Most of us never give our toothpaste much thought. It sits in the bathroom cabinet, gets squeezed onto a brush twice a day, and lands on the shopping list only when the tube runs out.
FDA have told shoppers to stop using more than 4.3 million tubes of Brush Buddies, evo and ARU toothpaste. The recall covers 17 anticavity fluoride products across the three brands.
Several of the affected lines are aimed at children, with Barbie, Hot Wheels, Crayola Silly Scents and My Little Pony packaging.
The maker, Pritam International Private Limited, is based in India and began a voluntary recall on September 10, 2026.
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The tubes had reached US stores through a California distributor, Ashtel Studios.
What is on the recall list
The tubes come in 3.5-ounce sizes, 4-ounce sizes, and two-packs holding two 3.5-ounce tubes.
Flavors run from bubble gum, strawberry and watermelon to peppermint, cool mint and various ice cream varieties.
Expiration dates on the affected tubes range from November 2026 through June 2028. The products shipped into US distribution between September 2024 and August 2026.
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The adult lineup includes whitening and sensitivity options. The children's lineup leans on licensed cartoon characters that many parents will recognize.
What inspectors found at the factory
The fuller story sits in a warning letter the FDA sent to Pritam International on October 27, 2026. US inspectors visited the Indian factory in June 2026 and listed several serious problems.
One is data integrity. According to the FDA, a microbiologist at the plant deliberately falsified test results for microbial growth.
Inspectors saw growth on sample plates one day, and no growth the next on plates labeled as the same samples.
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Another is weak testing of incoming ingredients. The FDA says that across many shipments of sorbitol solution, used as a sweetener in toothpaste, only one certificate of analysis showed tests for diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol.
The agency describes those two industrial chemicals as potentially lethal contaminants that must be screened for in drug products.
The FDA also flagged one product, Brush Buddies Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream Flavored Toothpaste, for containing a color additive the agency had canceled.
What a Class II recall means for you
The FDA classified the action as Class II on October 19, 2026. That is the agency's middle risk category, and it applies to products whose use may cause temporary or medically reversible health effects, where serious harm is considered unlikely.
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No illnesses or injuries have been linked to the recalled tubes so far, according to reporting from Fox 4 News on the recall announcement.
If you have one of the affected tubes at home, the FDA says to stop using the product and contact the retailer or Pritam International for return or refund information.
The agency also placed Pritam International's products on Import Alert 66-40 on September 3, 2026, which lets US officials block new shipments from the manufacturer at the border.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.