WASHINGTON - The Colgate-Palmolive Co. said Thursday that 5-ounce tubes of counterfeit toothpaste sold in discount stores in four states under a Colgate label are being recalled because they may contain a poisonous chemical.

A Food and Drug Administration official, Doug Arbesfeld, said Wednesday that testing had found the chemical in a product with the Colgate label, but said in the initial announcement that the FDA was unsure whether it really was Colgate or a counterfeit.

"We are aware that toothpaste is something that's been counterfeited in the past," he said. "We don't want to alarm people unnecessarily."

MS USA Trading, Inc. of North Bergen, N.J., the importer involved in the initial recall announcement, said the toothpaste may contain diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze.

The company said the toothpaste, imported from South Africa, was sold in discount stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

"Made in South Africa" is printed on the box and includes Regular, Gel, Triple and Herbal versions.

The trading company said the problem was discovered in routine testing by the Food and Drug Administration. It said no illnesses have been reported to date.

The same chemical has led to the recall of several brands of toothpaste imported from China in recent weeks.

Consumers who have purchased 5-ounce toothpaste under the Colgate label can return them to the place of purchase for a refund, MS USA Trading said.

Colgate-Palmolive issued a press release early Thursday saying the tubes are counterfeit.

The company said it does not use, nor has it ever used, diethylene glycol as an ingredient in Colgate toothpaste anywhere in the world.

"Colgate does not import toothpaste into the United States from South Africa," said the statement from Colgate-Palmolive. "In addition, the counterfeit packages examined so far have several misspellings including: `isclinically,' `SOUTH AFRLCA' and `South African Dental Assoxiation.

"Counterfeit toothpaste is not manufactured or distributed by Colgate and has no connection with the company whatsoever," the company said, adding that Colgate is working closely with the FDA "to help to identify those responsible for the counterfeit product."

But Colgate said consumers who suspect they may have purchased counterfeit product can call Colgate's toll-free number at 1-800-468-6502

Good thing I just use sand! ;)

Good thing I just use sand! ;)

Lucky bastard...

i have an 8.2 ounce one. thats okay right?!

i have an 8.2 ounce one. thats okay right?!

Even if it is 8.2 ounce, if it says 'Made in South Africa', chuck it, cause it's not real Colgate. Real Colgate isn't made in SA

Good thing I just use sand! ;)
That's more than I use. :D <<<< see my teeth.


That is why I never buy things in dollar stores or discount stores. They are made to look/resemble like the name product but they are TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I'd rather pay more and know that I am getting the product that I paid for and that it is safe.

Holy Cow, what next?:eek:

Gah, thanks for letting us know. I don't have that brand, but I remember my friend does because I used it when I slept over her house the other day. I made sure to let her know.

Holy Cow, what next?:eek:


Defective Toilet Paper

Defective Toilet Paper

OH MY GOD, I just winced looking at that *holds butt*

those misspellings are hilarious.

curious tho...discount hopefully doesn't include Target/Wal-Mart type. Never says.

That's more than I use. :D <<<< see my teeth.


That is why I never buy things in dollar stores or discount stores. They are made to look/resemble like the name product but they are TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I'd rather pay more and know that I am getting the product that I paid for and that it is safe.

That's not always the case, We buy Folger's Coffee at Dollar General because they charge 4.99 for the exact same size that the grocery store next door charges 7.99 for.

If you see a name brand product in a place such as Big Lots, Dollar General, etc...That doesn't necessarily mean that it's counterfeit. I buy all my soymilk from Big Lots and have never had a problem with it. A carton that costs 2.99 in the store costs only 1.00 there and it's always in date.

Just because you buy products at certain places only is no guarantee that it's safe. The Tylenol scare from years ago and the more recent recalls of Peter Pan peanut butter, pet foods & beef should be proof of that.

That's not always the case, We buy Folger's Coffee at Dollar General because they charge 4.99 for the exact same size that the grocery store next door charges 7.99 for.

If you see a name brand product in a place such as Big Lots, Dollar General, etc...That doesn't necessarily mean that it's counterfeit. I buy all my soymilk from Big Lots and have never had a problem with it. A carton that costs 2.99 in the store costs only 1.00 there and it's always in date.

Just because you buy products at certain places only is no guarantee that that it's safe. The Tylenol scare from years ago and the more recent recalls of Peter Pan peanut butter, pet foods & beef should be proof of that.
I only meant no-name discount stores. Big Lots aka Pic-N-Save was always a good place to buy discount items. However, in the last ten years, tooooo many 99 cent stores, under one dollar stores and cheap discount stores have popped up it is crazy. I would check out the labels of some of the items and I am surprised those companies don't get sued for something since they practically steal the product labeling.

I only meant no-name discount stores. Big Lots aka Pic-N-Save was always a good place to buy discount items. However, in the last ten years, tooooo many 99 cent stores, under one dollar stores and cheap discount stores have popped up it is crazy. I would check out the labels of some of the items and I am surprised those companies don't get sued for something since they practically steal the product labeling.

Ok, I see what you're saying now. We have a store called Dollar Tree where everything is only 1.00 and I would never buy food in there but I do buy their cd's & books sometimes & sell them on Ebay. :lol:

:eek2: I use Colgate...bought it at Giant Eagle. Man, what is in COUNTERFEIT toothpaste??? :eek:

It's not always necessarily *bad* toothpaste, it's just not necessarily held up to the same standards of manufacturing as other product lines produced elsewhere.

That said, unless you tend to purchase your toothpase at a dollar store or similar location, you're most likely fine.

Ok, I see what you're saying now. We have a store called Dollar Tree where everything is only 1.00 and I would never buy food in there but I do buy their cd's & books sometimes & sell them on Ebay. :lol:

I bought some pretty good popcorn at Dollar Tree. lol

But I'd never buy their cleaning or Health and Beauty products. The cheapo cleaning lady at my mom's office used some dollar store stuff on my mom's desk, and now she can't get it to come off. puke:

That's not always the case, We buy Folger's Coffee at Dollar General because they charge 4.99 for the exact same size that the grocery store next door charges 7.99 for.

If you see a name brand product in a place such as Big Lots, Dollar General, etc...That doesn't necessarily mean that it's counterfeit. I buy all my soymilk from Big Lots and have never had a problem with it. A carton that costs 2.99 in the store costs only 1.00 there and it's always in date.

Just because you buy products at certain places only is no guarantee that that it's safe. The Tylenol scare from years ago and the more recent recalls of Peter Pan peanut butter, pet foods & beef should be proof of that.

Thanks for posting this and clarifying. You're right. The last company I worked for made "private label" cleaner and bleach brands for lots of places - Stop & Shop, Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc. and the stuff is EXACTLY the same formula as the name brand.

Just make sure no matter what that the stuff you're buying was manufactured in either the U.S. or Canada ONLY. Anything else - and especially from China could possibly be bogus and bad. ;)

But I'd never buy their cleaning or Health and Beauty products. The cheapo cleaning lady at my mom's office used some dollar store stuff on my mom's desk, and now she can't get it to come off. puke:


Do you know the name of the stuff at all or could look at it to see where it was made?

This is ridiculous!! It's getting to the point where nothing is safe anymore!!!!
>(

Yikes! I use Aim from Wal-Mart. I don't know if that would be considered "cheap" toothpaste from the such dollar stores.

Note how this poisonous chemical of diethylene glycol includes the word "die" in it? *Twilight Zone music playing*

This is ridiculous!! It's getting to the point where nothing is safe anymore!!!!
>(


You're right. And it'll continue as long as companies try to cut their cost of goods and have products made outside of north america - especially China. I'm surprised we haven't put out a full boycott of consumable products from China, but I guess knockoffs are getting through.

I'm checking all labels now to make sure it was made here (or maybe in France or England) but Asia's scaring me lately. :rolleyes:

Yikes! I use Aim from Wal-Mart. I don't know if that would be considered "cheap" toothpaste from the such dollar stores.



Aim has been on the market a long time so you shouldn't have any reason to be concerned. It was a popular brand for years but it doesn't get advertised much anymore.

Damn, I am old! I remember when AIM first came out! YIKES! The advertising for that product was everywhere.

Good thing I don't use Colgate.

Damn, I am old! I remember when AIM first came out! YIKES! The advertising for that product was everywhere.
:lol: Same here Girl. I thought it was really cool cuz it had stripes and clear gel. I found it to be lousy toothpaste though.

I usually grab Crest or Colgate (but not the type the mention here - the whitening stuff).

Actually Colgate-Palmolive announced today that even if you got the tainted toothpaste, the likelihood of any real danger in it is small. I was thinking that last night when it was on the news. You spit out and rinse toothpaste (as a matter of fact, you should NEVER swallow or eat it) so it can't do too much.

Makes you wonder though with these recent recalls why there aren't thousands of Chinese dropping like flies since this stuff must be in their food and products since it's not regulated the same over there. :confused:

Aim has been on the market a long time so you shouldn't have any reason to be concerned. It was a popular brand for years but it doesn't get advertised much anymore.
Oh. When was it really popular? When did it come out? I like it quite well. Plus, it's only .88 cents at Wal-Mart compared to $1.39 at Smith's.

^If Wikipedia is correct, Aim debuted in 1975. I know I saw commercials for it all the time during the 70's but they slacked off on those several years ago.

^If Wikipedia is correct, Aim debuted in 1975. I know I saw commercials for it all the time during the 70's but they slacked off on those several years ago.
Oh, okay. Thanks for the info!

My parents still buy Aim. There's some in our medicine cabinet right now!! :lol: