Crest Cavity Protection Regular Paste Toothpaste
Summary
Crest Cavity Protection Regular Paste scores 1/100. Lead Safe Mama (Feb 2025) detected 399 ppb lead and 6 ppb mercury — far above any defensible level for a daily, partially-ingested product. Suspected sources: hydrated silica + titanium dioxide. Stacks fluoride, SLS, trisodium phosphate, titanium dioxide, saccharin, and FD&C Blue 1. Owned by Procter & Gamble.
At a glance
Contaminants 4
Source: Lead Safe Mama 2025
Lead 399 ppb High
Detected at a high level — at or above health-based exposure limits. Regular exposure at this level is a genuine health concern. No safe level of lead exposure exists per the CDC, AAP, and WHO; chronic ingestion is associated with lowered IQ in children, neurodevelopmental harm, and cardiovascular and kidney effects in adults. Suspected source: hydrated silica abrasive and/or titanium dioxide pigment.
Lead Safe Mama 3rd-party lab testing (SGS North America, Feb 2025, AOAC 2015.01) detected 399 ppb lead — among the highest readings in the 2025 toothpaste survey.
Mercury 6 ppb Low
A low level of mercury — present but modest; a sourcing-quality note rather than a safety concern at typical intake.
Lead Safe Mama 3rd-party lab testing (Feb 2025) detected 6 ppb mercury.
Arsenic <5 ppb Not detected
Not detected — below the laboratory's detection limit. This is the strictest possible result: no measurable amount was found.
Lead Safe Mama 2025 lab testing reported arsenic below the 5 ppb low threshold of detection — no arsenic measurable in this product.
Cadmium <5 ppb Not detected
Not detected — below the laboratory's detection limit. This is the strictest possible result: no measurable amount was found.
Lead Safe Mama 2025 lab testing reported cadmium below the 5 ppb low threshold of detection — no cadmium measurable in this product.
Key ingredients 13
Sodium Fluoride 0.243%Very Bad
Active anticavity ingredient (0.15% w/v fluoride ion). Classified by The Lancet (2014) as a developmental neurotoxicant; chronic ingestion linked to dental fluorosis, lowered IQ in children (NTP 2024 monograph), and thyroid suppression.
See more about Sodium Fluoride 0.243% →SorbitolNeutral
Sugar alcohol humectant; non-cariogenic.
See more about Sorbitol →WaterNeutral
Solvent base.
See more about Water →Hydrated SilicaBad
Standard gentle abrasive. Inert at the molecular level, but Lead Safe Mama 2025 testing implicates the silica feedstock as a likely route of the 399 ppb lead contamination — silica is mined and refined and can carry trace heavy metals depending on the source.
See more about Hydrated Silica →Sodium Lauryl SulfateVery Bad
Harsh anionic surfactant responsible for the foaming action. Documented trigger for recurrent aphthous (canker) ulcers in clinical studies (Herlofson & Barkvoll 1996, Healy et al. 1999); strips the protective oral mucin layer; common contact irritant. Cleaner toothpastes use coconut-derived alternatives.
See more about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate →Trisodium PhosphateBad
Strongly alkaline pH adjuster (also used as an industrial degreaser). Repeated exposure can disrupt enamel pH balance and irritate soft oral tissue.
See more about Trisodium Phosphate →Flavor (undisclosed)Bad
Proprietary flavor blend. Can hide dozens of synthetic aroma chemicals and phthalate carriers under FDA trade-secret rules.
See more about Flavor (undisclosed) →Cellulose GumNeutral
Plant-derived thickener (carboxymethylcellulose). Inert and safe in topical oral care.
See more about Cellulose Gum →Sodium PhosphateNeutral
pH buffer; inert at typical concentrations.
See more about Sodium Phosphate →CarbomerNeutral
Synthetic acrylic-acid polymer used as a thickener; considered inert in oral care formulations.
See more about Carbomer →Sodium SaccharinBad
Synthetic sweetener used purely for taste. Associated with gut microbiome disruption (Suez et al. 2014); was on the U.S. NTP carcinogen list until 2000; safety remains controversial.
See more about Sodium Saccharin →Titanium DioxideVery Bad
Whitening pigment. Banned as a food additive in the European Union since 2022 after EFSA concluded it cannot be considered safe due to genotoxicity concerns from nanoparticle fractions. IARC Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) when inhaled. Lead Safe Mama 2025 also implicates titanium dioxide as a likely source of the lead contamination detected in this product.
See more about Titanium Dioxide →FD&C Blue No. 1Bad
Synthetic petroleum-derived dye (Brilliant Blue FCF). Banned in several European countries; flagged by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as a hyperactivity trigger in children. No nutritional or oral-health justification.
See more about FD&C Blue No. 1 →Get the full breakdown in the Scout app
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