At Bubbsi, we are dedicated to leaving the earth a cleaner, safer place for our little ones. It all starts with the non-toxic skincare products in our refillable packaging, but we’re also always looking for more sustainable self-care for our own daily routines.

In honor of Earth Day, members of the Bubbsi team took part in a bathroom swap—trading out some of the bathroom standbys we rely on for more eco-friendly razors, toothpaste and floss as well as refillable deodorant. After a week of daily testing, we rated whether the earth-friendly hygiene essentials made the grade.

What We Swapped 

We stuck to the basics: toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant and razors. These traditionally come with a fair amount of waste, and tend to inspire brand loyalty. We all want to use eco-friendly alternatives, but only if they work! Would the unsustainable products we’ve used for years finally meet their match?

What We Found

Brand you swapped: Colgate Optic White “So much plastic waste! I hate throwing out that tube. Plus, the formula has sulfates and harsh ingredients.”

Brands you tried:

Better & Better: A natural and organic eco-friendly toothpaste that comes in a pouch which uses 45 percent less material than traditional tubes, reducing landfill waste by 84 percent.

Bite: Eco-friendly toothpaste tablets made of all-natural ingredients and packaged in glass jars that are shipped in Kraft paper envelopes, padded with post-consumer, recycled newspapers, and recycled corrugated cardboard boxes sealed with paper tape.

How’d it go?

• Better & Better: “I got the ‘fully charged’ option because it is infused with B12 and D3, and I’m always deficient in both. I have to brush my teeth anyway, why not get some vitamins while I’m doing it? Although there’s no way of knowing if my vitamin D or B levels have increased from using it, I liked knowing it was there! I appreciated the eco-friendly toothpaste packaging, but I did have a problem with the cap, which was so small and slippery that it’s hard to put back on the tube. After it fell on the floor one too many times, I gave up—now the tube is sitting upside down in a jar by the sink. But you definitely can’t go without the cap, because the formula is more of a liquid than a paste.”
  
• Bite: “CUTE packaging! The eco-friendly toothpaste tablets come in a recyclable glass jar in cardboard packaging with no plastic, and a card explaining carbon footprint. The taste feels clean, much like what I’m used to. I’ve learned that it’s more than one ‘bite’ to get the paste going. I actually started a brief chew, and that seems to be the best way to get it into a paste.”

Do we have a winner?

“Bite. My teeth feel much cleaner after brushing, and I like the minimal eco-friendly toothpaste packaging.”

Will you permanently make the swap? 

“I will definitely use the jar of Bite that I have, but I am a coffee drinker and I need a strong whitening toothpaste. I have noticed my teeth are just not as white after using these for the last few weeks. I am looking for a more eco-friendly toothpaste with a mind-blowing whitening component.”

Brands you swapped: Oral-B Pro-Health Floss Picks and Waterpik Flosser “I love my Waterpik, so I was skeptical that I’d like anything more than that. I even missed it when I went away for a weekend! But I have trouble getting my kids (ages 5 and 2) to floss. My son just says, ‘No, thanks.’ (At least he’s polite about it!) Also, floss picks are a lot of plastic waste.”

Brands you tried:
Grin Kids Biodegradable Dental Flossers: non-shredding PTFE eco-friendly floss thread with colorful, biodegradable corn starch handles.

Zero Waste Floss: vegan bamboo-fiber eco-friendly floss with activated charcoal that comes in a refillable glass container with a recyclable metal dispensing lid.  

How’d it go?

• Grin: “I knew my kids would love the cute, colorful packaging, and the eco-friendly floss picks are biodegradable so that’s a huge mark in their favor. For kids older than mine, this might be a good entry product to ‘their own’ floss. My kids weren’t too engaged with the idea of flossing more than they normally do (albeit they are still pretty young), but I still think it’s good to start the habit early and will keep at it. After a few days they started getting more into it. The strawberries on the front of the container made my kids think these would be fruit flavored, but they were not. Maybe it’s a case of ‘some people see what they want to see.’”
• Zero Waste: “Never have I ever thought floss was cool—until today! This is the type of item I’d leave out on a shelf in the bathroom so that people can ask me about it. From the reusable glass container to the minimal shipping packaging, this eco-friendly floss brand checks all the boxes in being true to their zero waste promise. I’m actually obsessed! The floss feels thicker and more effective than my current Oral-B picks and the organic tea tree and peppermint oils were super refreshing without being overwhelming. This eco-friendly floss is very low waste, trendy, tasty, and effective. The thickness may be off-putting to some people, but now that I’ve tried it for this project, I would go out of my way to get it.”  

Will you permanently make the swap?

“Yes! I will keep Grin for my kids, and for myself, I will use Zero Waste in conjunction with my Waterpik, and also when I’m out and about.”

Brand you swapped: Schmidt’s: “I’ve been using Schmidt’s natural deodorant for a few years, so my body has grown accustomed to it. The downside of natural deodorant for me is that it feels waxy and can sometimes clog your pores. From an eco-perspective, my concern is around the plastic waste of replacing the container every few months, so I am ideally looking for a refillable deodorant.”

Brands you tried:
Myro: Aloe-based, vegan, soy-, gluten-, and mineral-oil-free refillable deodorant pods that come in a refillable case to reduce single-use plastic.

Native Plastic-Free: aluminum-free, all-natural, vegan deodorant, now available in plastic-free, recyclable paperboard tubes.

How’d it go?

• Myro: “I had tried Myro’s refillable deodorant last year, so I was familiar with their refillable deodorant model, but the formula wasn’t working for me. I had heard they changed the formula, so I was eager to try it again. The refillable deodorant packaging is easy to use (although my refill does pop out of the applicator every now and then). It also smells great and isn’t waxy. But I did need to reapply throughout the day.”
• Native: “Native’s plastic-free deodorant is ideal from an eco-perspective, but the paperboard packaging isn’t all that user-friendly.  You can’t twist it up to apply, you have to push it up with your finger (like a push pop) and apply it at the same time, which can be messy. I loved the smell of the deodorant and the formula works very similarly to the Schmidt’s deodorant that I use.”

Do we have a winner?

“I really wanted to like Native’s fully paperboard packaging, but it still needs improvements. So, I would choose the refillable deodorant Myro, only because I don’t sweat a lot and don’t mind reapplying every so often. I also like that it’s less waxy. If you sweat a lot but want to go clean, I would stick with Native or Schmidt’s deodorants in their plastic packaging for now.”

Will you permanently make the swap?

 “I will likely alternate between Myro and my current Schmidt’s.”

Brand you swapped: Gillette Fusion “My main concerns are A) the rubber gets moldy, and B) the blade, which I change about every 6 weeks, is bulky and I hate that it goes into the landfill. These might be slightly more eco-friendly than disposable razors (which I used to use), but still.”

Brands you tried:
Well Earth Goods Safety Razor & Replacement Blades: stainless steel single-blade eco-friendly razors and replacement blades with zero plastic waste used in the product or packaging.

Leaf: plastic-free, 100 percent single- or double-blade metal eco-friendly razors and replacement blades.

How’d it go?

• Well Earth: “My first thought: How do I affix this tiny blade into the razor? Will I cut myself? I did figure it out, but I wasn’t 100% sure I did it correctly. The eco-friendly metal razor is nice to look at, but on my first shave, I felt that this single blade wasn’t doing much. (I’m used to a five-blade razor.) After one shave, my underarm skin felt a little sensitive.”
•  Leaf: “The minimal packaging was a luxe-feeling matte box that was nice enough to keep in the bathroom, and the eco-friendly razor itself is handsome. But, similar to Well Earth, the blades come separately and you have to affix them, which feels intimidating. In the shower, the swivel, two-blade situation was closer in feel to the razor I am used to, and the result was a smooth shave.”

Do we have a winner?

“Leaf, because it works well, looks stylish, and is sustainable.”

 Will you permanently make the swap?

“I think the eco-friendly Leaf razor performs about the same as the Gillette Fusion—but perhaps the Fusion edges it out (so to speak) with its 5-blade situation. I won’t throw away the Fusion yet… but for now I am switching to the Leaf. It is a bit pricey, but over time it will cost less than my Fusion. Changing the blades is not my favorite—they are literal little razor blades that you have to fasten in. I will likely force my poor husband to do it.”