You may recall that after considerable pressure from consumers and scientists, back in 2016 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally banned triclosan from soaps. They did nothing however, about triclosan in other personal care products like toothbrushes and toothpaste. At the time the FDA said the potential benefits of the phenol triclosan outweighed the risks—”a decision that baffled some scientists and consumers“. But now Colgate has removed the antibacterial pesticide triclosan from its best selling toothpaste Colgate Total. (The new reformulated triclosan-free version is called Colgate Total SF.) Some have speculated Colgate had been busy working on the reformulation over the past two years because of possible state bans on triclosan that may be coming down the pike*. No matter what the reason, this is good news for consumers because among other health concerns (a, b, c, d, e), triclosan has been found to cause gut inflammation and endocrine disruption in animal studies. )
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*In a section from Colgate-Palmolive’s most recent annual report on significant potential risks, the company noted that regulatory agencies in the US, Canada and Europe are reviewing the use of triclosan in consumer products, and that some US states and cities were considering their own bans on the compound. (source)
Chemical Free Life 