Fancymay retainer cleaning tablets

Our verdict

Fancymay is the cheapest per soak of the tablets we checked, and that is its main advantage. Its weakness is information: the UK listing does not name the ingredients, does not carry a persulfate allergy warning, and gives no time limit for wire appliances. The formulas published for Fancymay elsewhere contain a persulfate-type ingredient, and reactions to those can appear after earlier uneventful use, so having used a similar cleaner before is not a guide. If you need to know exactly what you are using before you buy, for example because you have reacted to dental products, or you are buying for a child, choose a product that publishes its ingredients and warnings.

What is in the pack

The UK listing describes the 120-tablet pack as a "new formulation", made in China, mint flavoured, with each tablet individually wrapped. It does not list ingredients, and we could not find a UK ingredient list from the seller.

Two published lists exist for Fancymay tablets elsewhere. The US 120-tablet listing gives sodium bicarbonate, potassium peroxymonosulfate, sodium percarbonate, citric acid, PEG-150, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium benzoate, TAED, peppermint oil and indigo. A 2022 laboratory study that tested Fancymay tablets reported a similar list from the maker's information, but with tetrasodium EDTA in place of TAED. Both lists include potassium peroxymonosulfate and sodium percarbonate, the oxidising part of the clean. We cannot confirm that the UK new formulation matches either, so read the pack you receive.

The allergy point

Potassium peroxymonosulfate belongs to the persulfate family of oxidising cleaners. In 2008 the US Food and Drug Administration asked makers of denture cleansers to strengthen their labels after reports of severe reactions, and said persulfate was the most likely cause. It warned that a reaction may not happen on first use, or until after years of use, and that symptoms can include irritation, rash, hives, gum tenderness and breathing problems.

Retainer Brite prints a persulfate warning, and so does a Spanish pharmacy listing for one of the two formulas sold as VITIS. The Fancymay UK listing does not; it calls the tablets "100% safe and mild".

Treat that as the seller's wording, not a safety finding.

If you notice soreness, swelling or a rash around your mouth or hands after using any tablet, stop, rinse the appliance well in plain water, and speak to a pharmacist, dentist or GP.

How to use it

The UK listing says the appliance is clean within 15 minutes. One US listing says to soak for 15 to 20 minutes until the water turns clear; another says 15 minutes. The UK listing gives no water temperature, and although it lists wire retainers as suitable, it gives no maximum soak time for them. Other brands' wire limits apply to their own formulas, so they cannot be assumed for Fancymay. Follow the directions printed on the pack you receive, and if you plan to use it on a wire retainer or on aligners, ask the clinician who supplied the appliance whether it is suitable and for how long.

Rinse the appliance under running water before it goes back in. The solution is not a mouthwash, and the tablets should be kept away from children.

What the research shows on clear aligners

The 2022 study, published in Progress in Orthodontics, soaked unused aligners in Fancymay, Retainer Brite or a peroxide-free cleaner for 15 minutes a day for two weeks. Invisalign material showed no significant change in hardness or elasticity with any of them. A PET-G aligner material became slightly softer after all three cleaners, including Fancymay. Retainer Brite, but not Fancymay, caused small chemical changes on the Invisalign surface.

That is a laboratory result on new aligners, not a clinical trial. It does not show that the tablets make treatment less effective, and its soaking schedule was a test condition, not a recommended home routine.

Align Technology's current Invisalign instructions say to keep aligners away from hot water and harsh chemicals, and not to use denture cleaners on aligners with mandibular advancement features (blocks on the biting surface). An older edition, still handed out by some practices, said not to use denture cleaners on Invisalign aligners at all. Retainer tablets like Fancymay are sold as denture and appliance cleansers, so if you wear Invisalign or another branded aligner, ask your provider before making tablets part of your routine, and follow what they say.

What the claims mean

The listing claims the tablets remove odour, discoloration, stains and plaque from appliances, and the box in our 2020 photo claims 99.9% of odour-causing bacteria are killed. We have not seen the test data behind those claims.

A soak can loosen film and help with smell; it does not replace brushing the appliance gently, and it does nothing for your teeth.

Cost per soak compared

The prorated column is the value of the tablets used by one soak a day for 365 days. The whole-pack column is the cash needed to buy enough boxes for that year at the same single-box price, which leaves tablets over. Neither includes delivery charges, and many people soak less often than daily. The Fancymay price comes from Amazon UK's search listing and we could not confirm it on the product page, so check it at checkout.

Who should choose it

Fancymay suits you if cost per soak matters most and you are prepared to check the ingredient panel on the pack when it arrives, since the UK listing does not publish one. Choose Retainer Brite if you want a published ingredient list, a wire time limit and an allergy warning on the pack. If you want to avoid persulfates, look at VITIS orthodontic cleaning tablets: one formula sold under that name lists no persulfate, but another does, so check the box. The everyday clean for trays is covered in our guide to cleaning aligners, and other options are under aligner and retainer cleaners.

How this review was put together

This review first appeared on Aligners.co in June 2020, and the photo is from that review. This update is based on Amazon UK and US listings, the FDA's 2008 advice on denture cleansers, the 2022 laboratory study and UK retailer prices, checked on 28 and 29 October 2026. We did not retest the tablets, and the page has not been clinically reviewed.