Xylitol
Also known as: birch sugar
A sugar alcohol that tastes sweet and is less friendly to cavity-causing bacteria than sugar.
01. What it is
What it is
A five-carbon sugar alcohol used as a sweetener in oral care and sugar-free gums.
02. Why it’s used
Why it’s used
Improves taste without sucrose and may reduce mutans streptococci adherence in oral ecology contexts.
03. The concern
The concern
Toxic to dogs if ingested in meaningful amounts; keep tubes away from pets. High digestive doses can cause GI upset in humans, though toothpaste amounts are small.
04. Our take
Our take
One of the better supporting ingredients in clean toothpaste. A plus on labels, not a miracle cure by itself.
05. Found in
Brands we reviewed
These ranked pastes list or rely on this ingredient in the formula we evaluated.
- Klyyr One+
Rank #1 · Score 92.8
- Boka Ela Mint Nano-Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste
Rank #3 · Score 87
- RiseWell Mineral Toothpaste
Rank #4 · Score 85.8
- Fygg Nano-Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste
Rank #2 · Score 87.5
- Wellnesse Whitening Toothpaste
Rank #6 · Score 82.2
- Squigle Enamel Saver
Rank #9 · Score 74.1
- SprinJene Natural Toothpaste (fluoride and fluoride-free options)
Rank #11 · Score 73.7
06. Sources
Further reading
Third-party citations, not studies we ran.