Sodium Saccharin
Saccharin · Saccharine
What it is
An artificial sweetener (CAS 128-44-9), the sodium salt of saccharin. Used in toothpaste and mouthwash to improve taste without fermentable sugars that would promote tooth decay.
In this product: Sweetener, improves palatability of toothpaste.
Dose & route, what actually matters
Oral, primarily topical; small amounts swallowed during brushing. Exposure is minimal in adults who spit; slightly higher in young children who swallow paste.
EUROPEAN UNION
Permitted in EU cosmetics including toothpaste. No restriction or ban in either EU Annex II or III.
UNITED STATES
FDA permits saccharin in food and cosmetics. IARC removed saccharin from its list of possible carcinogens; delisted from US EPA and NTP carcinogen lists in 2000 after the rat-bladder mechanism was found not to apply to humans.
The evidence
OEHHA California Evidence Report (Feb 2003): saccharin delisted as a carcinogen after the high-dose rat bladder mechanism was found inapplicable to humans. No longer on IARC, EPA, or NTP carcinogen lists.
regulatory · 2003 · source
California Prop 65: Not listed on California Prop 65.
Where it hides
Editorial analysis of publicly available regulatory and peer-reviewed sources. Not medical advice. We name our evidence and link it, including when an ingredient is fine.