Aekyung recalls six toothpaste products after finding traces of triclosan

Aekyung Industrial announced on Tuesday that it will voluntarily recall six types of Chinese-made toothpaste, regardless of manufacturing date, after detecting trace amounts of triclosan, which the government banned in oral hygiene products in 2016.

Six toothpaste products under the 2080 brand voluntarily recalled by Aekyung Industrial [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Aekyung Industrial announced on Tuesday that it will voluntarily recall six types of Chinese-made toothpaste, regardless of manufacturing date, after detecting trace amounts of triclosan, an antibacterial agent that the government banned in oral hygiene products in 2016.

The company said that internal testing revealed the presence of triclosan in some toothpaste imported from a Chinese manufacturer.

“Out of an abundance of caution and to prioritize consumer safety, we have decided to recall all affected products,” Aekyung said in a statement.

The recall covers six products sold under the “2080” brand: 2080 Basic Toothpaste, 2080 Daily Care Toothpaste, 2080 Smart Care Plus Toothpaste, 2080 Classic Care Toothpaste, 2080 Triple Effect Alpha Fresh Toothpaste and 2080 Triple Effect Alpha Strong Toothpaste.

All six products were manufactured by China-based Domy and distributed by Aekyung in Korea.

The company said it first detected the issue during a routine quality check in December last year. It immediately halted imports and distribution of the affected products and reported the recall to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Consumers who possess the recalled toothpaste can request a full refund, no matter where or when the product was bought, whether it was used and whether they still have the receipt.

Requests can be made through Aekyung's dedicated recall hotline or official website.

“All other toothpaste products not subject to this recall are manufactured domestically and pose no quality or safety concerns,” the company said. “We will strengthen quality control and monitoring across all production processes to prevent future issues.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY BAE JAE-SUNG [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]