Jack N' Jill Natural Toothpaste Milkshake

Tastes Fantastic! Highest Xylitol Toothpaste Available. Adults and kids will look forward to Bedtime Routine! – I love that this is fluoride free and available at Woolworths. For a bit of fun, I purchased this Milkshake Natural Toothpaste as a natural toothpaste option that had Xylitol in it. I've heard wonderful stories from people about the benefits of Xylitol on teeth and cavities, and have done some reading supporting the use of xylitol in dental health to significantly reduce damaging bacteria. [1] [2] [3]

I also wanted to find a fluoride-free toothpaste that actually had natural ingredients, and wasn't just capitalising on "natural" marketing. e.g. with Red Seal, whose natural ingredients include the controversial carrageenan. I am really happy that the post-clean feeling for Jack N' Jill isn't one of not being able to get the toothpaste out of my mouth, no matter how much I rinse. I'd say that most people would benefit from multiple cleans per day.

So the first thing about Milkshake Natural Toothpaste by Jack N' Jill is, it is kid sized. It's 50g. That's about half the size of a regular adult tube and about twice the size of travel tubes. I quite like the tube size. It's easy to handle and pack if necessary. Depending on where you get it, there are lots of fun flavours. Sometimes it can be found on sale in Google's Shopping section at online suppliers.

At $6.50 - $6.95 in Woolworths, it's pricey. When it's on special, it's around $1 saving on this. However in thinking about quality, the thing is, for Xylitol to be effective at reducing cavities, according to the California Dental Association [3], it needs to be used regularly and also be the first ingredient in dental products to be Xylitol. This toothpaste is the only one where this is the case. The others contain a lot of fillers including water (aqua). Some also contain other questionable ingredients.

Jack N' Jill Natural Toothpaste Milkshake ($13.00/100g, 50g tube for $6.50) Ingredients: Xylitol, Purified Water, Glycerin (Coconut derived), Silica, Organic Natural Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Organic Calendula Officinalis Extract, Potassium Sorbate (Naturally derived), Citric Acid

If a person wanted to save some bucks, they could purchase their own Xylitol and clean with that instead, but the The only ingredient I don't love is the citric acid, and the silica. They need to use something though. And I'd rather those than the rubbish in commercial and some of the other "natural" brands.

Other Jack N' Jill flavours available at Woolworths have very similar and reliable ingredients, where many other toothpastes vary ingredients a lot between flavours:

Jack N' Jill Toothpaste Bubblegum ($13.90/100g, 50g tube for $6.95) Ingredients: Xylitol, Purified Water, Glycerin (Coconut derived), Silica, Organic Flavor, Xantham Gum, Organic Calendula Officinalis Extract, Potassium Sorbate (Naturally derived), Citric Acid

Jack N' Jill Natural Toothpaste Strawberry ($13.00/100g, 50g tube for $6.50) Ingredients: Xylitol, Purified Water, Glycerin (Coconut derived), Silica, Organic Strawberry Flavor (Fragaria Chiloensis), Xantham Gum, Organic Calendula Officinalis Extract, Potassium Sorbate (Naturally derived), Citric Acid

Here are how the other brands at Woolworths compare at the time of this review:

Grants Of Australia Toothpaste Mild Mint ($2.73/100g, 110g tube for $3) Ingredients:

Calcium Carbonate, Water (aqua), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (certified organic), Glycerin (vegetable), Xylitol, Silica, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (from coconut), Cellulose Gum, Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate, Flavour/Aroma (Natural Herbal Extract)*, Stevioside (Stevia), Magnesium Hydroxide, Potassium Chloride. *Mint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Cardamon, Anise, Caraway, Coriander, Rosemary, Clary Sage, Limonene# & Linalool#. # Essential Oil

Grants Of Australia Toothpaste Propolis ($2.73/100g, 110g tube for $3) Ingredients:

Water (aqua), Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin (vegetable), Xylitol, Silica, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (from coconut), Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate, Cellulose Gum, Flavour/Aroma (Natural Herbal Extract)*, Menthol, Magnesium Hydroxide, Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea tree) Leaf Oil, Methyl Salicylate (oil of wintergreen), Potassium Chloride, Propolis Extract, Stevioside (Stevia). *Mint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Cardamon, Anise, Caraway, Coriander, Rosemary, Clary Sage, Limonene# & Linalool#. # Essential Oil

Grants Of Australia Whitening Toothpaste With Baking Soda ($2.73/100g, 110g tube for $3) Ingredients:

Aqua, Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin (Vegetable), Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking soda), Xylitol, Silica, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (from Coconut), Cellulose Gum, Peppermint Oil, Stevioside (Stevia), Menthol.

Red Seal Strong Mint Toothpaste ($4.50/100g, 100g tube for $4.50) Ingredients:

Calcium Carbonate, Water, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Dolomite, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Hydrated Silica, Cellulose Gum, Bentonite, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Menthol, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Illicium Verum (Anise) fruit/seed Oil, Sodium Saccharin, Totarol.

Ecostore Complete Care Toothpaste ($7.00/100g, 100g tube for $7.00) Ingredients:

Aqua, Lauryl Glucoside, Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Kunzea Ericoides (Kanuka) Leaf Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil, Menthol, Xylitol, Carrageenan, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil

References:

1. Bahador, A., Lesan, S., & Kashi, N. (2012). Effect of xylitol on cariogenic and beneficial oral streptococci: a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. Iranian journal of microbiology, 4(2), 75–81.

2. Milgrom, P., Ly, K. A., Roberts, M. C., Rothen, M., Mueller, G., & Yamaguchi, D. K. (2006). Mutans streptococci dose response to xylitol chewing gum. Journal of dental research, 85(2), 177–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/154405910608500212

3. California Dental Association, Xylitol, The Decay-Preventive Sweetener, accessed Sept 14, 2021