The Hello Kids toothpaste lawsuit is actually two proposed class actions filed in 2025, both alleging that Hello Kids toothpastes contain undisclosed heavy metals while being marketed as safe and thoughtfully formulated for children. One case, filed in New York, targets Hello Products LLC over lead and mercury readings in two flavors. The second, filed in California, names parent company Colgate-Palmolive and covers a wider range of Hello Kids varieties. Neither case has been certified as a class, no settlement exists, and no recall has been issued.
What the Lawsuits Claim
The New York case, Browne v. Hello Products LLC, was filed July 11, 2025, in the Southern District of New York.1ClassAction.org. Browne v. Hello Products LLC, Case No. 7:25-cv-05698 It relies on independent testing by Lead Safe Mama that reported the following in two products:
- Hello Kids Fluoride Free Toothpaste (Fresh Watermelon): 493 ppb lead and 19 ppb mercury.
- Hello Kids Dragon Dazzle Fluoride Toothpaste: 428.4 ppb lead and 11.8 ppb mercury.
The complaint compares those numbers to EPA drinking water benchmarks, where the action level for lead is 15 ppb and the maximum contaminant level for inorganic mercury is 2 ppb.2ClassAction.org. Hello Toothpaste Lawsuit Filed Over Alleged Lead, Mercury Contamination Browne brings claims under New York General Business Law sections 349 and 350 for deceptive practices and false advertising, plus unjust enrichment, alleging consumers would not have bought the products had the metal content been disclosed.1ClassAction.org. Browne v. Hello Products LLC, Case No. 7:25-cv-05698
The California case, Barton and Fahrnkopf v. Colgate-Palmolive Company (Case No. 3:25-cv-02833), was filed October 22, 2025, in the Southern District of California.3CaseFilingsAlert.com. Barton and Fahrnkopf v. Colgate-Palmolive Company, Case No. 3:25-cv-02833 It sweeps in five Hello Kids varieties by name: Unicorn Sparkle, Smiling Shark, Dragon Dazzle, Magical Mermaid, and Fresh Watermelon. The plaintiffs allege lead levels across the Hello Kids line ranging from 236 to 658 ppb and say Colgate marketed the line as “natural” and “safe” without disclosing lead.4LawCommentary.com. Parents Sue Colgate Claiming Hello Kids Toothpaste Contains Unsafe Levels of Lead
The California complaint invokes the Unfair Competition Law, the False Advertising Law, and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, seeking restitution, damages, and an injunction. The proposed class covers California consumers who bought the listed products in the four years before filing. Plaintiffs are not alleging physical injury; they claim economic harm from paying for products they say they would have avoided.4LawCommentary.com. Parents Sue Colgate Claiming Hello Kids Toothpaste Contains Unsafe Levels of Lead
How the Numbers Compare to FDA Limits
The complaints benchmark their findings against EPA drinking water rules, not the FDA rules that actually govern toothpaste. The FDA allows up to 10,000 ppb of lead in fluoride-free toothpaste and 20,000 ppb in fluoride toothpaste. Every Hello Kids reading cited in the lawsuits falls well below those federal ceilings. A 2025 Lead Safe Mama investigation that tested 51 brands found detectable lead in roughly 90% of them, but none exceeded the FDA limits.5The Guardian. Toothpaste Lead Heavy Metals
State law is where the numbers get closer. Washington’s Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, effective January 1, 2025, caps lead in cosmetic products (which can include toothpaste) at 1 part per million, or 1,000 ppb.6Washington Department of Ecology. Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act Washington has issued an interim enforcement policy through the end of 2026 that relaxes that limit for manufacturers meeting monitoring conditions.7Vermont General Assembly. Lead in Cosmetics Products Report The Hello Kids readings in the complaints stay under Washington’s 1,000 ppb cap as well.
The suits work around this by framing the case as deception rather than illegality: even if the toothpaste is technically legal under federal limits, the plaintiffs argue, “natural” and “safe for all ages” marketing implied something the products didn’t deliver.
Where the Cases Stand
Both lawsuits remain in their early stages as of mid-2026. In the Browne case, no class has been certified, no settlement fund exists, and no significant docket activity (motions to dismiss, scheduling orders) has been publicly reported.8MoneyPilot.com. Hello Toothpaste Lawsuit The Barton and Fahrnkopf case shows no substantive court rulings beyond the initial complaint.3CaseFilingsAlert.com. Barton and Fahrnkopf v. Colgate-Palmolive Company, Case No. 3:25-cv-02833
Is There Anything to Claim or a Recall to Act On?
No. There is no settlement, no claim form, and no payout to apply for. Neither Hello Products nor Colgate-Palmolive has issued a voluntary recall of the toothpastes named in these lawsuits, and the FDA has not announced a recall related to heavy metal contamination in Hello products.8MoneyPilot.com. Hello Toothpaste Lawsuit If you purchased the products and want to preserve the option of participating in a class later, keep your receipts and product packaging; class certification, if it happens, and any notice program would come well after that step.
Other Hello and Colgate Cases You May Be Seeing
A few related cases circulate alongside the heavy metal suits and are easy to confuse with them.
Cook v. Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Case No. 1:25-cv-05448, N.D. Ill.), filed in May 2025, is a separate class action alleging that Hello Kids Fluoride Rinse is misleadingly marketed as safe for children. That complaint focuses on the FDA’s position that fluoride rinse is too dangerous for children under six, who often swallow it, rather than on lead or mercury.9Top Class Actions. Colgate Class Action Claims Hello Kids Fluoride Rinse Unsafe for Young Children
Flaherty v. Hello Products LLC (case number 1:23-cv-01990 after removal), filed in 2023, alleged that Hello toothpastes were falsely advertised as containing “no artificial sweeteners” despite containing sorbitol and xylitol. As of early 2026, that case remained a proposed class action with no reported final ruling or settlement.10ClassAction.org. Hello Toothpastes Falsely Advertised as Free of Artificial Sweeteners, Class Action Says
Hello Products has been owned by Colgate-Palmolive since January 31, 2020, which is why the newer complaint names Colgate directly while the earlier Browne case names Hello Products LLC.11U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Colgate-Palmolive Company 10-Q Filing