Spotlight on: Titanium Dioxide (also known as E171) is a white colouring & brightening agent. It's used in many household products, including confectionery, cake decorations (yum!), cosmetics, paper and most notably, some toothpastes (which is where we come in!).
Whilst we like shiny things, this effect comes at a cost. Studies support the potential for a 'genotoxic effect' when 171 is consumed, which (in certain volumes) may change or damage DNA, amongst other things. THIS is why we decided to exclude it from all of our formulations, along with a number of other toxins (inc. SLS, bleaches, triclosan, the list goes on…)
Why is this conversation happening now? Just last week, Skittles was swept up in a US lawsuit calling out the use of this "toxic" ingredient, Titanium Dioxide, making them 'unfit for human consumption'.
You'll need to don your detective hat & magnifying glass to find "171" on ingredient labels as it's often referred to in terms like "colour added" or "artificial colours". Whilst 171 is banned in the EU (and there is a movement in the US to ban it as we speak), it's worth mentioning it is still legal for use in Australia (we just opt to replace many of the common toxins in conventional toothpastes with nourishing vitamins & minerals and nature-derived superfoods). In cute tubes. Win-Win! ✨✨
Over to you!
Want to know more about why oral health is so important, check out our blog on "Microbiome, it's not just for guts."
You can read about some of the other toxins we choose to leave out of our toothpastes, like SLS.