Toothpaste keeps our mouth clean. Dentists advise us to brush our teeth thrice a day, if not after every meal. However, the cleaning agent hides a dirty secret. I guess you have heard that a small amount of toothpaste can heal that zit. But in fact, toothpaste can cause pimples.

First, let’s debunk that myth again. Toothpaste cannot heal pimples. Yes, it can dry that red pimple on your face. However, it also irritates the skin. “Toothpaste will irritate the skin, and the pimple will probably eventually disappear along with the irritation, but toothpaste is in no way a primary treatment for acne,” dermatologist Neal Schultz told Huffington Post. Apart from SLS, other toothpaste common ingredients like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, fluoride, alcohol, essential oils, and menthol may also cause pimples.

Now, toothpaste does not only irritate the skin, but it may also cause pimples. One of the primary ingredients of toothpaste is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). SLS is a form of detergent also found in your facial cleansers, shampoo, and other cleaning products. Apparently, this product is comedogenic: It clogs the pores and strips away skin’s natural oils. As a result to SLS exposure, pimples may appear.

Since we can’t point our fingers to the toothpaste we use all the time, it’s best to always brush your teeth before you cleanse. If you it the other way around, the toothpaste foam that escapes your mouth might transfer bacteria to your freshly cleansed chin. Then, this bacteria may infect the skin and cause acne.

On a final note, toothpaste should always go in the mouth and not on your skin.

Photo courtesy of Matt Madd/costculator/Teeth on Flickr