening
  • True clean, organic source
  • Great value
  • Is a bit abrasive and care should be taken not to over use it

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4. Best Powder: Activated Charcoal Natural Teeth Whitening Powder

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 1.76 oz
  • Flavor:  mint
  • Active Ingredients: activated charcoal, calcium carbonate

If you like the idea of using activated charcoal for cleaner, whiter teeth, but also love your current toothpaste, you can add your own charcoal powder to your toothpaste, or use a powder separately with just a little bit of added water. This natural, organic activated charcoal made from coconut shells mixed with calcium carbonate is the perfect option for using alone, or mixed. The light mint flavor is refreshing, plus, it also comes with a special soft brush.

ProsCons
  • Seriously easy to mix with toothpaste
  • Soft brush is perfect for stand alone occasional use
  • Really works well to whiten teeth
  • Loose powder can be messy

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5. Best Tasting: Tom’s of Maine Fluoride-Free Activated Charcoal Whitening Toothpaste

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 3 pack, 4.7 oz
  • Flavor: Peppermint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated charcoal, peppermint oil

If you find some charcoal toothpastes to have a bit of a dull flavor, you aren’t alone. But Tom’s of Maine provides a sharp peppermint flavor that will leave your mouth not only cleaner and whiter, but incredibly fresh feeling as well. Fluoride free, this formula is designed with your needs in mind to provide an option that doesn’t skimp on mouth hygiene.

ProsCons
  • Great tasting and fresh feeling
  • Fluoride free and no artificial flavoring or add-ins
  • Really works well and is more gentle than some other options
  • Will stain thin enamel and areas of plaque buildup

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6. Best Kit: Dental Expert Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Toothpaste Kit

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 2 pack, 4 oz
  • Flavor: mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated charcoal, peppermint oil, clove oil

Looking for more than just a toothpaste to improve your oral hygiene? The Dental Expert Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Kit is the perfect solution and includes a 2 pack of 4 oz toothpaste tubes, a soft toothbrush, and a tongue scraper to address all issues of mouth bacteria. Keep for yourself or share, the kit is designed to help remove stain buildup, work deep between teeth and gum line to remove harmful bacterias, and to avoid cavities and gum diseases. It has a natural peppermint flavor complete with the addition of clove oil for a deep, refreshingly clean mouth.

ProsCons
  • Natural oils for a fresher smile
  • Brush is soft against the gums
  • Really effective and helps whiten
  • No known issues

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7. Best Mineral Enhanced: Schmidt’s Wondermint with Activated Charcoal Toothpaste

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 2 pack, 4.7 oz
  • Flavor: crisp mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated Charcoal, CoQ10, goji and pomegranate extracts, organic aloe leaf juice, magnolia bark extract, and vitamin E

Certified vegan and cruelty-free, Schmidt’s Wondermint Activated Charcoal Toothpaste provides a crisp mint flavor made from all natural ingredients. Designed to help whiten teeth and combat plaque and tartar, the toothpaste is enhanced with minerals and vitamins that are absorbed by the mouth for a whole body health effect.

ProsCons
  • Excellent ingredients for whole mouth and body health
  • Tastes great and leaves mouth feeling cool
  • Works well to remove stains without being harsh
  • Care should be taken to not scrub hard to wear on enamel

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8. Best Coconut Oil: Cali White Activated Charcoal & Organic Coconut Oil Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

Key Specs:

  • Amount: 4 oz
  • Flavor: Mint
  • Active Ingredients: Activated Charcoal, Peppermint Oil, Certified Organic Coconut Oil, and Baking Soda

Effective to whiten and clean, the Cali White charcoal and coconut oil toothpaste works to rid your mouth of bacteria and break up stains and plaque for a healthier mouth. Fluoride free, cruelty free, and peroxide free, it is safe for kids and offers ingredients like diatomaceous earth and tea tree oil to help freshen your breath and work to promote gums and oral hygiene. Gentle enough to use daily, care must be taken not to over scrub, and allowing it to sit provides you full benefits of secondary active ingredients.

ProsCons
  • Tastes great
  • Stains begin to lift within a week or two of use
  • No peroxide or flouride
  • Take care to avoid overuse

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What is Charcoal Toothpaste?

Charcoal toothpaste is a toothpaste made with activated charcoal, the chemical byproduct of burned organic material. It is used in various ways medicinally, mainly because toxins will bind to it for removal from your system. This works well for your mouth health as well, since it will readily absorb bacteria and help lift stains from your teeth.

Charcoal Toothpaste Ingredients

You may find your favorite toothpaste brands offered with an addition of activated charcoal, but many options are often more natural or organic, and may only include a few basic ingredients mixed with the charcoal: such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sea salt, peppermint essential oil, bentonite clay, and coconut oil.

How to Use Charcoal Toothpaste

Although more natural, charcoal toothpaste is more abrasive compared to your run of the mill toothpaste. Because of this, you may not want to use it on a daily basis to avoid wearing down your enamel.

You use it just like any other toothpaste, but it is best to use it with a soft toothbrush due to its abrasive qualities, and letting it sit a few moments before rinsing to help draw out impurities and discoloration can be a way to take full advantage of it.

Pros and Cons of Charcoal Toothpaste

The biggest benefits of a charcoal toothpaste are the deep cleaning and stain lifting properties it provides. Also, avoiding synthetic ingredients is also a perk for those who have those concerns.

It does have a few drawbacks, though. As mentioned above, it is more abrasive, and brushing too hard with it, and too often – can wear away at your enamel. If you already have areas of thin enamel and wear on your teeth that offers a porous surface, the charcoal can build up and create a grayish cast to those areas. Because of this, it also isn’t recommended for anyone who has dental restorations as those materials may also pick up on discoloration.

You may be interested in: Best Charcoal Face Masks

Which is Your Favorite?

With such a great selection to choose from, you shouldn’t have any issue finding the perfect one to love. These are all great selections with a consumer base that highlights the use and effectiveness. Just be sure to read directions and take care to ensure charcoal toothpaste is the best choice for you. Let us know below which is your favorite!