Why does toothpaste make orange juice taste bad?

Have you ever wondered why toothpaste makes orange juice taste bad? If you have then you have come to the right place, keep reading to find out why!

Your tongue and taste buds are able to detect five different flavor types: 

  • Salty
  • Savory
  • Sour
  • Sweet
  • Bitter

The orange juice has a sweet and bitter flavor profile.   Sodium laurel sulfate, or SLS, is a surfactant, or a type of soap.  This SLS can be found in toothpaste and other household items.  The SLS creates suds or foam in your mouth which helps clean your teeth.  This foaming agent in toothpaste blocks the sweet taste from orange juice.

Cassiani Leon