Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

It was love at first sight with this mouthwash – a clear, minty liquid in a sleek, pastel-hued bottle which we’d happily display loud and proud.  Sodium fluoride is used to help reduce the risk of cavities, alongside natural ingredients used for their ability to freshen and protect. While most mouthwashes scream “I’m concerned about oral hygiene”, this one says “I’ve got the coolest bathroom on the block.” The blurb on the back describes the liquid’s taste as delicious, which sounds like an odd choice of wording for something we’ll spit down the sink, but we also see their point – the taste is boldly minty without being artificial or overpowering.

Best: For enamel protection

Rating: 8/10

A brand as big as Oral-B could easily rest on its laurels, but from where we’re standing, the impression is definitely that it’s one that continues to innovate without slacking on quality. This ultra-minty mouthwash – both the scent and taste packs a seriously minty punch – has a pale turquoise colour and left our mouth feeling incredibly fresh. Claims relating to perks such as enamel strengthening are hard to prove, as often these are lumped under the assurance of “clinically proven technology”, but the absence of nasties such as alcohol means that – at a minimum – any whitening capability is a potential added bonus to a product which works perfectly well as a regular mouthwash.

Best: For sensitive teeth

Rating: 8/10

This glass-clear liquid had an ultra-minty taste which had none of the chemical tang associated with mouthwashes which rely more on artificial ingredients.  The line-up here includes sea buckthorn (there’s no information listed about the benefits, other than that it’s a superfood, which is somewhat irrelevant given you’re not going to be swallowing this stuff), along with sage – a natural disinfectant – and aloe vera, which will help to protect gums from irritation. It’s a fresh, minty mouthwash which proves that all-natural ones can be fantastic options too, although we can’t help but feel the price is a little on the high side.

Best: Eco-friendly mouthwash

Rating: 7/10

Another mouthwash with an all-natural line up of ingredients, the PerioBrite natural mouthwash comes with a lot of largely meaningless blurb in tow – we don’t mean this harshly, but what on earth is the “advanced botanical fingerprint technology” listed as a feature (no further information is provided). And we’re not sure what “holistically balanced” means in this situation, either. Organic lavender and peppermint are used for their soothing and cleansing properties, while folic acid, oregano and clove support gum health. The pale yellow liquid (and there’s no getting away from the fact it bears a certain resemblance to urine) has a herby taste that is by no means unpleasant, and which left our mouth feeling unexpectedly fresh.

Best: For whitening

Rating: 8/10

This pale purple mouthwash smells quite strong, and we detected a hint of aniseed in its taste. It reminds us of the mouthwash our hygienist gives us after a session in the chair, which is no bad thing, to be clear. Whitening is another promise which is hard to prove, and as always, there’s frustratingly little information to back up the claims – that stains will be visibly lightened in seven days and that our teeth will be more resistant to staining in the future. We can’t say we noticed a dramatic difference, although we did feel our teeth looked slightly brighter – although not dramatically so – after seven days. As with other products which promise specific perks, we’d recommend this for anyone looking for a good mouthwash with the possibility of light stain removal.

Best: For bad breath

Rating: 9/10

First things first – this black (yes, you did read that correctly) liquid doesn’t (thank goodness) taste of charcoal, which is used here for its stain-busting abilities. Instead, we got a minty blast which left our mouth feeling wonderfully fresh. Colgate claims that something known as fresh FX technology (no further details of which are provided) delivers a cooler, fresher sensation for ten times as long as the standard mouthwash. To be honest, how this could be measured is beyond us, but it certainly left our mouth feeling fabulously fresh – even if the colour did provide a painful reminder of those black sambucas we downed during our university days.

Best: For protection against plaque

Rating: 9/10

Unexpectedly, the presence of sea salt was definitely evident in the taste, although not in an unpleasant way – somehow, the salty notes (and yes, we do realise we sound as though we’re describing a rather strange wine at this point) paired well with the dominant mintiness of this mouthwash, which had a pale blue hue. The sea salt, if you were wondering, apparently aids plaque protection, and without going into details, we think there’s something in this theory. As avid users of tepe brushes – the little wire brushes used to reduce plaque build-up between teeth – we felt the job became slightly easier after using this for several weeks.

Best: Value

Rating: 9/10

After being raised on Listerine (not literally, to be clear, but in the sense that our parents used it when we were a child, so it was the mouthwash we used first, too), we eventually ended our relationship with the brand because of its love of alcohol – something which shouldn’t be added to the average mouthwash, due to its ability to dry the mouth area and create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. We’re loving this reincarnation – the alcohol-free cool mint version offers a minty blast of freshness which helps to reduce plaque build-up, freshen breath and blitz bacteria , and that also left our mouth feeling fabulously clean.

Best: For natural ingredients

Rating: 8/10

A whopping 90 per cent of the ingredients in this mouthwash are of natural origin, and we’re loving the easy-on-the-eye appearance – a clear liquid in a clear bottle with grass-green elements. Its taste is mild but fresh – thanks partly to the addition of eucalyptol – and the antibacterial properties of essential oils provide some fantastic bacteria-busting, leaving us wondering why more big-name mouthwash brands don’t rely more on natural ingredients.

Best: For gum protection

Rating: 8/10

Corsodyl started out as a brand which specialised in gum care, and it’s now one which has evolved to cover all bases, although we’d still recommend this one as a fantastic option for anyone keen to treat their gums to a little extra TLC. Again, the eight distinct claims, which relate to everything from gum protection to enamel care, are hard to prove, but this is a mouthwash which is packed with ingredients known to improve oral hygiene, whether it’s zinc to freshen breath or fluoride to strengthen teeth.

Best: For maintaining enamel

Rating: 9/10

This mouthwash has a slightly thicker consistency than other mouthwashes, but only marginally. It’s got a fantastically fresh taste, and left our teeth feeling wonderfully smooth and free from any build-up. Unlike many mouthwashes, it didn’t irritate our sensitive gums, and left our mouth feeling surprisingly fresh hours after use.