The company Colgate-Palmolive in Brazil announced this Thursday that it will stop manufacturing the toothpaste Colgate Total Active Prevention Clean Mint, following an investigation related to the levels of flavoring present in its formula.
In a statement, published on its website, the company said that the decision was made in consideration of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and Brazilian consumers; although it assured that the toothpaste “has no quality problems“.
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This measure is known after, until the end of May, more than 1,200 people reported to Anvisa adverse reactions after using the toothpaste, according to G1. In addition, the website Reclame Aqui registered thousands of complaints about it.
On March 27th, Anvisa reported the ban on the sale of the product, noting that it had received reports from consumers about “oral lesions, painful sensations, burning/stinging sensations, gingival inflammation and lip edema” due to the use of the toothpaste.
According to the agency, those effects would have had a “significant impact” on the quality of life of consumers, resulting, in some cases, in “medical costs, absences from work, difficulties eating and communicating, and emotional distress”.
Colgate appealed and obtained the temporary suspension of the measure, keeping the product on sale as of March 30; however, at the end of April, Anvisa
indicated that the product remained prohibited.
Formula Change
Colgate Total Active Prevention Clean Mint, the agency detailed in March, was launched in Brazil in July 2024 “with a new formulation.” The toothpaste underwent a change when
sodium fluoride was replaced by stannous fluoride as the active ingredient.
However, it has not yet been confirmed that this change was responsible for the adverse effects caused to consumers. Anvisa pointed out that the company is also investigating the possibility that the problem is related to flavorings based on essential oils, substances recognized for their allergenic potential, as well as colorings and other additives used in the product.
