Toothpaste Ingredients Explained: What Makes a 98% Natural-Origin Toothpaste Work?

Edinco Rose Rio Aloe Vera Gel toothpaste with aloe vera leaves and spa-inspired natural setting, featuring a 98% natural-origin formula.

Have you ever looked at the back of your toothpaste tube and wondered what all those ingredients actually do?

As part of our toothpaste ingredients explained guide, we are using EDINCO Rose Rio Aloe Vera + Propolis Toothpaste as a real example.

It is SLS-free, fluoride-free and made with more than 98% natural-origin ingredients.

But “98% natural-origin” does not mean that 98% of the toothpaste is simply aloe vera, propolis or herbs. Toothpaste still needs a carefully balanced blend of ingredients to clean the teeth, retain moisture, create the right texture, help the paste spread during brushing and keep the formula stable.

Let’s explore what makes it work.

1. Sorbitol

Sorbitol helps keep toothpaste moist and prevents it from drying out in the tube.

It can also add mild sweetness without using ordinary sugar.

2. Water

Water helps bring the different ingredients together and contributes to the smooth consistency of the toothpaste.

It may sound simple, but it plays an important role in creating a formula that is easy to spread across the teeth during brushing.

3. Hydrated Silica

Hydrated silica is one of the main cleaning and polishing ingredients in toothpaste.

It helps remove everyday deposits and surface staining from the tooth surface during brushing.

4. Glycerin

Glycerin is a humectant, which means it helps the toothpaste retain moisture.

It also contributes to the smooth texture of the finished paste and helps prevent it from drying out.

5. Aloe Vera Leaf Juice

Aloe vera is one of the key botanical ingredients in Edinco Rose Rio Aloe Vera + Propolis Toothpaste.

Its presence gives the formula part of its distinctive botanical identity.

It is also a good example of why a toothpaste described as “aloe vera toothpaste” is still a complete formulation made up of many different ingredients with different roles.

6. Decyl Glucoside

Decyl glucoside is the cleansing surfactant in the formula.

It helps the toothpaste spread across the teeth and around the mouth during brushing.

This toothpaste is SLS-free, so it uses decyl glucoside rather than sodium lauryl sulfate as its cleansing surfactant.

If you are comparing different toothpaste formulas and want to understand which type may suit different oral-care priorities, read our guide on how to choose the right type of toothpaste.

7. Cellulose Gum

Cellulose gum is a thickening and stabilising ingredient.

It helps give toothpaste its familiar consistency and helps keep the different ingredients evenly combined.

8. Propolis Extract

Propolis is another botanical ingredient used in the Aloe Vera + Propolis formula.

Together with aloe vera, it helps give this toothpaste its distinctive botanical formulation.

9. Stevia Extract

Stevia is used to provide sweetness without the use of conventional sugar.

It helps make the brushing experience more pleasant without relying on ordinary sugar for taste.

10. Preservatives and Stability Ingredients

A toothpaste also needs to remain stable throughout storage and everyday use.

Ingredients such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol help maintain the quality and stability of the finished formula.

11. Colours

The toothpaste also contains small amounts of colouring ingredients.

These contribute to the appearance of the toothpaste rather than its main cleaning action.

What Does “More Than 98% Natural-Origin” Actually Mean?

This is one of the most important things to understand when looking at toothpaste ingredients explained.

More than 98% natural-origin ingredients does not mean that 98% of the toothpaste is made from aloe vera, propolis or herbs.

A toothpaste still needs functional ingredients to make it work properly.

In Rose Rio Aloe Vera + Propolis Toothpaste:

Sorbitol and glycerin help retain moisture
Hydrated silica helps clean and polish
Decyl glucoside helps cleanse and spread the toothpaste
Cellulose gum helps maintain texture
Aloe vera and propolis provide botanical ingredients
Stevia contributes sweetness
Preservation ingredients help maintain product stability

The important point is that natural-origin describes the origin of the ingredients in the formulation, not simply how many herbs or plant extracts are inside the tube.

The manufacturer’s documentation confirms the ingredient list used in the formula, but it does not explain exactly which individual ingredients were counted towards the more than 98% natural-origin calculation or which calculation method was used. SDS Natural Toothpaste Rose Rio…

For that reason, the most accurate wording is:

Made with more than 98% natural-origin ingredients.

What About Fluoride?

Edinco Rose Rio Aloe Vera + Propolis Toothpaste is fluoride-free.

Fluoride-free and SLS-free are two separate formulation choices. A toothpaste can be SLS-free and still contain fluoride, or it can be both SLS-free and fluoride-free.

If you would like to understand fluoride in more detail, read our guide: Is Fluoride in Toothpaste Bad for You?.

The Key Takeaway

The ingredient list on a toothpaste tube tells you much more than a single claim such as “natural”, “botanical” or “SLS-free”.

Each ingredient has a particular role.

The best way to understand a toothpaste is to look at what ingredients it contains, what those ingredients do and how they work together as a complete formula.

That is what makes toothpaste ingredients explained useful: instead of judging a toothpaste by one headline ingredient, you can understand what is actually inside the tube.