COUNTERFEIT COLGATE TOOTHPASTE

Counterfeit tubes of Colgate toothpaste are being found in stores. Most of us have probably never hear of such a thing. Really, most of us have never even considered the idea that something like toothpaste could be counterfeit. How would someone even come up with something like that. Even if someone were to think of a crazy idea like this, how would they actually turn it into a business idea and implement it? It sounds totally crazy but Colgate toothpaste is being counterfeit. No-name toothpaste manufacturers are using Colgate’s good name and brand recognition to drive sales. How do they sneak their way into stores?

So how is counterfeit toothpaste bad? Isn’t that almost just like getting a generic alternative? No, not exactly. Besides quality concerns, there are very real safety issues too. The tubes being spotted are thought to potentially contain Diethylene Glycol. That may not sound all that different from what is already listed on a normal tube of toothpaste. It’s just another chemical, right? This particular chemically is very dangerous. It is used in antifreeze and it is poisonous. This is NOT something that would ever be used in any legitimate, authentic Colgate toothpaste.

This is under investigation of the FDA and they are working hard with Colgate to make sure that these fake products and removed from store shelves.

Where would you expect to find these? These would typically be found in dollar stores not in larger name brand department stores. This isn’t too much of a surprise since dollar stores tend to keep prices down by purchasing less than top quality goods in bulk. When you only pay a dollar, you have to expect whatever you buy isn’t going to be the same as the equivalent item in normal store. Generally, you definitely wouldn’t want to buy food from a dollar store. Really though, you wouldn’t want to buy anything that you put in your mouth or that could affect your health in any way. Basically if quality matters and you need it to be safe and trusted, you probably shouldn’t be shopping at the dollar store. It is really just a place to pick up cheap, simple items like pads of paper, balloons, and birthday candles. It isn’t a place to buy toothpaste.

The counterfeit toothpaste has been found in four different states. They may or man not all have the same suppliers. Why they haven’t been able to track down the actual source is uncertain. It may be that they are able to track it down but new sources pop up like the heads on a hydra. As soon as the shutdown one counterfeit toothpaste source, another just pops up to take its place. There is that and there is the idea that it may not be the hugest priority for law enforcement and government agencies to spend their time on.

How do you identify these tubes of toothpaste? Well, like many things, one big tip off is the presence of misspelled words. These producers may be able to invest in equipment to manufacture things but they are generally located in foreign countries. While a large corporation will have an entire department that can translate labels into different languages with correct spelling and grammar, these small suppliers don’t have this at their disposal.

Another tip that you may not be getting authentic, high quality, Colgate toothpaste is that it may be manufactured in either South Africa or China. Colgate specifically doesn’t import from South Africa. If you see a label saying that it was manufactured in any of these places, that is a big red flag that something is probably wrong.