UPDATE: August 21, 2008
The U.S. Department of Justice has investigated illegal imports in 2006 and 2007 of counterfeit toothpaste falsely labeled as Colgate and today accepted guilty pleas from importers and distributors of the counterfeit product. Colgate was pleased to provide assistance to this investigation, including detailed technical and laboratory analyses of suspect toothpaste. Colgate is highly appreciative of the efforts of the Justice Department Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, as well as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement New York Office and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations in bringing this matter to a successful conclusion.

Colgate is committed to combating illegal counterfeit toothpaste, which can present a health risk to consumers, by working with law enforcement, regulators and industry trade groups around the world. With the discovery in June 2007 of counterfeit product at small, independent discount stores, Colgate undertook its own national effort to inspect several thousand small, independent discount stores and ensure that no counterfeit toothpaste falsely labeled as Colgate was available for consumer purchase. The Company continues an ongoing monitoring program.

Genuine Colgate toothpaste is sold in a wide variety of retail channels, including supermarkets, pharmacies, general merchandise stores, large dollar stores and club stores. Counterfeit product has NOT been found in these stores.

What Colgate is doing to protect consumers from counterfeit products
Like all major consumer products companies, Colgate products are sometimes illegally counterfeited. Colgate is committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that they can rely on Colgate products for superior performance and quality. Colgate is enhancing its toothpaste packaging to detect and deter counterfeiting to further protect the consumers who use the billions of tubes of genuine Colgate toothpaste sold globally each year.

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.

On a worldwide basis, Colgate takes a very aggressive stance against counterfeit producers and actively investigates counterfeiting activities. 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
• Executes seizures and raids throughout the world, and prevents 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

Health risks of counterfeit toothpaste
Counterfeit toothpaste is not manufactured with the care and quality control procedures used by reputable manufacturers. As a result, it may contain bacteria that can be harmful, particularly to children and individuals with compromised immune systems, as well as unsafe ingredients. Accordingly, we do not recommend using any counterfeit product.

For more information about counterfeit products you can visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s web site (www.fda.gov)

What to do if you suspect you have counterfeit product
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.

2007 Archived Information
June 29, 2007 Update
06/15/2007>> Update: Counterfeit Toothpaste Falsely labeled as "Colgate"
06/14/2007>> Counterfeit Colgate Toothpaste Found