I concede, I am more mercurial than Gigi. I need to use a different toothpaste almost every other day. It squarely depends upon which side of the bed I get up from.
My torrid affair with toothpastes began as a child. With Binaca. They would give away tiny plastic animals with their toothpastes. I would love collecting them. Plus I was a devotee of Ameen Sayani and his Binaca Geetmala was amongst my favourite radio programmes.
To this day, toothpastes captivate me. My favourite has to be Cuoto, a Portuguese brand that is masterfully medicinal. I love their tagline: “Since 1932, on everybody’s mouth.” Cuoto is a magical multi-tasker. It not only cleans teeth, it disinfects the mouth too. Thanks to its antiseptic properties it fights mouth infections and inflammatory conditions and prevents cavities. Couto toothpaste is not tested on animals and does not have any ingredients from animals. It does not contain SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) or fluoride.
— Gigi Hadid
The other jewel is Weleda. It has many variants. I prefer the salt one. It includes sea salt to create a powerful cleanser and whitener for your teeth. Your gums are purified and stimulated by the organic blackthorn flower extract. The gently effective disinfectant in the soothing myrrh extract and the astringent properties of organic ratanhia are proven healthcare secrets from ancient cultures that naturally clean and tone one’s mouth.
In 2003, Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals of Japan released Sumigaki. It is an activated charcoal-based toothpaste. With its charcoal particles, this black coloured toothpaste guarantees to prevent bad breath and tooth decay. The taste is a tad weird. Think mint mixed with grape. But what the hell, it is effective.
Another favourite is Elgydium. It is fabulous for sensitive teeth. It contains Pierre Fabre’s unique fluoride, Fluorinol, to help protect your teeth against decay and chlorhexidine to inhibit the bacteria that cause gum disease.
I also like Tom’s Of Maine’s Simply White. It uses naturally sourced silicas for clinically proven whitening without bleaching chemicals. Plus, it is the only natural whitening toothpaste to earn the ADA Seal.
Copywriter, author, art collector, wine collector, son,
brother, husband, father.... Swapan lives in Gurgaon.
His heart, however, is in Calcutta
