From fluoride to fiction? Colgate’s China marketing backfires

What happened Colgate, one of the world’s best-known oral-care brands, is at the center of a China marketing controversy over a claim that sounds like science fiction — that brushing can make teeth “grow back” and close gaps. Multiple Chinese media outlets reported that an authorized Colgate livestream account used animated visuals to imply the American multinational’s “360° Anti-Sensitivity Repair Toothpaste” could close gaps, repair damaged teeth, and even regenerate dental tissue. The scientific dispute is unusually clear. Colgate’s marketing leaned on the concept of “fluorapatite generation,” framing it as a breakthrough “natural bio-glue” and likening it to solving the “gecko tail regeneration” problem. Dentists counter that fluoride — a standard ingredient in mainstream toothpaste — can only support surface-level remineralization of enamel. It cannot change tooth structure, regenerate tissue, or physically close gaps. China’s National Medical Products Administration has repeatedly clarified that toothpaste does not have functions such as “repairing cavities,” “closing gaps,” or “stabilizing loose teeth.” Against that regulatory backdrop, the campaign’s visual storytelling — gap-closing animations and implied before-and-after effects — risks crossing from aggressive marketing into false advertising territory. Colgate’s alleged AI manipulation and fabricated testimonials The controversy escalated on January 11 when a blogger (Even3不知) accused Colgate of clipping a video he published in February 2025 documenting his real-life tooth-gap improvement using veneers. According to the blogger, Colgate edited the footage, used AI voice tech to replace his narration, and whitened the teeth visuals — turning a dental procedure into “evidence” for the toothpaste claim. In his cited example, a line about using micro-veneers was changed to a statement about Colgate’s “newly developed” dentin-like regeneration technology. He stressed the original content had no connection to any toothpaste product and demanded a response. The account in question isn’t a lookalike. It is a verified “Colgate oral repair toothpaste livestream” channel, reportedly authorized by Colgate-Palmolive (China). As of the latest reports cited by Chinese media, the company had not issued a formal public statement. The Jing Take: Colgate's consumer trust crisis On Weibo, the topic #Is Colgate’s claim that it can fill tooth gaps exaggerated advertising? quickly drew 13.04 million views, with reactions marked less by outrage than by weary disbelief. “If toothpaste could do this, what would dentists or hospitals even be for?” wrote Weibo user @YouyouYangning. Another, @EveningBreezeRising, commented: “I saw this ad earlier and thought — how can advertising be this fake and nobody stops it?” This incident isn’t just a “bad ad.” It is a case study in how fast China’s attention economy can strip legacy brands of the credibility they once treated as a moat. Multinationals no longer benefit from brand heritage For decades, multinationals like Colgate benefited from a default assumption: global brand equals R&D, safety and professional authority. That halo translated into pricing power — and into consumer tolerance when marketing got a little too glossy. But livestream commerce has rewired the incentives. Visual persuasion now outruns scientific nuance, and conversion can hinge on a 15-second clip, rather than a decade of brand equity. If the allegations hold, the deeper risk for Colgate is not overstated efficacy, but method: using AI-altered content to retrofit medical outcomes into consumer “testimonials.” That crosses both legal and ethical red lines — and undermines the trust its broader brand storytelling depends on. In China, brand heritage is no longer a protective shield. And like enamel, credibility does not regenerate on its own. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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From fluoride to fiction? Colgate’s China marketing backfires