Colgate Lawsuit 2026: Every Colgate Class Action, Settlement and Payout Explained

The Colgate lawsuit most people are looking for is the class action over Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, which Colgate-Palmolive settled for $2.9 million after the FDA found bacteria in the factory’s water. But Colgate faces several other lawsuits over recyclable tubes, kids’ fluoride products, lead claims and Colgate Total. This guide covers every Colgate class action and settlement: what each one claims, where it stands and whether anyone can get paid.

Colgate lawsuit over Tom’s of Maine toothpaste: the $2.9 million settlement

Colgate-Palmolive has owned Tom’s of Maine since 2006. After the FDA’s 2024 inspection of the Tom’s factory in Sanford, Maine, customers filed class actions in several states. They argued that labels promising “naturally sourced,” “naturally effective” and “good for you” toothpaste, and claims about rigorous ingredient standards, were misleading given the conditions at the plant. The cases were combined in federal court in New York and settled.

Colgate-Palmolive and Tom’s of Maine denied all wrongdoing and settled to avoid the cost of continued litigation. No one proved that the toothpaste made anyone sick.

What the FDA found at the Tom’s of Maine factory

The FDA inspected the Sanford plant from May 7 to 22, 2024, and issued a warning letter to Colgate-Palmolive on November 5, 2024. The letter, made public on November 19, 2024, described these findings:

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water samples taken between June 2021 and October 2022. That water was used to make Tom’s Simply White Clean Mint toothpaste and to rinse equipment.
• Ralstonia insidiosa in the water system at levels described as “too numerous to count.”
• Paracoccus yeei found in a batch of Wicked Cool! Anticavity toothpaste, a children’s product.
• A black, mold-like substance within about a foot of equipment that touched product.
• About 400 consumer complaints about odor, color or taste, including for children’s products, that the company had not properly investigated.

The FDA cited violations of federal manufacturing rules (current good manufacturing practice). No recall was ordered. Tom’s of Maine said it tested about 4,900 retained product samples from three years of production and found no batch that posed a safety risk, and that it had made improvements at the plant.

Colgate settlement payout amounts and payment date

If valid claims add up to more than the money left after fees and costs, every payment is reduced proportionally (pro rata). Large consumer settlements that allow no-proof claims often see heavy reductions. Any leftover money goes to the nonprofit Equal Justice Works, not back to Colgate.

When will the Tom’s of Maine settlement pay?

Payments go out after the settlement’s effective date, which comes after the appeal period following final approval. No appeal has been reported, but no payment date had been posted when we last checked. Claimants chose PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a paper check on the claim form. Check toothpastesettlement.com or call 1-877-315-6779 for your claim status.

Can I still file a Colgate toothpaste settlement claim?

No. The deadline was July 6, 2026. Anyone offering to file a late claim, or asking for a fee to release your payment, is not legitimate.

Colgate recyclable toothpaste tube class action

Colgate kids’ fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse lawsuits

Several 2025 lawsuits claimed Colgate marketed children’s fluoride products in ways that encourage children to use too much. Health guidance calls for a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste for children under 3 and a pea-sized amount for ages 3 to 6, and says fluoride mouth rinse is not for children under 6.

• Clayborne v. Colgate-Palmolive and Tom’s of Maine (N.D. Ill., No. 1:25-cv-04877, filed May 2, 2025) targets products such as Colgate Kids Cavity Protection, Watermelon Burst, the Unicorn pump and Tom’s Kid’s Natural Fluoride toothpaste. It claims candy flavors and pictures of a full strip of paste encourage overuse. It seeks money only for buyers, not for injuries.
• March 27, 2026 ruling: Judge Andrea R. Wood allowed two lawsuits over Colgate’s kids’ fluoride mouth rinses to proceed, but dismissed a toothpaste case, finding that its label clearly limited the amount for young children.
• Texas Attorney General agreement (September 15, 2025): after an investigation of Colgate and Procter & Gamble, Colgate agreed that from November 1, 2025, images for children’s fluoride toothpaste for kids under 6 (Colgate, Tom’s of Maine and hello) would show a pea-sized amount, first online and then on packaging. No payment to consumers was announced.

Money available: none. No settlement or claim form exists in the fluoride cases.

Colgate lead and heavy metals lawsuits

After independent testing publicized by the Lead Safe Mama website reported lead and other metals in some toothpastes, several class actions targeted Colgate-owned brands:

These cases seek refunds or price-premium damages, not injury compensation. Trace metals can occur naturally in ingredients, and the key legal question is whether buyers should have been told. Money available: none yet.

Colgate Total gum-health (SLS) lawsuit

The $332 million Colgate pension settlement

This is the biggest Colgate settlement, and it often shows up in searches for “Colgate class action settlement,” but it is not for toothpaste buyers. In McCutcheon v. Colgate-Palmolive Co. (S.D.N.Y., No. 16-cv-4170, Judge Lorna G. Schofield), retirees in the Colgate-Palmolive Retirement Income Plan said their pension benefits were miscalculated after the plan converted to a cash balance design. The court approved a $332 million settlement in January 2026 and awarded about $96 million in attorneys’ fees in February 2026. Payments go only to the plan participants in the class.

Past Colgate lawsuits and settlements

Is Colgate or Tom’s of Maine toothpaste safe to use?

No Colgate or Tom’s of Maine toothpaste has been recalled over these lawsuits. The FDA warning letter addressed manufacturing conditions, not a confirmed contaminated product, and the lead and fluoride cases are about labeling and disclosure, not proven injuries. For children, follow the dosing guidance (a rice-grain smear under age 3, a pea-sized amount for ages 3 to 6) and keep fluoride mouth rinse away from children under 6. If you have health concerns about any product, ask your dentist or doctor.

How to avoid Colgate settlement scams

• The only official website for the Tom’s of Maine settlement is toothpastesettlement.com, and the administrator’s number is 1-877-315-6779.
• Real settlements never charge a fee to file a claim or release a payment.
• There is no claim form for any other Colgate case. Texts offering money for the tube, fluoride or lead lawsuits are fake.
• Never send your Social Security number or bank login in response to a settlement text.

Colgate lawsuit timeline

• February 2023Fabuloso recall over possible bacteria.
• August 2023Recyclable tube class action filed in California.
• May 2024FDA inspects the Tom’s of Maine plant in Sanford, Maine.
• November 2024FDA warning letter made public; Tom’s class actions follow.
• Feb.–Oct. 2025Lead, heavy metals and kids’ fluoride lawsuits filed.
• September 15, 2025Texas Attorney General agreement on kids’ toothpaste images.
• January 2026$332 million pension settlement approved.
• March 2026Tom’s settlement preliminarily approved; kids’ mouth rinse cases allowed to proceed.
• April 1, 2026Recyclable tube class certified.
• July 2, 2026Colgate Total SLS lawsuit filed.
• July 6, 2026Tom’s settlement claim deadline.
• September 23, 2026Tom’s settlement final approval.
• April 10, 2028Recyclable tube jury trial scheduled.

What changed: November 8, 2026: rebuilt as a complete guide to every Colgate lawsuit, with FDA findings, case statuses, past settlements and an expanded FAQ. November 8, 2026: first published.