Lush Mouthwash Tabs – Hit or Miss?

Lush recently sent me samples of their cruelty free and vegan Mouthwash Tabs to try out. They come in three flavors: Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (menthol and lemon), Creme de Menthe (peppermint) and Ugai (green tea, sea salt and tea tree oil).

Let me start by saying although I’m a HUGE Lush fan, I’ve never been on board with their tooth powders (or ANY tooth powders for that matter). I don’t understand why you’d want to use a messy powder, when we have regular toothpaste that works so much better! We have the technology guys! Why do we need powdered toothpaste? If I’m missing something, let me know, but I mean…toothpaste already works pretty well.

When I heard about the Mouthwash Tabs, I thought well…that actually makes sense. Traveling with mouthwash is a pain in the butt. It can spill so it’s not very convenient to carry in your bag or carry-on. And it’s not very share-able. If you’re traveling with your family, or a group a friends, who really wants to share one travel bottle of mouthwash?

So, I decided to give these Mouthwash Tabs a shot. I tried the Creme de Menthe (peppermint) flavor first. First impression was that the flavor was a bit shocking because it’s concentrated. As I crunched it up in my mouth (per the directions), I noticed it didn’t dissolve, so I felt like I had a mouth full of toothpaste-flavored grit. I took a big sip of water (which is kind of hard when you have a mouth full of this stuff), and swished it around. I worried that the crunched up tabs were getting stuck in my teeth.

I spit it out and my breath DID feel pretty fresh. It did the job, but the feeling of the gritty tabs, and the flavor were not winning me over. I decided to try the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (menthol and lemon) flavor. What a name, huh? You gotta love Lush for their sassiness! The citrus/mint flavor wasn’t much better for me. It has a bit of licorice (anise) taste to it, which is not my jam. I actually preferred the Creme de Menthe.

So then, I thought – okay maybe it’s not for me, but let me get Gregg (my fiance) to try it. I asked him to try it, and then forgot about it. The next night I asked him if he had tried it and what he thought. His response was basically: “Ehhhh not for me, and stay away from that white one, it made me gag!”

I wasn’t sure why his reaction was so severe, so I went to the bathroom and tried the Ugai flavor. Whoa. This stuff is intense. It’s like gargling salt water, but with tea tree and green tea mixed in. Basically, you’re either going to love or hate this flavor. There’s no in-between! Although I love the idea of healing any sores in your mouth (salt) and killing bacteria (tea tree), it was way too much for me. I am in the no-thank-you camp.

Sorry Lush – keep being the wonderful cruelty-free, fighting-for-the-animals, revolutionary brand that you are. And keep pumping out the hits like Rose Jam and Shades of Grey, but the Mouthwash Tabs are a “miss” for me. Travelers and campers might be into this product. I would love to hear what you think – if you’ve tried them, let me know in the comments below!