In 2019, researchers at the Silent Spring Institute and Harvard tested 18 brands of dental floss for PFAS compounds. Six came back positive. The brand most consistently linked to elevated PFAS blood levels in study participants was Oral-B Glide, which uses PTFE as a slip coating. That study prompted five years of state-level legislative attention, culminating in Minnesota's 2023 PFAS products law, which banned intentionally added PFAS in dental floss starting January 1, 2025.
The law names dental floss specifically because of one uncomfortable fact: fluorinated floss goes directly against the gum line, one of the most absorptive surfaces in the body. Even if the dose from a single use is small, daily use across a lifetime adds up. And unlike food packaging or cookware, where the chemical contact is incidental, conventional floss is designed to press against tissue.
Most people would assume that a health product sold in pharmacies has been reviewed for ingredients. It has not. The FDA regulates dental floss as a medical device, not a food or cosmetic, which means ingredient disclosure is voluntary. The typical plastic-coated conventional floss carries no ingredient list at all.
This guide covers six alternatives that disclose every ingredient on the product page, use natural fiber, and contain no fluorinated coatings.
What we look for
Fiber. Standard dental floss is nylon or polyester extruded to a specific diameter. We exclude both: nylon is a petroleum-derived synthetic that does not biodegrade, and polyester is the same fiber as plastic fleece. Silk is the alternative. It is a natural protein fiber that decomposes in a home compost bin, has good tensile strength, and slides between teeth without requiring a synthetic coating to reduce friction. Most of the picks in this guide use mulberry silk, the highest-grade variety, spun from the cocoons of Bombyx mori silkworms.
Wax. Most commercial floss is coated with paraffin wax, a petroleum byproduct. Natural wax coatings serve the same purpose (a small amount of lubrication) without the petrochemical origin. The two common alternatives are beeswax (from honeybees, not vegan) and candelilla wax (from the candelilla shrub, vegan). Both are solid at room temperature, inert, and food-safe. Neither introduces fluorinated compounds. We accept both.
Flavor. We accept peppermint essential oil, spearmint essential oil, and unscented. We do not accept "flavor" or "natural flavor" as a catchall. If the brand does not name the flavoring compound, it does not pass.
Disqualifiers that apply here. The full site disqualifier list is at /our-promise, but the ones most relevant to this category are: PFAS in any form (PTFE, fluorinated coatings, stain-resistant treatments), synthetic fibers as primary materials (nylon, polyester), undisclosed fragrance. We also look for any "silicone" or "polyethylene" coating language, which would indicate a plastic coating rather than natural wax.
Certifications. There are no category-specific certifications for silk dental floss analogous to GOTS (which covers textiles) or USDA Organic (which covers agricultural ingredients). Some brands market their silk as "organic silk," but without a third-party certifier and a named auditor, the claim is not verifiable. We note it where present but do not weight it heavily. What we do weight heavily is full ingredient disclosure: a short ingredient list with no catchall terms is more valuable than an organic claim with no supporting documentation.
Packaging. Most picks use either a refillable glass jar, compostable paperboard, or both. Packaging is not a disqualifier but is noted, because floss is a high-frequency replenishment item and cumulative plastic waste from dispensers adds up.
6
of 18 brands
tested positive for PFAS in 2019 Silent Spring study
5
state laws
restricting PFAS in consumer products as of 2025
100%
picks below
use natural fiber and natural wax with full ingredient disclosure
Our picks
1. Dental Lace Silk Floss Refills : Best overall
The Dental Lace Silk Floss Refills come as a set of two 30-meter spools designed to fit the brand's refillable glass jar (sold separately) or any standard floss dispenser. The fiber is 100% mulberry silk, coated with candelilla wax, unscented. No dyes, no bleach, no synthetic coating.
The ingredient list on the brand's product page reads: silk, candelilla wax. That brevity is the point. There is nothing to look up and no proprietary blend to question. The spools are compostable; the glass jar is washable and reusable indefinitely.
Price tier sits at the low end of the refill category. At roughly $10 for two spools, it is not the cheapest floss on this list per meter, but the refill format removes the dispenser cost from repeat purchases.
A note on sourcing: Dental Lace does not specify the country of origin for its silk. That is a gap, since silk supply chains run through regions with variable labor standards. We note it; it is not a disqualifier under our current criteria, which focus on material chemistry.
2. Nudge Silk Dental Floss : Best minimal design
The Nudge Silk Dental Floss is a single-spool format with a compact, lightweight dispenser. The fiber is 100% silk, wax-coated, available in mint and unscented variants. The brand's ingredient disclosure is clear and does not include any synthetic fiber or fluorinated compound.
What distinguishes Nudge is the form factor. The dispenser is smaller than a conventional plastic floss case and the overall weight is low enough that it fits easily in a travel bag without bulk. For people who found previous silk flosses harder to use than conventional floss because of the thicker strand, Nudge uses a fine-gauge silk that handles more like standard floss.
The brand is newer and has fewer retail points than the other picks on this list, but the product ships directly and is also available via Amazon. The packaging is minimal: a small cardboard sleeve and no outer plastic wrap.
3. RADIUS Natural Floss, Pure Silk Unscented : Best established brand
RADIUS has been making oral care products since 1983 and their silk floss line has been in the market long enough to accumulate genuine user feedback across multiple platforms. The RADIUS Natural Floss, Pure Silk Unscented uses 100% silk fiber with candelilla wax coating. The unscented variant contains no added flavor at all, which is useful for people with sensitivities to peppermint.
RADIUS lists ingredients on the product page: silk, candelilla wax. The strand is on the thicker side compared to some picks here, which some users prefer for grip and others find harder to use in tight contacts. If you have crowded teeth, the finer-gauge options like Nudge may be easier.
The brand's Amazon presence means the floss is available for next-day delivery in most markets, which is a practical consideration for a product that tends to run out unexpectedly. The Amazon listing includes a multi-pack option for households that use it frequently.
4. TreeBird Pure Silk Eco Floss Starter Set : Best starter kit
The TreeBird Pure Silk Eco Floss Starter Set includes three 30-meter silk refill spools and a stainless steel holder. The holder is the differentiator: it is a compact, brushed-steel cylinder that fits a standard spool and does not require plastic housing. It functions as a permanent dispenser without any disposable plastic parts.
The silk is 100% natural, coated with candelilla wax, available in mint (peppermint oil) and unscented. The brand's ingredient list on the product page names each component without catchall language.
The starter-set format is the most cost-efficient entry point for someone switching from conventional floss for the first time: one purchase covers the dispenser and three months of floss for an average user, which is long enough to decide whether silk floss works for the household before committing to a refill subscription.
5. etee Peppermint Mulberry Silk Dental Floss : Best zero-waste packaging
etee is a Canadian zero-waste brand. The etee Peppermint Mulberry Silk Dental Floss uses mulberry silk with a natural wax coating and peppermint essential oil. The packaging is entirely plastic-free: a small compostable cardboard box with no inner plastic wrap or dispenser.
The trade-off with the packaging format is that without a hard dispenser, the spool is held in paper and requires a bit more handling. Some users find this awkward at first. The floss itself is a fine-gauge mulberry silk that users on the thinner-contacts end of the spectrum tend to prefer.
etee ships from Canada, which means longer delivery windows for US customers and slightly higher shipping costs. The brand has a subscription option that reduces per-unit cost. For households that have already settled on silk floss and want the most minimal possible packaging footprint, this is the right choice.
6. Public Goods Natural Silk Dental Floss : Best value
Public Goods sells a membership-based catalog of household staples positioned around ingredient transparency and accessible pricing. The Public Goods Natural Silk Dental Floss uses 100% natural silk with natural wax in a glass jar dispenser. The ingredient list is disclosed on the product page.
The glass jar format is the same approach as Dental Lace but at a lower price point per unit for Public Goods members. The jar is refillable with any standard silk floss spool. Non-members can purchase at a higher per-unit price, but the membership cost amortizes quickly for households buying across multiple household categories.
The product is available via Amazon Prime for faster delivery without a membership. For households already in the Public Goods ecosystem, the silk floss is an easy addition that does not require a separate supplier relationship.
What we passed on
Boka makes a heavily marketed "natural" oral care line, but their dental floss uses a microfiber base that on closer review includes polyester fibers. Polyester is a plastic fiber, and plastic fibers in a product pressed against gum tissue are a disqualifier for this site.
OHM Floss had availability issues across all tracked merchants at the time of research, with prices listed but no active in-stock fulfillment. A product with no working buy path does not qualify for a listing regardless of its chemistry.
Conventional Oral-B, Colgate, and similar floss products were not considered. The 2019 Silent Spring study specifically flagged Oral-B Glide as the brand most associated with elevated PFAS blood levels. Conventional nylon floss from any brand is outside the scope of this guide.
If you are shopping more broadly: the product directory is filtered against the full criteria this article describes, and the oral care category surfaces everything we have listed. If you are looking for brushes or other oral care products that meet the same criteria, the same filter applies.
Cover image: Mx. Granger via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication). Source.