Laro London’s non-toxic toothpaste is a ‘spring clean’ for your mouth

‘It is a mystery to me,’ says Laro London founder Beth Bisley, ‘why people who care so much about the ingredients in their skincare don’t place the same emphasis on what’s in their toothpaste.’ This care was the impetus for starting up the premium oral care brand, which launched in 2024, prioritising non-toxic ingredients alongside conscious design.

Having spent her career in the finance world, Laro London was born out of what Bisley describes to Wallpaper* as ‘a personal bugbear’. ‘I just couldn’t believe that the best option for my teeth came in red and white plastic tubes,’ she says. Bisley’s move into the beauty and personal care world began with a Pinterest board of design-led brands such as Typologie and Salt + Stone. As such, Laro London’s toothpaste and mouth rinse adopt similar minimal aesthetic principles and are designed to sit comfortably in a well-curated bathroom.

Meet Laro London, a new oral care brand championing non-toxic ingredients and conscious design

If customers are drawn in by the elegant branding, then they’ll stay for the elevated formulations in Laro London’s hero products, the Naturally Whitening Toothpaste and Active Mouth Rinse, which hugely differ from mass-market oral care products.

‘A lot of the ingredients contained in FMCG oral care brands are quite harmful,’ says Bisley. ‘Fluoride is the well-known one, but many people don’t realise they have a strong allergy to Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), which is the lathering agent used by most of the big brands and can cause a lot of discomfort, even sores. We use an ingredient called Cocamidopropyl Betaine, which is derived from coconut. It has a very different feeling in the mouth from pastes which use SLS. But once you try it, you won’t want to go back. I really notice it when I have to use Colgate now for whatever reason – it’s like you’re drowning in foam!’

But the innovation doesn’t just end at the formulation. ‘By far the biggest challenge has been my absolute determination to keep Laro London plastic-free,’ reflects Bisley. Having assumed that a sustainable model would be ‘the easy bit’, Bisley was astonished at the push-back from manufacturers, who were incredulous at her desire for aluminium tubing. Dental Tribune estimates that the UK alone uses up to 300 million tubes of toothpaste annually, and whilst some of the big brands have begun to introduce recyclable plastic, it is safe to assume that the majority of people don’t even realise that toothpaste tubes are something they can recycle.

Aluminium tubes go a long way towards improving this, and Bisley is developing a silicone spray that makes an aluminium cap and tube easier to use, but that will burn safely away during the recycling process. Not only this, but a part of the company’s earth-friendly commitment is an ongoing partnership with Greenspark, which measures the real-world impact of sustainable business practice and calculates the positive effects of companies like Laro London, which refuse to compromise on ethics, no matter how much of a challenge it presents.

Laro London stands apart by creating an effective tooth-care product which doesn’t upset your oral microbiome, namely by eschewing the chemicals and artificial ingredients that strip your mouth of all bacteria, bad and good. Currently, the brand’s product portfolio stands at just two. Though a bio-plastic toothbrush, designed in collaboration with Italian beauty-accessory brand Koh i Noor, has just joined the line-up. Soon, Bisely plans to take the business offline and out into a brick-and-mortar store near you. So, keep your eyes – and mouths – open.

larolondon.com