Products · Oral care · The Humble Co.
The Humble Co. Plant-Based Floss Picks, Mint
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Low-cost floss picks with no detectable organic fluorine in a consumer lab screen. They are still plastic: the thread is polyethylene and 47% of the handle is polypropylene, so “plant-based” describes about half the handle.
Best for People who need a handle, such as those with limited dexterity or parents flossing a child’s teeth, and want a pick without PTFE.
- Our quality rating
- Fair (3 of 5)
- Price range
- Budget
- Size
- 150 picks (a 50-pick pack is about $4.49)
approx. $5.99 for 150 picks
See it on The Humble Co.’s site →We are not affiliated with The Humble Co.. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
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How we evaluated it
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- In a lab screen of 39 floss products by Mamavation and Environmental Health News (first published in 2022, updated in 2024), The Humble Co. Plant-Based Materials Floss Picks had no detectable organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS. Oral-B Glide Pro-Health in the same test measured 248,900 ppm.
- The maker states the materials: handle 53% plant-based material and 47% polypropylene, thread polyethylene. It says no PFAS, PTFE or BPA.
- It is inexpensive: $5.99 for 150 picks on the maker’s US store is about 4 cents a pick.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- These are plastic picks. The thread is polyethylene and nearly half the handle is petroleum-based polypropylene. “Plant-based” refers to 53% of the handle, and the thread is not silk, plant-based or nylon, so it falls outside the category’s preferred materials.
- The lab result is one sample in a screen for total organic fluorine, run for an advocacy outlet that earns affiliate income. It is not a PFAS-specific test and does not speak for every batch.
- The product copy says “shred resistant” without explaining how. In this category that phrase can mean a fluoropolymer coating, but the lab found no fluorine here.
What to know Details worth knowing first
Floss picks are convenient, but most have a plastic handle, and the thread in some is coated with PTFE, a PFAS. A 2019 study linked flossing with PTFE-type floss to higher blood levels of some PFAS; our guide to avoiding PFAS has the background. Humble’s picks do not use PTFE according to the maker, and a consumer lab screen found no organic fluorine in them.
The plain description is a plastic pick without PTFE. The handle is 53% plant-based material and 47% polypropylene, and the thread is polyethylene. For ways to cut plastic exposure more broadly, see reducing microplastics. If you can floss by hand, silk avoids the plastic: see Dental Lace.
Keep the limits of the lab result in mind. It is one sample, tested for total organic fluorine rather than for named PFAS. We priced the picks at the maker’s own US store; we could not read Amazon’s listings for price or seller.
Quality & testing How it measures up against our checklist
- Third-party tested
- Yes
- Tested by
- Mamavation and Environmental Health News (EPA-certified lab, name not given)
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| PFAS-free floss Verified | No detectable organic fluorine in one sample in Mamavation’s screen (first published in 2022, updated in 2024). The maker says no PFAS, PTFE or BPA. The test did not name the individual PFAS it could detect. |
| Every ingredient listed Maker’s claim | Materials are named: handle 53% plant-based material and 47% polypropylene, thread polyethylene. Any wax or flavor is not described. |
| Honest claims Maker’s claim | “Plant-based” covers 53% of the handle, not the thread. “Shred resistant” and “developed by dentists” are the maker’s words. |
What the labels mean
- Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
- Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
- Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources Where our facts come from
- The Humble Co. Plant-based Floss Picks, Mint (150 pcs): product page. Maker’s page. Materials, claims and price. Amazon sells 200-count packs, but we could not read its listing. Open ↗
- Mamavation and Environmental Health News: 39 dental floss products screened for organic fluorine (first published September 2022; products added August 2024). Test report. An EPA-certified lab, one sample per product, total organic fluorine only. Mamavation is an advocacy outlet with affiliate links. The tested name was “The Humble Co. Plant-Based Materials Floss Picks.” Open ↗
- Boronow et al. 2019: serum PFAS and exposure-related behaviors, including flossing with Oral-B Glide. Independent source. Why PTFE floss matters: 178 women, with higher levels of some PFAS among Glide users. Open ↗
Alternatives Other options to compare
- Dental Lace silk floss No plastic in the floss or handle, but you hold it by hand, and silk can shred on tight teeth.
- Radius Vegan Sponge Floss Woven nylon floss with plant waxes, about $5 a spool, with a clean result in Mamavation’s lab screen. No handle.