Active Wow Class Action Lawsuit Says Charcoal Dental Products Are Harmful

A recent class action lawsuit claims that Active Wow charcoal toothpaste is dangerous and should not have been sold by the company.

According to plaintiff Mary Schnurer, Active Wow charcoal toothpaste is negligently marked as whitening, detoxifying and adsorptive, safe, and generally beneficial to oral health. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, according to the recent Active Wow charcoal toothpaste class action lawsuit.

Schnurer takes issue with several of Active Wow’s charcoal toothpaste products including the following: Active Wow ‘24K White’ Activated Coconut Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder – All Natural; Active Wow Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder – Peppermint; Active Wow Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder – Spearmint; and Active Wow Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder – Vanilla.

These Active Wow charcoal toothpaste products are allegedly marketed with a variety of misleading claims, including that the activated charcoal product “naturally whitens your teeth,” “is safe to use for whitening your teeth, while being easy on your gums,” “purifies and detoxifies,” is “easy on gums, and gentle on enamel,” is “enamel safe,” and “is your new best friend for detoxifying the mouth, removing bad breath, and gently polishing away stains quickly and easily.”

However, the properties of activated charcoal allegedly contradict these statements, the Active Wow class action lawsuit claims.

According to Heathline, activated charcoal used to be widely used as a universal antidote to many problems. Now, the ingredient has been proposed to help lower cholesterol, whiten teeth, cure hangovers and more.

Unlike regular charcoal, activated charcoal is processed at extremely high temperatures. As a result, activated charcoal is far more porous than regular charcoal. Between the porous nature and the resulting negative electrical charge on the surface, toxins and chemicals are positively attracted to the activated charcoal. Due to this mechanism, activated charcoal may be used as an emergency poison treatment.

Although activated charcoal has useful applications, Schnurer argues that Active Wow manufacturer Matherson Organics LLC misleads consumers by omitting important information about the oral use of activated charcoal.

The Active Wow class action lawsuit notes that “respected dentists, researchers and industry experts” generally agree that charcoal shouldn’t be used orally due to a lack of scientific information. Without proper study, there is no telling whether or not these products are actually effective or if there are significant consequences of using these products.

In fact, a 2019 study in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) expressed concern that charcoal toothpaste was nothing more than a “marketing gimmick,” which could actually cause harm to oral health.

Schnurer argues that “Active Wow knew or should have known that many of its claims regarding the Charcoal Toothpowders lacked a credible basis or substantiation, and that they were misleading, deceptive, and/or false.” However, the company allegedly continues to market their charcoal toothpaste products in a misleading manner.

The plaintiff claims that Active Wow intentionally omitted the fact that their claims were unsubstantiated in an attempt to sell more products to unsuspecting customers.

“Active Wow also omitted material facts, including that scientific literature counter-indicates the safety and efficacy of charcoal in oral care use,” the Active Wow class action lawsuit claims.

“Such representations and omissions were material and likely to deceive a reasonable consumer, yet Active Wow nonetheless negligently and recklessly proceeded with its opportunistic marketing campaign, and continues to do so, without regard to the consequences to the deceived consumer.”

According to the Active Wow class action lawsuit, consumers have started to buy into claims by marketers, celebrities and social influencers who tout activated charcoal as a way to whiten teeth.

By misleadingly marketing their products, Active Wow allegedly leans into this misconception and deceives consumers.

As a result of the deception, Schnurer claims consumers were more likely to purchase the product or pay more for the charcoal toothpaste than they otherwise would have been willing to pay, if the products were not misleadingly marketed by Active Wow.

Schnurer’s Active Wow charcoal toothpaste class action lawsuit claims that she and other consumers therefore suffered from financial harm due to their purchases.

“Plaintiff and the Nationwide Class members were injured as a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s breach because the Plaintiff and the Class members did not receive goods as warranted by Defendant, and thus did not receive the benefit of the bargain, as the Active Wow Charcoal Toothpowders did not have the promised benefits, effectiveness, safety or value as represented,” the Active Wow class action lawsuit concludes.

Have you purchased Active Wow charcoal products? Do you feel that activated charcoal is effective? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Schnurer is represented by James Robert Noblin and Robert S. Green of Green & Noblin PC and William B. Federman of Federman & Sherwood.

The Active Wow Charcoal Toothpaste Class Action Lawsuit is Mary Schnurer v. Matherson Organics LLC, Case No. 3:20-cv-01223-LAB-LL, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

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