Colgate
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1806 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Dental |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://colgate.com |
Colgate is a dental health company founded in 1806[1] and primarily sells traditional toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, and whitening strips. With the Hum line of toothbrushes, they are sold at a cheaper price in return for more expensive toothbrush heads.
Consumer impact summary
- User freedom: Users can submit data requests and delete their account through the Colgate Connect application.
- User privacy: According to the Colgate privacy policy, the data of users is shared with affiliates, such as Kolibree, with this data including first and last name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, profile picture, and social media account ID.[2] This data is held for "as long as needed or permitted in light of the purpose(s) for which it was obtained and consistent with applicable law" and can be deleted by e-mailing Colgate and Kolibree individually.
- Market control: In 2020, over 139.37 million people used Colgate toothpaste.[3]
- Dispute resolutions: Colgate's Terms of Use §16, among other legal matters, contains waivers for both class-action and trial by jury. There are no opt-out rights; the user must cancel all accounts and cease using the product.[4]
Incidents
Removal of app features (2024)
In October 2024, users of the "Colgate Connect" (previously "hum") application received pop-up notifications regarding the deprecation of previously existing features, such as "GoPirate!" and "mind your speed".[5] In December, more features were removed such as "test your angles" and "whitening reminders".[6] Around this time, the "hum" brand of toothbrushes were quietly discontinued, with existing users not being aware of where to get new brush heads.[7] Most of the app features did not rely on a constant connection to servers, which made the removal of the app's features all the more confusing to its users.[8]
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App from 2021 -
Popup for GoPirate! deprecation -
With GoPirate! -
Aftermath of GoPirate! removal -
App update notes -
Popup for Journal deprecation
Products
See also
Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.
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References
- ↑ "Our Mission". Colgate. Archived from the original on 18 Mar 2025. Retrieved 25 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "Privacy Policy". Colgate. 1 Jan 2023. Archived from the original on 25 Jan 2025. Retrieved 19 Mar 2026.
- ↑ Seraina, Andrea (3 Apr 2024). "Revealing toothpaste statistics: usage, market dynamics, and consumer trends". Alpine White. Archived from the original on 15 Sep 2024. Retrieved 8 Apr 2025.
- ↑ "Website Terms of Use". Colgate. Aug 2025. Archived from the original on 9 Sep 2025. Retrieved 19 Mar 2026.
- ↑ ChickenLover_YT (16 Oct 2024). "ChickenLover_YT on X". X. Archived from the original on 21 Mar 2026. Retrieved 19 Mar 2026.
That moment when your toothbrush app removes over half of its brushing activities for no clear reason. This includes: *Mind Your Speed *Test Your Angles *GoPirate whats happening @Colgate?
- ↑ "Colgate Connect on the App Store". Apple. Archived from the original on 11 Mar 2025. Retrieved 19 Mar 2026.
- ↑ MiniJoules (21 Aug 2024). "Is Colgate Hum being discontinued/phased out?". Reddit. Archived from the original on 22 Feb 2026. Retrieved 19 Mar 2026.
- ↑ "Colgate Connect - Apps on Google Play". Google. Archived from the original on 11 Mar 2025. Retrieved 25 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Giordano, Medea (25 Aug 2020). "Review: Colgate Hum". Wired. Archived from the original on 26 Feb 2025. Retrieved 25 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "hum Kids Smart Battery Powered Electric Toothbrush". Colgate. Archived from the original on 24 Jun 2024. Retrieved 25 Mar 2025.