Our ingredient Ethos…

The swirl of buzz words on social media, online shopping and on product packaging makes it hard to sort claims of safe, natural and non-toxic from reality.
We at Brio believe in transparency in our ingredients and why they are in our products. We want our customers to know what they are putting on their teeth and the purpose of their use.

Here is a list of ingredients we believe are beneficial to whitening and oral health and therefore choose to include in our oral care products:

Sodium Fluoride – consider it the O.G. of cavity fighting. Fluoride has over the years proven to be a very effective ingredient in protecting against cavities. So, what is the outrage? Fluoride can be toxic at extremely high doses and can cause digestive system distress when ingested at high levels. This is extremely rare and often not serious. We do not mind if you want to filter fluoride out of drinking water OR refrain from having children use fluoride toothpaste until good brushing habits are established. But we see a benefit to having it in your toothpaste.

Xylitol – not much controversy here. Xylitol is great as a natural sweetener – better than most, but the benefits of xylitol may not extend much beyond its sweet taste. Most research agrees that Xylitol use can reduce presence of the bacteria streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), but it is still unclear if that reduction helps prevent tooth decay. Given the lack of risk and potential benefits, xylitol is a great choice as a sweetener in oral care products. You will find it in Ollie toothpaste.

Coconut Oil – We are not going to claim that coconut oil is a wonder ingredient that will bring about world peace. But we choose to include it over another chemical to serve the same purpose because it is antimicrobial, edible and high in lauric acid which studies have shown kills bad bacteria in the mouth.

Hydroxyapatite – We consider Ha one of the most overlooked ingredients in toothpaste. It is a naturally occurring mineral calcium apatite—calcium, phosphorous, and oxygen. It is found in our bones and tooth enamel. It is a part of a very rare group of minerals that’s bioactive. It has been found to help bones and tooth enamel grow! That is right. After decades if not centuries of believing that when we lose our enamel, it has gone forever, has been reversed all thanks to Hydroxyapatite, the MVP of minerals. This very rare mineral was highly sought after until recently when scientists have been able to recreate this mineral in a lab making it more widely available to companies and consumers. We are very excited to include it in our toothpaste to help boost tooth enamel!

SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) – SLS is a foaming agent that is used in many toothpastes – it is one of the ingredients that make the toothpaste bubble up in your mouth. The foaming action helps disperse active ingredients during brushing and can help oil and water-based ingredients stay mixed.  Without it, toothpaste can have a watery feel.  It is rare but possible for some individuals be sensitive to SLS, so if you have experienced skin irritation issues in the past, you may want to avoid it. We feel the benefits SLS outweigh the risks and that no better alternatives exist.

Potassium Nitrate – Sure, the active ingredient in gun powder sounds scary, but this ionic salt has been a staple ingredient in sensitivity controlling toothpaste for years. Potassium nitrate has no known risks and with one in eight people experiencing tooth sensitivity, there was not a good reason to leave it out. Ollie toothpaste and Ollie whitening strips contain Potassium Nitrate.

Hydrogen Peroxide – One of the most effective whitening tools at our disposal, Hydrogen Peroxide’s safety depends on the concentration, duration, and additives in the whitening solution.
Our Ollie White strips have a 6% Hydrogen Peroxide dilution which several studies have shown to be both effective in whitening without endangering the micro hardness of enamel like other white strips at higher concentrations. 

This makes Ollie white strips a great choice for people with sensitive teeth who want a bright smile.

Here are some ingredients you will NOT find in our oral care products.

Triclosan – An anti-bacterial commonly found in toothpaste and oral care. In general, we believe “anti-bacterial” is not the best idea for toothpaste. Your mouth is home to billions of bacteria, and the majority of them are beneficial. Most dentists agree that efforts to reduce oral bacteria need to be specialized and targeted. The FDA banned Triclosan from soap in 2016 – but not from toothpaste.

Alcohol – Alcohol is used in wound treatment for a reason. It kills bacteria. Much like Triclosan, it also kills good bacteria in your mouth.  It is also why we do not have alcohol mouthwash.

Artificial colors – (Blue 1) no, your toothpaste does not have to be colored to be effective. Other than making your sink colorful, artificial colors can be linked to allergies. Bottom line, your toothpaste does not need to look pretty to be effective. If there is no benefit from it, it does not make it into our oral care products.

Artificial Sweeteners that did not make the Ollie cut:


Saccharin – not the best sweetener. There are potential links to cancer, which when weighed against the fact that other sweeteners are available, we decided to keep this one out of our products.
Aspartame – This controversial sweetener has been in the news since its original FDA approval in 1967. Several companies have removed Aspartame from their formulations since the 1990s and we opted not to include it from the start. 



Charcoal – While this ingredient is not going to react negatively or cause any harm, charcoal does not offer any benefits either. It is used in toothpaste as an abrasive ingredient to scrub off tartar and plaque buildup, unfortunately this abrasive quality makes it abrasive to the good enamel on your teeth when used too frequently. We want our toothpaste to be good for everyday use and chose against hyper abrasion.

Parabens – Simply put, we do not want Parabens in our products. Parabens are  common artificial preservatives in cosmetics, but recently the industry has been turning away from them for a variety of reasons including mold growth, obesity, links to infertility, among others.  

Carrageenan – AKA Irish Moss is derivative of seaweed; Carrageenan is gaining popularity as a natural thickener. But a recent study has shown that it is not the ancient miracle thickener many tout it as. As Carrageenan decomposes, it can become toxic. The effects present as intestinal distress, worsening symptoms of conditions like IBS and Crohn’s. While the science is still new, we would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to our customer’s health.

Propylene glycol – Texture is a big thing to think about whenever you are putting something in your mouth, but in weighing how to keep our toothpaste smooth, we opted against antifreeze, need we say more? Probably not, but we will. Propylene glycol is an additive used to keep the texture in toothpaste and other edible products smooth and easy to squeeze out of tubes. Unfortunately for consumers, Propylene glycol is known to cause skin irritation and organ toxicity.

When you know better, you do better, and Brio wants to do better with our oral care line.