Identifying Counterfeit Products
All Colgate products are made in strict adherence to our rigorous global safety and quality standards, regardless of the country they are manufactured in. These standards include ongoing ingredient and supplier verification procedures and quality control checks to ensure that manufacturing processes meet Colgate standards. To further ensure the safety of our products, Colgate toothpaste is made from only approved and tested ingredients of trusted origins from reliable suppliers.
Protecting Consumers Against Counterfeit Products
Like all major consumer products companies, Colgate products are sometimes illegally counterfeited. If we find a counterfeit product, we immediately report it to the appropriate authorities and contact the store where it is found to alert them that they should cease sales immediately.
Colgate is committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that they can rely on Colgate products for safety and superior quality. Colgate takes a very aggressive stance against counterfeit producers and actively investigates counterfeiting activities around the world. For example, Colgate:
- Works closely with global government agencies, including Customs, to assist in halting importation of counterfeit product.
- Investigates manufacturers and importers of counterfeit goods to stop counterfeiting at its source.
- Has executed seizures and raids throughout the world, and prevented product from entering the market.
- Has conducted and will continue to conduct training sessions with customs agents in various countries to assist their anti-counterfeiting efforts to aid them in recognizing counterfeit toothpaste.
- Has and will continue to take appropriate legal action against counterfeit manufacturers and distributors.
Identifying genuine Colgate toothpaste
Colgate products are sold in a wide variety of retail channels, including supermarkets, pharmacies, general merchandise stores, large dollar stores and club stores. To help consumers identify genuine Colgate toothpaste made for sale in the United States, look for the following:
- The words "Distr. by Colgate-Palmolive, New York, NY 10022" appear in the lower right-hand corner of a panel on the box.
- In the white box that contains the UPC bar code, genuine Colgate products for sale in the U.S. begin with the code number 35000.
- Please see an example of a genuine Colgate toothpaste box below:
If you have any questions or require additional information, please call Colgate's consumer information line (1-800-468-6502).
Identifying counterfeit products
Consumers should always be on the alert for illegally manufactured counterfeit products and should be aware that counterfeit products may present a health risk.
On June 13, 2007, MS USA Trading, Inc. announced a recall in four states of counterfeit product falsely labeled as Colgate. Here are some indicators to look for to identify this illegally manufactured and distributed counterfeit product:
- The counterfeit toothpaste comes labeled as a 5 ounce (or 100 ml tube), a size not made or sold by Colgate in the United States
- There are words on the package, "Manufactured by: COLGATE-PALMOLIVE (PTV) LTD., SOUTH AFRICA – 52 Commissioner Street, Boksburg, 1460"
- There may be several misspelled words on the product carton including: "isclinically", "SOUTH AFRLCA" and "South African Dental Assoxiation"
- Please see an example of a counterfeit box below:
If you suspect that you have counterfeit product, do not use it.
Please call Colgate's consumer information line (1-800 468-6502) for more information and further instructions on how we can help identify the product and ensure you only use genuine Colgate toothpaste.
For more information about counterfeit products you can also visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's web site (www.fda.gov).
UPDATE: June 29, 2007
Colgate Palmolive is continuing to remove counterfeit toothpaste from small discount variety retailers in the United States and Canada, in cooperation with government health and law enforcement authorities. Additional developments include a report by Canadian health authorities as well as Colgate’s own investigation that has found suspected harmful bacteria in some samples of counterfeit toothpaste. These counterfeit products were picked up in small discount variety retailers in Canada and the United States.
Colgate recognizes the seriousness of illegal counterfeit products and the health risk they may present and works with law enforcement authorities to prevent such products from reaching the consumer marketplace. It is important that consumers support efforts to remove these illegal products which Colgate does not make or distribute, and report to Colgate and regulatory authorities any suspected counterfeit product.
Colgate products are made with the highest quality and safety standards. Colgate encourages interested consumers and retailers to visit our website at www.colgate.com or call 1-800-468-6502 to get more information.
