672: Toothpaste | Skeptical Sunday

Legal Loopholes

Toothpaste manufacturers exploit legal loopholes to avoid disclosing all ingredients, often listing their products as cosmetics to bypass regulations. David C. Smalley explains that this allows companies to include potentially harmful substances without full transparency 1. Jordan Harbinger highlights the absurdity of brushing with products that can stain teeth and contain toxic levels of fluoride 1. Smalley also reveals that even online ingredient lists are vague, often redirecting consumers to irrelevant information 2.

It's like some sort of medical ointment. Like, no other ingredients are typically listed on toothpaste. It just says active ingredient, like it would on some sort of, you know, topical ointment.

--- David C. Smalley

This lack of transparency has led to numerous lawsuits against major brands for misleading claims and unsafe ingredients 2.

   

Harmful Ingredients

Many toothpaste brands include harmful ingredients like triclosan and sodium lauryl sulfate, which are not always disclosed. Triclosan, banned in soaps due to health risks, is still used in some toothpastes, raising concerns about bacterial resistance and hormone disruption 3. David Smalley notes that manufacturers often use cosmetic labeling to avoid listing these ingredients 1.

Colgate responded, and Time posted the actual written response in the Time magazine article, which is still available online. If people want to go read it, here's the quote from Colgate responding to Time magazine in 2017.

--- David C. Smalley

Other common ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate are used for their foaming properties but offer no real cleaning benefits and can become toxic during manufacturing 4.

   

Evasive Tactics

Manufacturers often evade transparency by using vague ingredient lists and misleading marketing tactics. David C. Smalley describes how websites of major brands distract consumers with irrelevant information instead of providing clear ingredient lists 2. This evasiveness extends to their responses to scrutiny, as seen in lawsuits against companies like Procter & Gamble for misleading claims about the safety and effectiveness of their products 5.

Most of the class action lawsuits have to do with major toothpaste companies either withholding information, hiding something, or making something seem safe when the safety of a product either wasn't yet determined or isn't safe at all.

--- David C. Smalley

Such tactics undermine consumer trust and highlight the need for stricter regulations and transparency in the industry.