Class Actions Allege Certain Crest, Sensodyne, Parodontax Gum Health Toothpastes Contain Irritating Ingredient

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Two proposed class action lawsuits claim that certain Crest Pro-Health, Sensodyne and Parodontax toothpastes are deceptively marketed as promoting gum health even though they contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient that can apparently irritate and even damage oral tissue.

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The class action lawsuits respectively allege that manufacturers Procter & Gamble and Haleon have failed to disclose that SLS—the foaming and cleansing agent used in the toothpastes at issue—has been linked to oral tissue degradation, impaired wound healing, gum or mouth pain, inflammation, allergic reactions and disruption of the oral microbiome.

According to the 33-page complaint against Procter & Gamble, the company’s Crest Pro-Health toothpaste line is marketed with claims that it improves gum health, helps reverse gingivitis, reduces plaque and provides deep cleaning. Per the suit, the brand includes varieties such as Crest Pro-Health Advanced Gum Protection, Advanced Gum Restore, Gum Detoxify, Gum and Enamel Restore, Gum and Sensitive, Gum Recession and Gum and Whitening.

Similarly, the 33-page lawsuit against Haleon challenges the marketing for several Sensodyne and Parodontax toothpastes—including Sensodyne Complete Protection, Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, Parodontax Complete Protection, Parodontax Active Gum Repair, Parodontax Daily Gum Care and Parodontax Gum Strengthen and Protect—which are advertised as reducing bleeding and inflammation while improving overall gum health.

The lawsuits argue that the inclusion of sodium lauryl sulfate in the toothpastes at issue directly contradicts these claims because scientific literature has long associated the ingredient with adverse health effects on the mouth and gums.

Although SLS has been used in toothpaste since the 1970s, the complaints reference decades of research suggesting the surfactant can damage sensitive oral tissues through direct cytotoxicity. Per the suits, studies have linked SLS to recurrent canker sores, slower oral wound healing, increased pain, allergic reactions, inflammation and irritation.

The lawsuits further allege that SLS can disrupt the diverse oral microbiome by killing beneficial bacteria that help to protect against disease, allowing harmful bacteria to become more prevalent.

“Gum-health toothpaste occupies a unique place in the marketplace because consumers purchase it specifically to improve diseased or vulnerable gum tissue,” the filings state. “Consumers therefore reasonably expect those products not to contain ingredients that the scientific literature has repeatedly associated with irritation, epithelial injury, impaired wound healing, oral barrier disruption, or recurrent aphthous ulcers.”

The lawsuits respectively claim that despite this body of research, Procter & Gamble and Haleon continue to formulate their products with SLS even though alternative foaming agents are available.

The complaints maintain that the manufacturers misleadingly market that their products “promote, rather than harm, oral and gum health.”

“Because SLS has known adverse effects on the mouth and gums as described above, these claims are highly misleading,” the cases stress.

The Procter & Gamble class action lawsuit seeks to represent all individuals in California who, since July 2, 2022, purchased any of the Crest Pro-Health toothpaste products listed on this page for personal or household use and not for resale.

The Haleon class action lawsuit seeks to represent all individuals in California who, since July 2, 2022, purchased the Sensodyne and Parodontax toothpastes listed on this page for personal or household use and not for resale.

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