Matador Refillable Toothpaste Tubes Review

Travel miniatures are something of a pet hate of mine. They usually charge full price for something that’s a fraction of the size. For the majority of toiletries it’s easy to find alternatives. You can easily find solid deodorants or shampoo, or if you really prefer liquids then refillable bottles let you take your favourite products with you. The only other option I’ve seen in the past is toothpaste tablets, but they never feel as clean or minty fresh as regular toothpaste.

It’s a really simplistic design. Matador provide them in a pack of two sizes, a smaller one for short breaks and a slightly larger one for longer travel. Handily as well as having their capacities labelled in grams, they also say how many days they should last under regular usage (I’m presuming for solo travellers and not couples sharing). Which takes the guesswork out of planning.

Really easy to do, there’s a small cap that slides off at the end, allowing you to fill it up with whatever toothpaste you regularly use. You just fill it up until the line, and then refold the end of the tube giving it an airtight seal. To stop it unfolding again you slide the cap back on and use it as a regular tube of toothpaste.

It’s been nice and easy to do every trip I’ve used on. First time though I did immediately lose the sealing cap and it took me a few hours of hunting to find it again, so be careful when you do it yourself.

In a pack you get two refillable tubes, a 22ml designed for 1 weeks worth of travel, and a 35 ml that is designed for two weeks. I’ve found these to hold up really well during my trips, and the 35ml still had a lot remaining after my 10 day trip to Bali. That’s reassuring to know for when I do a two week trip, I wouldn’t have any fear of running out near the end of my holiday. I was using pea-sized amounts of toothpaste each time and brushed 2 to 3 times a day.

Cleaning is relatively easy. Just open up both ends and use warm water from a tap to run through. I found it a bit harder to dry around the cap end, so I would have to leave them to air dry, but it’s hard to keep them upright.

These are a great accessory to add to your dopp kit. It means you can use your favourite brands of toothpaste regardless of the packaging size. You can easily take them on your travels, whether that’s abroad or nationally. I have used the smaller bottle when staying in the city for a night, and the larger across Bali. They are priced fairly reasonably considering they are reusable and you get two. They also save you from having to pay for overpriced miniatures.