How the toothpaste tube evolved

Do we even think about the tube that contains the toothpaste we use every day?

Daily basic dental care is typically associated with the toothpaste and the toothbrush. However, the toothpaste tube is taken for granted. Dental care is as old as the human race. The Egyptians are known to have used powders made by crushing many ingredients as far back as 5000 BC. Did you know that the Pharaohs’ graves contained their brushing sticks for use in the afterlife? The Chinese mixed herbal mints with ginseng and salt; and, in India, we chew sticks of certain trees and also use other herbal mixtures.

Beginnings

The toothpaste, as we know it today, began around the 1850s. The early ones contained soap along with other ingredients. Both this and the toothpowders that came earlier were available in jars. Damp brushes were dipped in jars causing hygiene concerns. This led to the introduction of a tiny spoon so that the paste could be applied on the brush.

Around 1890, a dentist, Dr. Lucius Sheffield — who is credited with having created the first toothpaste tube — noticed that the metal tubes that held artists’ paint were airtight and kept the paint from drying out. Also this allowed for an individualised and hygienic serving of paste plus it lowered the price of the packaging. The initial tubes were made of tin and lead. But the metal shortage during World War II led to mixed plastic and metal tubes.

Enter plastics

By the 1950s, manufacturers were making plastic tubes for suntan lotion but the type of polyethylene used reacted with toothpaste ingredients. The all-plastic toothpaste tubes, introduced in the 1990s, became a worldwide phenomenon and a major problem. Over 900 million tubes are thrown away annually causing a recycling nightmare. Not to speak of the cardboard box in which they come, which is also thrown away.

Fortunately, alternatives exist and are becoming more popular. Some just involve going back to earlier forms such as making your own toothpaste. Today, toothpastes and toothpowders are also available in glass jars with tiny spoons, which can be recycled. Another variety that’s becoming popular is a dry compact tablet. Pop it into your mouth, chew it like a sweet. When it mixes with your saliva, it froths and you can start brushing.

Tooth powder and pills not only take up lesser volume, they also do away with the need for tubes. So it seems that, while toothpaste tubes had an important role to play, the time has come to replace them something more sustainable.

Published - October 11, 2024 10:00 am IST