Colgate-Palmolive, the company that owns several toothpaste brands sold nationwide, is squeezing out a new marketing plan for its packaging and advertisements after two Texas politicians — and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — voiced concerns over excess fluoride consumption.
One of those politicians is Attorney General Ken Paxton, who in a Monday announcement revealed that he secured a “historic agreement” with Colgate-Palmolive to address concerns over toothpaste brands “depicting excessive amounts of fluoride toothpaste in their marketing and packaging.”
The company agreed to roll out a new marketing plan for several of its brands, including Colgate, Tom’s of Maine and hello. The minty-fresh marketing materials will include visuals that depict a “pea-sized” amount of product, instead of the typical toothpaste swirls.
Paxton seemed to echo Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s concernsthat excess fluoride exposure leads to lower IQ scores in children.
An August 2024 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program does show with “moderate confidence” that “higher estimated fluoride exposures … are consistently associated with lower IQ in children.” But that’s for fluoride concentrations that are double what Health and Human Services recommends for drinking water.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also seems to think that fluoride consumption should be limited. In a February statement, Miller called on Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature to ban “non-water additives” like fluoride from public water supplies.
Miller also had a few things to say about dental hygiene. In a February interview, he told the Express-News that fluoride “probably does help prevent cavities, but I don’t want to have good teeth and be ignorant.” He also seemed to tie fluoride consumption to low IQ scores in children.
“I don’t want to have a low IQ,” the commissioner said. “I’d rather have a high IQ and let me brush my teeth and take care of my dental hygiene without the fluoride.”
Although Colgate-Palmolive’s brand marketing strategies may be changing, Paxton acknowledged that the company’s current usage instructions do indeed comply with FDA standards and requirements.
Toothpaste users will have to wait until Nov. 1 to sink their teeth into the changes, which will first be reflected online and then in physical packaging.
Original article online at: https://www.expressnews.com/news/texas/article/texas-fluoride-concerns-colgate-branding-shift-21052989.php