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Customers who bought Crest whitening toothpaste containing charcoal are suing the company’s owner, saying they were misled to believe charcoal was safe and effective to clean your teeth and gums with.
In a nationwide class action lawsuit that was filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, Plaintiff Belinda Housey, claims Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) had been promoting its Crest products as “enamel-safe whitening toothpastes that gently clean, and that can promote healthier gums.”
However, Housey said the messaging lacks a factual basis, and “recklessly omits” information around the use of charcoal in oral care.
“The consensus of respected dentists, researchers and industry experts weighs against the use of charcoal dentifrices, due to the lack of scientific substantiation on safety and efficacy, as well as risks of harm,” the class action lawsuit stated.
Housey said the American Dental Association (ADA) had not approved any charcoal dental cleaning products.
“P&G also omitted material facts, including that charcoal, when used in toothpastes, is known to be abrasive to enamel and the gums, and to pose risky safety hazards with use,” she said.
P&G charges a premium for the charcoal toothpastes, too, the lawsuit said, pointing out that in recent years, health and beauty products containing activated charcoal have become a “consumer sensation.”
Charcoal is highly porous and has adsorptive qualities that can be useful in certain contexts, according to the lawsuit, despite not being approved by the ADA for teeth.
“Opportunistic marketers, celebrities and social media influencers tout a variety of certain charcoal products for purported detoxifying properties and other enhanced wellbeing and health benefits,” the lawsuit states.
“Consumers have been willing to pay a premium for these charcoal products based on these purported benefits.”
Housey is looking to represent several nationwide Classes and a New York subclass of consumers who purchased a Crest charcoal toothpaste during applicable statutes of limitations. She is seeking damages, restitution, attorney fees, court costs and a jury trial.
Crest toothpaste has been at the center of other class action lawsuits, most recently with a January lawsuit claiming the product was falsely advertised as being able to reverse gingivitis damage.
Meanwhile, other charcoal toothpaste companies are not immune from legal action.
Active Wow is facing a class action lawsuit claiming its charcoal toothpaste is dangerous and should not have been sold, and Pro Teeth Whitening Co. is being sued for the way it markets its “activated charcoal” products.
Do you buy charcoal toothpaste? Did you know it wasn’t approved by the American Dental Association? Let us know in the comments!
Housey is represented by Jonathan Shub and Kevin Laukaitis of Shub Law Firm LLC and Michael R. Reese of Reese LLP.
The Crest Charcoal Toothpaste Class Action Lawsuit is Belinda Housey v. Procter & Gamble Co., Case No. 1:21-cv-02286, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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655 thoughts onCrest Charcoal Toothpaste ‘Hazardous’, Class Action Lawsuit Claims
Add me please l have been using this charcoal paste for over a few years and it was curiously thought why my teeth are getting worse.
Add me please have been purchasing this for a upwards of 3 years now.
Add me please
After using Crest white strips (another product of theirs) my teeth started to turn black and then ultimately fell out. This happened on the upper teeth that I used them on, and on the bottom side teeth that pooled the enamel destroying solution. No amount of money can make the pain they caused me right.