A supermarket “whitening” toothpaste costs between €2 and €5 per 75 ml tube, an ÉclatDent toothpaste €9.99 per 100 g. Before concluding on price, compare what really matters for the enamel and for the result: the fluoride dose, the abrasiveness and the cost per brushing. This comparison is factual and targets no brand: most supermarket toothpastes are good products.
Criterion 1: fluoride
It is the only ingredient whose efficacy against cavities is a consensus (HAS). The adult reference dose is 1450 ppm, just below the 1500 ppm regulatory ceiling for over-the-counter products. Most supermarket whitening toothpastes are dosed between 1000 and 1450 ppm; some “natural” ones contain none. At ÉclatDent, all eight formulas are at 1450 ppm, without exception.
Criterion 2: abrasiveness (RDA)
The RDA index measures the wear inflicted on dentine; ISO 11609 caps it at 250. “Whitening” toothpastes are often among the most abrasive on the shelf (values frequently between 100 and 200 in published tables), because polishing is their only lever. The RDA is almost never printed on the tube. ÉclatDent selects formulas below 70 and publishes its method; per-product figures are requested from the manufacturer and displayed in the “At a glance” sheet as soon as received.
Criterion 3: price per brushing
| Supermarket whitening toothpaste (order of magnitude) | ÉclatDent toothpaste | |
|---|---|---|
| Tube price | €2 to €5 | €9.99 |
| Content | 75 ml (about 100 g) | 100 g |
| Brushings per tube | about 50 to 60 | about 60 |
| Price per brushing | about €0.04 to €0.08 | about €0.17 (€0.15 with subscription, €0.09 in the Complete Collection Pack) |
| Fluoride | 0 to 1450 ppm depending on the reference | 1450 ppm on all 8 formulas |
| RDA | Rarely published; often high for “whitening” | Selected below 70, published method |
| Peroxide | Sometimes, limited to 0.1% (no real effect on shade) | None |
| Formula | Generic “whitening” | Targeted: coffee/tea, tobacco, breath, sensitivity, brightness |
What neither does
No toothpaste bleaches the natural shade of the tooth, whether at €2 or €9.99: it removes surface stains. Over-the-counter peroxide is limited to 0.1% in Europe, a concentration with no real effect on the underlying shade. Only dentist-supervised whitening changes it.
Reading a supermarket tube in thirty seconds
Turn the tube over: everything that matters sits in three lines of the INCI list. Fluoride first: “Sodium Fluoride” or “Sodium Monofluorophosphate”, with the dose in ppm next to it, often in tiny print; 0.32% sodium fluoride corresponds to about 1450 ppm, and so does 1.1% sodium monofluorophosphate. Without that line, the toothpaste does not protect against cavities, whatever its price. Then the abrasive: “Hydrated Silica” is the norm, while “Calcium Carbonate” or “Alumina” often signal a harsher formula. Finally, peroxide: over-the-counter “Hydrogen Peroxide” is capped at 0.1% in Europe, a dose with no effect on the underlying shade; its presence is marketing. To understand what the dose really changes, read what 1450 ppm fluoride is for.
What the tube will not tell you is its RDA. Nothing requires it to be printed, and supermarket “whitening” pastes often rank among the most abrasive in published tables. That is the reason for our RDA index guide: 19 references, each with its source, including the brands that do not publish their value.
Targeted stains: where the generic paste reaches its limit
A generic “whitening” paste treats every stain the same way, by polishing. Yet coffee and tea deposit tannins, nicotine deposits sticky tars, wine deposits acidic pigments: the same silica does an honest job on the first, a slower one on the others. That is where a targeted formula earns its place — Anti-Taches Café for coffee and tea drinkers, Anti-Taches Tabac for nicotine — with the same base: 1450 ppm fluoride, RDA below 70, no peroxide.
Then there is price. At €9.99 a tube, a brushing costs about €0.17; on subscription, €0.15; with the Complete Collection Pack, €0.09, in the same range as the supermarket shelf. We did the full subscription-versus-single-tube calculation in a dedicated article. And if you are still hesitating between two formulas, the guide “Which toothpaste should I choose?” asks three questions and settles it in two minutes.
So what do you get for €0.10 more per brushing?
- A formula chosen for your cause (coffee and tea, nicotine, breath, sensitive gums) rather than a generic “whitening”.
- A stated base: 1450 ppm, RDA declared below 70 (supplier data, our catalogue entry criterion), no peroxide, no parabens, no sugar — and a sheet that leaves the line empty rather than inventing a value.
- A shop that answers within 24 working hours, ships from France and takes back an unsealed product within 30 days.
If your supermarket toothpaste is dosed at 1450 ppm, low in abrasiveness and suits you, keep it: it is a good product. If you are looking for an answer to a specific stain, with verifiable figures, that is where ÉclatDent is justified. The guide “Which toothpaste to choose?” helps you decide in two minutes.
Colgate, Sensodyne, elmex, Signal, Email Diamant: what is known about their abrasivity
For a few brands, traceable RDA values exist, and they all tell the same story. From manufacturers: CP GABA reports about 27 for meridol and 30 for elmex Sensitive, Haleon 34 to 37 for Sensodyne Pronamel. From academic measurements (North American products, Hefferren method, 1995-2008): classic Colgate around 68, Colgate Total around 70, classic Sensodyne around 80 — then, within the same brands, the “whitening” versions: Sensodyne Extra Whitening around 104, Aquafresh Whitening 113, Colgate Whitening 124, and up to 200 for a Colgate whitening + tartar control. The lesson targets no brand: within the same range, the whitening version is often almost twice as abrasive as the classic one. These measurements describe the formulas of their time; the sources, line by line, are in our RDA table.
For other brands that are very present on French shelves — Signal, Email Diamant, Oral-B, Parodontax, Fluocaril, Vademecum, Sanogyl — we found no traceable value for most references, neither a manufacturer publication nor a sourced measurement. That does not mean these toothpastes are abrasive; it means the buyer cannot check. Three habits remain possible: read the abrasive in the ingredient list (hydrated silica allows gentle as well as abrasive formulas, calcium carbonate tends to push the index up), prefer for daily use the references whose RDA is published, and ask the consumer service for the value — some manufacturers give it on request.
Your questions about ÉclatDent and supermarket toothpastes
Is a €2 whitening toothpaste less effective than a €9.99 one?
Not necessarily. If it contains 1450 ppm fluoride, is low-abrasive and suits your cause, it does the job. The difference lies in transparency (published RDA) and the targeted formula (coffee, tobacco, sensitivity), not in the price itself.
How can I tell whether my supermarket toothpaste is too abrasive?
The RDA is almost never printed. Look the brand up in a sourced table such as our RDA index guide; failing that, be wary of “intense whitening” or “polishing” claims combined with calcium carbonate, and watch for any sensitivity to cold that appears.
Do ÉclatDent toothpastes contain peroxide?
No. None of the eight formulas contains any. In Europe, over-the-counter peroxide is capped at 0.1%, a concentration with no real effect on the underlying shade: the formulas rely on gentle polishing and 1450 ppm fluoride.