Flavour of the day: Breath Palette toothpaste
Think about toothpaste for a second. Put that fresh, minty taste in your mind. Now, try and imagine brushing your teeth using… kiwi toothpaste. Or lavender. How about the year’s first batch of green tea leaves?
It’s not as weird as you’re thinking. Okay, it is. We wouldn’t write this post if it wasn’t.
Different day, different flavour, same toothbrush
Breath Palette’s a huge range of toothpastes in fun, weird flavours. 31 types – an option for every day of the month. If that month’s January, March, May, July, August, October, or December. Any other time, there’s too much choice. Now there’s a reason to always brush your teeth in the morning. (and at night!)
All tubes have the same simple black and white design. But the names are written in English, so it’s okay. Or go by the big number at the top, to pick the right flavour at a glance.
After #0 (tongue-brushing gel), the 31 funky toothpastes are:
- Sweet Salt
- Tropical Pineapple
- Peppermint
- Fresh Yoghurt
- First Blush Green Tea
- Rose
- Monkey Banana
- Honey
- Kiwi
- Cafe au Lait
- Plum
- Tsugaru Apple
- Vanilla
- Indian Curry
- Strawberry
- California Orange
- Kyoto-style Matcha
- White Peach
- Kyushu Ume
- Lavender
- Darjeeling Tea
- Cinnamon
- Kyoho Grape
- Lemon Tea
- Bitter Chocolate
- Blueberry
- Caramel
- Espresso
- Grapefruit
- Pumpkin Pudding
- Cola
They’ve all got awesome descriptions. Fresh Yoghurt’s for ‘sweet and refreshing toothbrush times’, and the ‘grown-up’ flavour of Monkey Banana’ll remind you of Osaka mixed juice. (Wait, never had mixed juice? You’re missing out!)
Weirdly, with Bitter Chocolate you’re meant to think of Valentine’s Day ‘obligation’ chocolate. The stuff you give to people you don’t really like. The description also says this flavour’s popular with guys – mmm, manly bitterness – and stops dieters from snacking.
If you ask us, brushing with chocolate’s only gonna make us more hungry.
The crazy taste of cavity prevention
Okay, so they’re fun. Now to run through how effective Breath Palette toothpastes really are.
It does claim not to foam up in your mouth as much as other toothpastes do. To some people, that’s a sign it’s not working well enough. But the low foam level’s deliberate! Trust that it’s cleaning without excess bubbles.
We checked out the online reviews, to see if people really judge their toothpaste on the foam. Turns out they do. Where brushers don’t rate Breath Palette so highly, it’s down to either that or the flavour – ‘turns out I don’t like this taste after all, oh well’.
On to the actual contents. The first ingredient on the list’s calcium carbonate. Your body needs calcium, for healthy teeth and bones. Gold star right there. Plus another for the tooth-protecting power of herbs. The 5 herbal extracts include licorice and honeysuckle. We’ve heard licorice helps if you’ve got sensitive teeth, and honeysuckle prevents gum flareups.
Breath Pallette also contains xylitol. It stops bacteria sticking to your teeth. That means less chance of tooth decay and cavities.
You won’t feel as much of a tingle after brushing, though. It’s got menthol for freshness, but no alcohol or fluoride. If you come from a country where there’s always fluoride in the toothpaste/water/everything, that’s gonna seem weird at first. Doesn’t take long to get used to.
Start the party in your mouth
Pick any crazy flavour of Breath Palette toothpaste, and you can find it online. Each 25g tube’s meant to last 1-2 weeks, so you can try out different ones more often.
DEJAPAN gives you quick access to loads of Japanese online shops. And the weird Japan stuff they sell (like curry-flavoured toothpaste).
