What Is SLS in Toothpaste, and Should You Avoid It?

SLS — sodium lauryl sulfate — is a detergent added to many toothpastes to make them foam. The foam feels like cleaning, but it isn't what actually cleans your teeth; the brushing does. SLS is mainly there for that satisfying lather.

People avoid it for a couple of reasons. It can be irritating for some — it's a known trigger for canker sores in certain people — and it's simply an additive that does nothing for oral health, so anyone trimming their ingredient list tends to drop it. Clean toothpastes and tooth powders usually leave it out, which is why they foam less. Less foam isn't worse cleaning; it's just fewer additives. More in our fluoride-free oral care guide.

Try Dentō SLS-free oral care.