Topic: sodium laurel sulfate

We spend a lot of time thinking about the products we put on our face, hair, and skin, but when it comes to oral care, we tend not to experiment much: A toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss are the only requisite elements of personal hygiene of the toothy variety. No question. In recent years, however, consumers have begun opting for natural toothpastes in lieu of brands that contain Christmasy colors, artificial flavorings, and suspicious chemicals that we don’t feel quite right about. In fact, Tom’s of Maine, a brand whose tagline is “natural care,” has become so popular that it’s widely available in chain grocery and drug stores — not just niche health food stores and expensive pharmacies. But when we flipped over our tube of Tom’s to check out the ingredients, we found one that didn’t sit well with us — sodium laurel sulfate (or SLS) — making us wonder of Tom’s is really all that it’s cracked up to be. More »