Recall: Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Zicam, Orajel Fungal Contamination

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The maker of Zicam nasal swabs and Orajel teething swabs faces a proposed class action lawsuit after the products were found to be contaminated with fungi, prompting a nationwide recall in June 2025.

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According to the 20-page Zicam lawsuit, the hazardous fungi Penicillium sumatraense, Penicillium citrinum and Exophiala spiniphera were found in Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, Zicam Nasal AllClear Swabs and Orajel Baby Teething Swabs made and sold by defendant Church & Dwight Co.

However, the lawsuit contends that the company’s June 6 recall, which was expanded four days later, was “insufficient” given that the initiative was “deliberately designed to preclude the vast majority of consumers from receiving a refund.” Moreover, the suit states that the Zicam recall announcement, which urged consumers to stop using the affected items immediately, includes no instructions on how someone should return the contaminated products to receive a refund.

The filing points out that consumers who threw away recalled Zicam and Orajel swabs are not entitled to a refund.

“Any consumer who is made aware of the recall will be predisposed to throwing the products away,” the lawsuit contends. “This would eliminate entitlement to a refund, even if the consumer maintained proof of purchase.”

The case alleges Church & Dwight Co. deceptively and misleadingly marketed, advertised and labeled the recalled Zicam and Orajel products as it failed to disclose that they might contain fungi that could spark potentially life-threatening health effects.

The complaint claims Church & Dwight Co. should have known about the fungal contamination and instead falsely represented that the affected products were safe for consumer use, leading consumers to lose both the money spent on the products and its intended benefits.

“The class action remedy is superior to Defendant’s failed recall in every conceivable fashion,” the suit asserts.

The Zicam class action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone who purchased one of the affected Zicam and/or Orajel products in the U.S. within the applicable statute of limitations period.

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