One of the questions we’ve been hearing more and more lately involves the ingredients in our bestselling tongue cleansing product: TUNG Gel.

Is TUNG Gel vegetarian? Is it suitable for vegans? Are there any animal products in TUNG Gel?

For a long time, we’ve had a very straightforward answer to this question:

If you’re a practicing vegan, you’ll be happy to know that we do not use any animal products in the TUNG Gel!

…but it turns out this answer isn’t quite sufficient. More on that in a moment. First… a little background:

Why TUNG Gel Works… and Why Animal Products Aren’t Necessary

We originally set out to formulate the TUNG Gel for a few main reasons. One is simply that, while brushing your tongue with a brush specifically designed for your tongue is far more effective than other methods (like using a tongue scraper or a toothbrush), brushing with just water might still leave some residue of the sulfur gases in your mouth. (It’s the sulfur gases that smell like “bad breath,” so obviously you want to get rid of them!)

So… to make the whole process more effective, we created the TUNG Gel with a Zinc compound to neutralize the sulfur gases and leave you with a minty fresh taste and smell.

Additionally, many people were brushing their tongues with toothpaste, which caused a couple of problems:

• One is that toothpaste is just that: paste. It’s thicker, and tends to gum up the bristles of your TUNG brush. This is a problem because this might actually cause bacteria to collect on the brush, where they can actually grow when you’re not using your brush. You don’t want your TUNG Brush to become a Petri dish!
• The second problem is that many toothpastes contain flouride, whitening compounds, and tartar control chemicals. These are not intended for your tongue and can actual irritate your tongue.

So… the TUNG Gel is formulated to be highly water-soluble, which means that while it’s useful to help loosen up the bacteria, it rinses away easily and cleanly, and doesn’t contain stuff that isn’t designed specifically for your tongue.

What About the Glycerin?

Recently, we had a follow-up question from a customer named David, who followed up on our answer to his initial question:

The reason I asked if it’s vegan, because in the ingredients it’s listing “Glycerin” which can be either plant or animal derived. Here’s an example… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerin

Hmmm… this prompted us to look in to this a little further, so we took it to the CEO and co-inventor of the TUNG Brush, Tom Oechslin.

It turns out that the glycerin we use is 100% vegetable derived and is certified non-GMO. The main source is renewable palm oil and palm kernel oil, but there are some additional plant-based sources.

So… the bottom line: there are no animal derivatives in TUNG Gel.

What About Animal Testing?

Additionally, the TUNG Gel is not tested on animals, so you can feel good about it from that standpoint as well.

Do you have a question you’d like to see answered? It’s easy! Simply click here to contact us, or send an email to us at team@tungbrush.com and we’ll respond to you right away! You can also tweet us your question: @TUNGBrush. We look forward to hearing from you!

Here’s to your better life!