Why Our Whitening Strips Contain Xylitol
Share
Our whitening strips contain xylitol because xylitol helps with oral care by reducing the bacteria that cause plaque build-up, bad breath and cavities. It is not the whitening ingredient. PAP does the whitening, hydroxyapatite supports the enamel surface, and xylitol is in the formula for that oral care job. Below: what xylitol is, what the named research on it studied (chewing gum, not strips), and every ingredient in our strips exactly as printed on the box.
We should say plainly who is writing. Pure Glow sells these strips in our 28 strip box, so this is our own formula explained by us, not a neutral review. None of the sources we quote is about our strips.
What is xylitol?
A 2025 systematic review in the journal BMC Oral Health, by Eva Söderling and Kaisu Pienihäkkinen of the Institute of Dentistry at the University of Turku, opens by describing xylitol as "a naturally occurring five-carbon polyol sweetener", in a sentence that goes on to tie its reputation in oral health to chewing gum. The review had no funding, and its authors declare no competing interests.
The Oral Health Foundation, a registered charity, puts it in everyday terms on its page about sugar-free chewing gum: "Many sugar-free gums contain a sweetener called xylitol." Its page on artificial sweeteners lists xylitol alongside other sweeteners such as sorbitol and stevia.
Both sources describe xylitol as a sweetener. In our strips it is one of sixteen ingredients printed on the box.
Why xylitol is in our strips
Our claim for it is simple: xylitol helps with oral care by reducing the bacteria that cause plaque build-up, bad breath and cavities.
We do not claim that xylitol treats or prevents any disease, and we do not tie the benefit to an amount of xylitol in a strip, because no source we have found gives one for a whitening strip.
Xylitol is not what whitens your teeth in our strips. If you searched for xylitol teeth whitening, the short answer is that the whitening comes from PAP, and xylitol sits in the same formula for a different reason.
PAP, hydroxyapatite and xylitol: three ingredients, three jobs
Three ingredients in our formula have a stated job, each described here in the wording we use for it.
PAP, the whitening agent
PAP, short for phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid, is the whitening agent. It is peroxide free, and it still works on the coloured compounds inside the tooth, just by a gentler route than peroxide takes. Our post on how PAP whitening works goes through the chemistry, and our page on peroxide-free whitening strips sets out what peroxide free means for our strips.
Hydroxyapatite, for the enamel surface
Hydroxyapatite supports the enamel surface. Our founder added it after the main problems with the strips had been solved, because he wanted the product to be actively better for teeth rather than just less bad. Our article on what hydroxyapatite does explains the ingredient in full, and our page on whitening strips with hydroxyapatite shows the strips it goes into.
Xylitol, for oral care
Xylitol is there for the oral care job set out above. That makes three ingredients with three separate jobs, sharing one strip.
What the research on xylitol actually studied
Every outside finding on this page is about xylitol in chewing gum, not whitening strips, and none of it is about our strips. Here is what each source says, in its own scope.
The Oral Health Foundation on xylitol in gum
On its sugar-free chewing gum page, last reviewed on 12 April 2026, the Oral Health Foundation says xylitol "Can help reduce the amount of harmful bacteria in plaque". The subject of that page is sugar-free gum, chewed after meals and snacks. On its artificial sweeteners page, last reviewed on 7 March 2026, it says: "Some sweeteners, such as xylitol, may even help reduce harmful bacteria in the mouth when used regularly in sugar-free gum." The condition is at the end of that sentence: regular use, in sugar-free gum.
A 2025 systematic review of xylitol gum
The BMC Oral Health review above looked at controlled clinical studies, published before 2025, that compared xylitol chewing gum with control gums sweetened with other polyols, such as sorbitol. It reports that "In 12/14 studies xylitol gum significantly decreased MS counts compared with sorbitol gum". MS stands for mutans streptococci, which the review names as Streptococcus mutans and S. sobrinus. It also reports that "Plaque accumulation decreased in 6/10 studies" when xylitol gum was compared with sorbitol or sorbitol-containing gum. Both findings are about chewing gum compared with other chewing gum, and none of the studies was about whitening strips.
What none of them studied
Every xylitol finding above is about chewing gum. A whitening strip is not chewed: ours is worn once a day, for a minimum of 30 minutes, for a 14-day course. None of the findings above was about whitening strips, so we do not borrow any of them for ours.
The full ingredient list, as printed on our box
These are the ingredients of our strips, in the order printed on the box. The same list is on our Pure Glow facts and ingredients page.
- PVP
- Phthalimidoperoxycaproic Acid
- Xylitol
- Aqua
- Glycerin
- Ethylcellulose
- Alcohol
- Sodium Polyacrylate
- PVM/MA Copolymer
- Xanthan Gum
- Potassium Citrate
- Sodium Citrate
- C12-15 Pareth-3
- Hydroxyapatite
- Rebaudioside A
- Menthol
Three of these sixteen have a stated job, set out above: phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP), hydroxyapatite and xylitol. The full list is here so you can see exactly what is in the strips, and the box itself says to check the ingredients for anything you are allergic to before use.
The strips have a fresh mint flavour. Each treatment is one upper and one lower strip, so a 14-day box of PAP strips holds 28 of them.
What xylitol in a strip does not replace
The Oral Health Foundation is clear that gum is an addition to your routine: "Sugar-free gum is an extra help, not a substitute for your normal oral care routine." Its artificial sweeteners page asks "Do sweeteners replace good oral care?" and answers "No." Our strips are not a substitute for oral care either. They are a cosmetic whitening product, and the directions on the box start with brushing your teeth.
For the routine itself, the Oral Health Foundation says to "Brush your teeth last thing at night and once more during the day with a fluoride toothpaste" and to "Clean between your teeth every day." That is the charity's advice, not ours, and we have nothing to add to it.
Frequently asked questions
Does xylitol whiten teeth?
No. It is not the whitening ingredient in our strips. The whitening comes from PAP, which is peroxide free and still works on the coloured compounds inside the tooth, by a gentler route than peroxide takes.
Why do your whitening strips contain xylitol?
Because xylitol helps with oral care by reducing the bacteria that cause plaque build-up, bad breath and cavities.
How much xylitol is in Pure Glow strips?
We do not publish an amount, and we do not tie any benefit to one. No source we have found gives an amount of xylitol for a whitening strip, and the research on this page is about chewing gum, not strips.
Is it the same xylitol as in sugar-free gum?
It is the same ingredient name, used in a different way. Gum is chewed, and the research on this page is about gum. A strip is worn once a day for a minimum of 30 minutes, and none of that research studied strips, so its findings do not carry over to it.
What does xylitol sit alongside in the formula?
PAP, the whitening agent, and hydroxyapatite, which supports the enamel surface. Each has its own job.
Ready to start whitening?
One box is a full 14 day treatment. Two boxes cover 28 days for less per strip. Free UK delivery on every order.
Related reading:
- How to choose whitening strips
- PAP vs peroxide whitening
- Does non-peroxide whitening work?
- Keeping your teeth white afterwards
Sources:
- Söderling E, Pienihäkkinen K, Specific effects of xylitol chewing gum on mutans streptococci levels, plaque accumulation and caries occurrence: a systematic review, BMC Oral Health 2025;25:1275, doi 10.1186/s12903-025-06602-1. No funding; no competing interests declared. For what xylitol is and what the chewing gum studies found.
- Oral Health Foundation, Sugar free chewing gum, page last reviewed 12 April 2026. For xylitol in sugar-free gum, gum not replacing brushing, and the brushing routine.
- Oral Health Foundation, Artificial sweeteners, page last reviewed 7 March 2026. For xylitol as a sweetener used regularly in sugar-free gum, and sweeteners not replacing oral care.