Colgate Launches Vegan-Certified Toothpaste In The UK

Colgate has launched a one of its kind product in the UK: vegan-certified toothpaste that comes in a recyclable tube! That’s righ. Named Smile For Good, it’s both vegan and plastic-free.

Many kinds of toothpaste are non-vegan because they contain all manner of animal derivatives, from glycerine to bone meal. This toothpaste has been certified by the Vegan Society UK (that includes the paste and the packaging).

Each ingredient is listed on the pack along with its benefits. The tube states that fluoride helps fight cavities, silica cleans and polishes and glycerine prevents the paste from drying out. (Smile For Good uses plant-derived glycerine.)

Up until now, toothpaste tubes couldn’t be recycled because they were made with a combination of plastic and aluminium. Smile For Good comes in a tube made from HDPE or high-density polyethylene, which is the same plastic used in milk containers.

The technology will be shared with competitors in a bid to reduce plastic wastage (toothpaste tubes are one of the most widely used non-recyclable packaging materials). Colgate-Palmolive’s chief executive, Noel Wallace, said: “Colgate wants to make tubes a part of the circular economy by keeping this plastic productive and eliminating waste. If we can standardise recyclable tubes among all companies, we all win. We can align on these common standards for tubes and still compete with what’s inside them."

The product can be purchased at Waitrose and Boots outlets in the UK and costs 5 pounds for a 75 ml tube, which is almost 6x the cost of regular toothpaste which retails at 80p. But the benefits are hard to ignore!

If you’re wondering when this toothpaste will be available in India, fret not: because we already have vegan toothpaste on our shelves. Good old Vicco has been crafting and selling vegan toothpaste for years, based on an ayurvedic recipe. So now when you shop, you know which brand to look out for!

_{*Feature image courtesy Vegan Food & Living}

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