Does Simply Gum Have Microplastics? The Honest Chicle Verdict (2026)

MicroPlastics Research DeskEditorial team

July 15, 2026

9 min read

Last reviewed: July 15, 2026 by the MicroPlastics Research Desk. Submit a correction or see our editorial standards.

Quick Answer

It has no synthetic plastic gum base — but “plastic-free” is not the same as “sheds no microplastics.” Simply Gum is one of the few brands with a genuinely clean label: its base is chicle (sapodilla tree sap), not the petroleum polymers hidden inside mainstream “gum base.” So if your question is “am I chewing plastic?”, Simply Gum is a real upgrade over Trident or Orbit. The honest complication: the 2025 UCLA pilot study found that natural chicle gums shed microplastic particles at levels similar to synthetic gums — likely because chicle is itself a natural polymer that fragments as you chew. So Simply Gum wins clearly on ingredients, but is not proven to eliminate particle shedding. It's the best gum choice, with realistic expectations.

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Does Simply Gum have microplastics — the chicle tree-sap base audited against the 2025 UCLA study

Last updated: July 15, 2026

Key Takeaways

Simply Gum's base is chicle (sapodilla tree sap), plus candelilla wax and citric acid — a short, fully disclosed, plant-based label.
It contains no synthetic gum base: no polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, or petroleum rubbers. That is a real advantage over mainstream gum.
But the 2025 UCLA study found natural and synthetic gums shed similar microplastic counts (~100–600 particles per gram), so chicle is not proven to shed zero.
Chicle is a natural polymer; as it breaks down while chewing, it can fragment into particles the same instruments count as “microplastics.”
Verdict: best gum choice for a clean ingredient list, but treat “plastic-free” as “no petroleum plastic,” not “no particles.”
The one reliable reduction is still chewing less. Compare all brands in gum brands ranked.

Simply Gum & microplastics — the facts

Simply Gum base: ChicleSimply Gum basesapodilla tree sap — a natural polymer, no petroleum plastic
Simply Gum ingredients
gum base polymers: No syntheticgum base polymersno polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, or butyl rubber
Product labeling
shedding to synthetic gum: Similarshedding to synthetic gumUCLA 2025 found natural ≈ synthetic microplastic counts
Mohanty / UCLA, ACS Spring 2025
particles across all gum types: 100–600/gparticles across all gum typesthe study measured both natural and synthetic brands
UCLA 2025 pilot study

Does Simply Gum contain microplastics?

This is the most nuanced answer of any gum. On ingredients, Simply Gum is clean: its base is chicle, the sap of the sapodilla tree, alongside candelilla wax, organic cane sugar or a natural sweetener, natural flavors, and citric acid. There is no synthetic gum base — none of the polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, or petroleum rubbers that mainstream brands bury under the words “gum base.” If you have been chewing gum uneasy about literally chewing plastic, Simply Gum resolves that.

But the 2025 UCLA pilot study complicates the marketing. Researchers tested five synthetic and five natural gums and found they released similar amounts of microplastic particles — roughly 100–600 per gram. The likely reason is that chicle is itself a polymer (a natural one), and as any gum breaks down mechanically in your mouth it fragments into particles that the study's instruments detect and count. So “plastic-free” on the box is an honest claim about the petroleum content, not a guarantee of zero shedding.

So is it worth switching to?

Yes — with the right expectation. Simply Gum is the best gum choice if you want a short, fully disclosed, plant-based ingredient list and no petroleum polymers. That is a genuine improvement over Trident or Orbit, whose bases are undisclosed synthetic plastic. What it is not is a proven way to chew gum with zero microplastic release. If eliminating particle shedding entirely is the goal, the only reliable move is to chew less gum, or none.

Simply Gum vs mainstream gum
Gum	Base	Ingredient quality	Microplastic shedding
Simply Gum (and other chicle gums)	Chicle (tree sap)	Clean, plant-based, disclosed	Similar to synthetic (UCLA 2025)
Trident / Orbit / Extra	Synthetic (petroleum)	Undisclosed "gum base"	Sheds microplastics
No gum (mints, veg)	None	n/a	None from gum

Read the Trident and Orbit verdicts, the full gum brands ranked, and the microplastics in chewing gum explainer.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Simply Gum actually plastic-free?

Simply Gum contains no synthetic, petroleum-based gum base — its base is chicle, a natural tree sap. So it is free of the plastic gum base used in mainstream brands. However, "plastic-free" describes the ingredients, not a guarantee that no particles shed while chewing.

Does chicle gum still release microplastics?

The 2025 UCLA study found natural chicle gums released microplastic particle counts similar to synthetic gums, likely because chicle is a natural polymer that fragments as you chew. So chicle gum has cleaner ingredients but is not proven to shed zero particles.

Is Simply Gum better than Trident or Orbit?

For ingredients, clearly yes: Simply Gum uses a disclosed, plant-based chicle base with no petroleum polymers, while Trident and Orbit use undisclosed synthetic gum base. On microplastic shedding specifically, the UCLA study found similar amounts across gum types.

What gum has the fewest microplastics?

No gum has been shown to shed zero microplastics. Chicle-based gums like Simply Gum are the best choice for avoiding synthetic plastic ingredients, but the reliable way to reduce gum-derived microplastics is to chew less gum, for less time.

Sources

Mohanty S, et al. (UCLA) (2025). Chewing Gums: Unintended sources of ingested microplastics in humans (ACS Spring 2025). American Chemical Society.
UCLA Newsroom (2025). Chewing gum releases microplastics into your saliva, UCLA research shows. UCLA.
World Health Organization (2022). Dietary and inhalation exposure to nano- and microplastic particles. WHO.

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