{
  "slug": "toothbrushes",
  "name": "Toothbrushes and electric brush heads",
  "question": "Which toothbrushes and brush heads have no plastic in the handle, the bristles or the way the bristles are held?",
  "status": "nothing-qualifies",
  "updated": "2026-11-11",
  "editor": "jake-avins",
  "page": "https://amaterio.com/plastic-free/toothbrushes/",
  "summary": "Nothing in toothbrushes has earned a spot yet. We checked one, GRXY Studio's boar bristle and bamboo brush, and we can't tell if it's plastic-free.\n\nThe handle is carved bamboo and the bristles are boar hair. The handle also gets a \"non-toxic, water-resistant coating\" that the maker never names, and water-resistant finishes are often acrylic or polyurethane. The maker hasn't said.",
  "whyPlastic": "A bamboo handle is the easy part. The bristles are the problem: nearly every \"eco\" toothbrush uses nylon, including the ones sold as plant-based because the nylon starts from castor oil. It is still nylon. Bristles also get held in the head with metal staples or glue, and electric heads add a plastic collar and a rubber seal. Natural boar hair, a wood or twig handle and a card box get you furthest. Anything that says \"biodegradable\" without naming the bristle material is telling you very little.",
  "whatToCheck": [
    "Bristles: boar hair or another animal fiber, or nylon, including castor-oil nylon?",
    "Handle: untreated bamboo, beech or twig, or a coated or lacquered one?",
    "Fixing: are the bristles tufted with staples, tied in, or glued, and with what?",
    "Electric heads: is the collar, the seal and the shaft plastic?",
    "Packaging: card and paper, or a plastic sleeve or window?"
  ],
  "faq": [],
  "whyNone": "",
  "products": [
    {
      "slug": "grxy-studio-boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush",
      "name": "Boar Bristle & Bamboo Toothbrush",
      "brand": "GRXY Studio",
      "category": "toothbrushes",
      "tier": "cannot-tell",
      "rank": null,
      "page": "https://amaterio.com/plastic-free/toothbrushes/grxy-studio-boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush/",
      "url": null,
      "affiliateUrl": null,
      "price": {
        "amount": 29.95,
        "currency": "USD",
        "seenAt": "2026-11-11"
      },
      "madeIn": "",
      "inTheBox": "",
      "unknowns": [
        "handle coating",
        "packaging",
        "bristle attachment",
        "handle joints and glue",
        "label, logo or print"
      ],
      "verdict": {
        "summary": "A carved bamboo handle with boar bristles woven into the head, sold as \"the world's only truly plastic-free toothbrush.\" The catch is a coating. The maker says the handle gets \"a non-toxic, water-resistant coating,\" which is how it stands up on the counter, and never says what the coating is. Water-resistant finishes are often acrylic or polyurethane. Until it's named, we can't call it plastic-free.",
        "date": "2026-11-11",
        "passes": [
          "pass-1",
          "pass-2"
        ],
        "agree": true,
        "caveat": "Unknown: what the handle coating is made of, a second source for the boar bristles, how the bristles are attached, and any label or print. Packaging not checked. The maker has not said."
      },
      "components": [
        {
          "name": "handle",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "single piece of bamboo",
          "class": "not-plastic",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": {
            "url": "https://grxystudio.com/products/boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush-4-pack",
            "quote": "Our handle is carved from a single, solid piece of premium bamboo—never laminated or glued layers.",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-11",
            "archive": ""
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "bristles",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "boar hair",
          "class": "not-plastic",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": {
            "url": "https://grxystudio.com/products/boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush-4-pack",
            "quote": "Our bristles are individually woven directly into the bamboo head—not glued",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-11",
            "archive": ""
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "handle coating",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "unnamed non-toxic water-resistant coating",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": "R3",
          "source": {
            "url": "https://grxystudio.com/products/boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush-4-pack",
            "quote": "The handle is then treated with a non-toxic, water-resistant coating that enables our signature self-standing, quick-dry design.",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-11",
            "archive": ""
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "packaging",
          "role": "minor",
          "material": "",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": null
        },
        {
          "name": "bristle attachment",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": null
        },
        {
          "name": "handle joints and glue",
          "role": "minor",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": "R8",
          "source": null
        },
        {
          "name": "label, logo or print",
          "role": "minor",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": null
        }
      ],
      "packaging": {
        "verified": false,
        "materials": [],
        "class": "unknown",
        "source": null
      },
      "commentary": [],
      "images": [
        {
          "src": "/products/grxy-studio-boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush/1.webp",
          "alt": "GRXY Studio Boar Bristle & Bamboo Toothbrush",
          "credit": "Photo: GRXY Studio (grxystudio.com)",
          "source": "http://grxystudio.com/cdn/shop/files/ChatGPTImageDec2_2025_04_21_02AM.png?v=1764678151"
        },
        {
          "src": "/products/grxy-studio-boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush/2.webp",
          "alt": "GRXY Studio Boar Bristle & Bamboo Toothbrush",
          "credit": "Photo: GRXY Studio (grxystudio.com)",
          "source": "https://grxystudio.com/cdn/shop/files/ChatGPTImageDec2_2025_04_21_02AM.png?v=1764678151"
        },
        {
          "src": "/products/grxy-studio-boar-bristle-bamboo-toothbrush/3.webp",
          "alt": "GRXY Studio Boar Bristle & Bamboo Toothbrush",
          "credit": "Photo: GRXY Studio (grxystudio.com)",
          "source": "https://grxystudio.com/cdn/shop/files/ChatGPTImageDec2_2025_04_21_02AM.png?v=1764678151&width=1920"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}