Recently, Tom’s of Maine is facing a proposed class action lawsuit that accuses the company of falsely marketing its toothpaste products as natural, safe, and effective, while allegedly selling items contaminated with mold and harmful bacteria. The lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Yolanda Pitre, claims that several popular Tom’s of Maine products — including Simply White Mint Paste, Wicked Cool! Anticavity Toothpaste, and Silly Strawberry Anticavity Toothpaste — were found to contain three potentially dangerous bacteria: Paracoccus yeei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Ralstonia insidiosa.
According to the complaint, Tom’s of Maine and its parent company, Colgate-Palmolive, were aware of the contamination but continued to market the products as healthy and natural. Pitre alleges the company’s practices amounted to intentional and negligent misrepresentation, breach of warranty, and violations of California’s consumer protection laws.
Pitre seeks to represent a nationwide class, along with a California subclass, of consumers who purchased the affected toothpaste products in the past three years. The lawsuit references a November 2024 warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which found evidence of black mold-like substances and powder residues at Tom’s of Maine’s Sanford, Maine manufacturing facility. The FDA also cited the company for failing to investigate consumer complaints and for not properly testing the water used during production.
Despite these findings, the class action alleges Tom’s of Maine did not issue a recall or warn consumers, resulting in people unknowingly paying a premium for what they believed were safe, natural oral care products. Pitre is seeking a jury trial, along with declaratory and injunctive relief and statutory damages on behalf of herself and other class members.
