Formula 239 Toothy Tabs

After the amount of attention I've given my teeth this month - reviewing nearly thirty brand new oral care products in the process - it's probably for the best that I saved the tabs designed for sensitive teeth until near the end. I have honestly lost count of the number of times I have brushed my teeth each and every single day over the last thirty days: sometimes up to four times which seems completely excessive.

Therefore, Formula 239 Toothy Tabs came at a pinnacle moment: when my teeth just wanted something simple so that they could take a break for a few days. No strange tastes; no foul aftertastes; and definitely not something that was going to heighten their sensitivity in any way.

In fact, what is interesting about these Liverpool exclusive toothy tabs is that feature the ingredient, neem, which is actually known for its natural teeth-protecting and oral caring properties. Scientists believe that it may help to maintain the alkaline level of your saliva, which prevents acidity from wearing away the enamel of your teeth. In addition, it is also effective against plaque formation and gum infections, which is an amazing way to keep your mouth healthy.

From the bottle, my nose first picked up the aniseed element to it, which was very fresh and slightly clinical-smelling. You could tell that this would also be the key component in the taste of these tabs as well, so if you're not a fan of aniseed or liquorice flavoured/scented products, I wouldn't venture into trying these at all. 

Alongside the aniseed, there is also the faint note of both tea tree and thyme. The former ingredient gives Formula 239 a very fresh, cooling smell about them,  whereas the latter ingredient adds a little herbal twist at the end. Both the lemon and the juniperberry oils add their own fruity notes, but they're both very light and almost slightly sour as opposed to citrusy. Ultimately, I would describe these tabs as being very light and crisp in scent and their fragrance definitely gives a good indication of how these are going to taste.

What I will say about the taste is that it is very refreshing and cooling, without there being any sign of a mint taste at all. All of the components come out and offer a very clean and clinical flavour, with the aniseed definitely being the strongest dynamic. However, the aniseed is not at all as 'spicy' as I was expecting it to be, and offers something a little more like fennel than liquorice.

To use them you simply pop a tab into your mouth, crunch down using your front teeth, wet your toothbrush and begin to brush your teeth as normal. The powdery mixture reacts with the water and the cream of tartar creates a foam that freshens your mouth and cleans away any stubborn pieces of food that may be lingering around. Unlike some of Lush's other tabs I have tried, this one melts almost immediately upon contact with moisture and you won't need to crunch these at all.

Once you've brushed your teeth with one of these tabs, your mouth feels super clean and really refreshed, and your teeth will feel amazingly smooth and shiny. In fact, out of all of the toothy tabs I have tried so far, these by far made one of the greatest impressions in my mouth afterwards. Furthermore, these beauties eradicated any bad smells or tastes that I had in my mouth after eating and my breath remained fresh and clean for hours afterwards.  

As with all of Lush's new toothy tabs, these particular tabs feature a number of ingredients that I was unsure about and had to research before trying them out for myself - not only to understand how and why Frostbite work but also to educate others about the benefits they possess. Firstly, these tabs feature  dicalcium phosphate anhydrous - the main component used to help supplement the body's calcium intake, not to mention preventing the build up of tartar in the mouth. Sorbitol is also used - a natural alternative to sugar which allows Lush to add flavour to this product without adding anything that'll rot your teeth; Lauroyl Sarcosine not only helps the product to foam up in the mouth, but is also used to remove unwanted bacteria that may cause problems in the future.

Despite these tabs appearing rather boring-looking when compared to the array of colourful, sparkly alternatives, Formula 239 were actually one of the better variations for me. They offered a pleasant taste that didn't burn my tongue or leave a horrible taste afterwards. Yet, equally they did clean my teeth and mouth very well and I did enjoy how refreshed my mouth was afterwards. 

These would definitely be ones that I would want to buy again and I can imagine that they'll probably become a favourite amongst the Lush community. Although I don't have sensitive teeth, so I cannot really comment on how these tabs help to support sensitive teeth when in use, both the ingredients list and the way they performed for me suggests that they'll work wonders in this area as well.

Quantitative Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate Anhydrous, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cream Of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate), Sorbitol, Lauroyl Sarcosine, Xylitol, Sicilian Lemon Oil, Aniseed Oil, Chamomile Blue Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Davana Oil, Juniperberry Oil, Thyme Oil, Stevia, Neem Powder, Limonene.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2019 Price: £6.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2019.