Pearly whites: The most effective whitening toothpastes for a dazzling smile (2023)

Containing perlite, a dental grade polishing agent, this toothpaste promises to make your teeth up to four shades whiter in just three weeks – and we think it delivered. It’s easy to use and lathers up nicely when brushing, and had a faint minty taste that’s just enough to leave your mouth feeling fresh and clean.

Our teeth felt super smooth post use, and had a nice shine to them too. In terms of how long it took to notice a difference in colour, we’d say about two weeks. By that point our teeth looked at least a shade (if not two) whiter. However, what really impressed us was how its polishing capabilities were not just able to make our teeth whiter overall, but also removed stains that had built up in an area of crowding on our lower teeth that other toothpastes had never been able to shift. More stock is expected soon.

A clinical study conducted on 76 people who had stains caused by food and drink showed this toothpaste has the ability to reverse up to 15 years of discolouration. Was that the case when we tested it? Well, ultimately, it’s hard to say how many years of staining it took off our gnashers, but it certainly made a dent.

The paste is smooth rather than grainy, and is nice and thick too. It cleans well, leaving teeth feeling super smooth, and the professional whitening ingredients within the formula help lift stains – red wine stood no chance against this. But there was one area where we felt there was room for improvement, and that was the “taste” and subsequent fresh breath effect.

This particular toothpaste has a rather peculiar taste, it’s not minty at all in our opinion and while it definitely gets rid of morning breath it doesn’t leave a minty fresh scent in your mouth – meaning mouthwash post cleansing was absolutely necessary.

In terms of the formula and packaging we were off to a good start. The tube is bpa-free and the box it comes in is 100 per cent recyclable, while the formula contains no sulfates, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavours, no colourants and no peroxide, making it better for you and the environment.

But when it came to whitening how did it fare? Well, we found that this smooth paste, that’s a little sticky compared with traditional toothpastes (we never lost any in the sink which we appreciated), did a good job on removing new surface stains. However, the calcium mineral blend used to naturally whiten the teeth in this formula didn’t make much of a dent on older stains. But teeth felt clean, had a nice shine to them and the farm grown peppermint offered that fresh breath sensation and banished bad breath for hours.

For maximum whiteness, abrasives alongside teeth bleaching peroxide are generally used to get teeth as white as possible. But, Hismile uses phthalimidoperoxycaproicacid (PAP), rather than peroxides, to give a gentler – but still noticeable – whitening effect. And we definitely noticed how much gentler this was than other peroxide-based toothpastes we tried.

Sensitive gums, bleeding or tooth sensitivity were all conditions that can often result from heavy duty whitening products, even toothpastes, and with this we didn’t experience any of these side effects. We were pretty surprised because this non-foaming iridescent serum like toothpaste effectively removed stains in as little as a few days.

But while we were impressed by its whitening prowess, we did think it lacked a fresh minty taste, was tricky to squeeze out of its tube and its runny nature meant we found we over-served ourselves on occasion – oops.

After a lifetime of brushing with traditional paste formulas, switching to tabs took some getting used to. These dentist formulated eco-friendly packaged tablets need to be chewed for five seconds before you start brushing, which means we had to do a little brain training to stop our natural inclination to swallow post chewing. We also had to remember not to rinse our mouths after brushing too, as each tab contains B12 and vitamin E. These are vital to maintaining healthy gums, as well as a healthy immune system so rinsing the formula away is a no-no.

When it comes to stain removal this minty fresh, frothy formula contains hydroxyapatite, an exciting new mineral that’s the building block of natural enamel. It closes all the open pores in the teeth and in tandem with other whitening ingredients blocks stain formation, and adds a glossy shine to the teeth all while being incredibly gentle.

A naturally minty flavour derived from wild mint and peppermint leaves, combined with hero deep cleanser sodium bicarbonate, and cavity fighter fluoride, make for a toothpaste we could get behind. It’s SLS free too, yet still foamed up nicely and we found that over the course of testing our teeth looked brighter and whiter too. The formula is vegan, cruelty free and pretty “clean”, and we found that there was no sensitivity from using this whitening paste either.

Our only gripe is that for the price we expected a little more innovation in terms of its formula – as while it did leave our teeth whiter it is pretty standard, mainly consisting of silica and sodium bicarbonate which only physically removes surface stains.

This green mint, peppermint and menthol infused paste is one of the most lux toothpastes we’d ever seen. The tube aesthetic is minimalist and resembles more of a covetable face mask or hand cream. Not only did it elevate the look of our bathroom sink, the formula has a fair few ingredients you’d see in your skincare – which is not so surprising when you discover this is made in Switzerland, a skincare mecca.

Hydroxyapatite helped protect the outer layer of our teeth by preventing the breakdown of enamel, while anti-inflammatory actives helped boost gum health and Swiss flower edelweiss, a potent antioxidant, worked to balance bacteria. There’s even a moisturising amino acid to relieve dryness for good measure.

The question remains though, did it actually whiten our teeth? In short, yes. A mix of exfoliating and bleaching ingredients silica and sodium bicarbonate left our teeth around two shades lighter and a lot brighter.

Standing out in the sterile-looking dental world, Marvis manages to blend fashion and function thanks to its sleek branding and efficient whitening formula. Founded way back in 1958, the Italian brand has found a surprising style status in the last decade owing to its covetable and climate-friendly packaging.

At £9 per 85ml tube, it’s at the pricier end of the market – but it’s not just a pretty face. Unlike some whitening products, Marvis’s thick formula is creamy rather than grainy or pasty, working to cleanse and condition the gums and teeth – and we found it pleasingly minty and fresh.

As well as leaving our mouth feeling thoroughly cleaned, we noticed its whitening effect within just a few days. After two weeks, our tester (an obsessive coffee drinker who is also very partial to a glass of red wine) had a noticeably whiter and shinier sheen to their teeth. Marvis’s toothpaste is not merely an attractive addition to your bathroom cabinet, but a very efficient one, too.