Which toothbrushes and brush heads have no plastic in the handle, the bristles or the way the bristles are held?
Short answer: we can't find a plastic-free toothbrushes and electric brush head we can verify. Every candidate we checked had a plastic part beyond a small seal, or one we could not confirm. The list below says which.
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.
The 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.
Side by side
Every toothbrushes and electric brush head we checked, and what kept each one off the list. The full evidence for each is one click away.
| Rank | Photo | Materials | Packaging | Price seen | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checked, not listed | |||||
 | GRXY Studio Boar Bristle & Bamboo Toothbrush Cannot tell | ||||
| single piece of bamboo, boar hair | Not verified yet | Not linked | A major part is unverified | ||
Where plastic hides in toothbrushes and electric brush heads
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.
What to check before you buy
- 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?
Know of one?
If you make or own a toothbrushes and electric brush heads with no plastic in it, including the seal, tell us: chairman@amaterio.com. Send the maker's page and what the seal is made of. We vet every tip and publish the ones that hold up, with credit.
Checked and not listed
- GRXY Studio Boar Bristle & Bamboo Toothbrush
Cannot tellA 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.