Ultra Curious: Charcoal Toothpaste

In 2017, charcoal hit the beauty market and launched a charcoal detoxifying skincare craze that heavily influenced the food trends space by 2018. Popular for its dramatic black aesthetic, particularly in the Instagram food space, charcoal food was ultimately hampered by the medical community’s warnings against consistent ingestion of the ingredient. However, its consistent popularity well into 2019 (The Body Shop’s charcoal facial mask is sold every 15 seconds), toothpaste brands decided to tow the line between beauty and food by claiming to whiten teeth naturally - after all, charcoal is a mineral found in nature. With more toothpaste brands expanding their portfolio to include it and several Ultralites using it, a select few who hadn’t yet tried it had to experience it for ourselves.

Warning to all who try charcoal toothpaste, dentists are concerned about the safety of your teeth and caution against using much of this, if any.