Tom’s, Colgate-Palmolive Prevail in ‘Natural’ Deodorant Federal Class Action

NEW YORK — A New York federal judge has dismissed a class action alleging that Tom’s of Maine and its parent company Colgate-Palmolive Co. marketed their toothpaste and deodorant as “natural” when in fact they contained “synthetic and/or highly chemically processed ingredients.”

In a Jan. 3 order, Judge Kimba M. Wood of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said plaintiffs failed to produce evidence that a reasonable consumer interprets “natural” as being devoid of all artificial ingredients.

Plaintiffs sought damages on behalf of themselves and a nationwide class, three subclasses in California, Florida and …