Toothpaste tubes hit £23 value mark in supermarkets as customers say it is ‘a rip off’
Shoppers are fuming about the high cost of toothpaste and say it’s ‘not worth it’ unless it leaves you with a ‘smile like Simon Cowell’
The price of a tube of toothpaste has hit a jaw-dropping £23 in British supermarkets as furious shoppers accuse firms of “profiteering”. Standard toothpastes such as Colgate and Oral-B are already routinely priced between £8 and £10.
Meanwhile, high-end whitening pastes, cost up to £23 for a single 75ml tube.
Oral-B Intensive Whitening was found on sale in Tesco in Sheldon, Birmingham, for £20 while the brand’s Express Whitening is £10. On the same shelf, a 75ml tube of Colgate Max White Ultra is priced £9.50 or £5 for Clubcard members.
Grocery inflation is 4.7% this month – down from 5.2% recorded by the British Retail Consortium in October.
Despite inflation dropping, prices remain high, leading shoppers to accuse the major retailers of profiteering. Builder Paul Hunt, 40, said: “£20 is a bit excessive for toothpaste. To me they all do the same thing so why would you spend £20?
“Most brands these days do a whitening toothpaste, so to me £20 is a rip off. I usually shop at Aldi but we do use Tesco’s occasionally – but not for toothpaste.”
Nurse Nina Devi branded the £20 Oral-B whitening toothpaste “extortionate”. The 23-year-old said: “If you look at the other brands, there’s probably the same ingredients for sensitive teeth that’s in there.
“You can get those toothpastes for about £3, I don’t know what’s special about this product that the value is £20. I’d pay maximum about £2.50 for toothpaste.”
Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s ridiculous, I’d rather pay £1.50 or £2 max. Unless this gives you a smile like Simon Cowell it’s not worth it.
“How can they justify charging £10 or £20 for toothpaste? It’s scandalous. Sadly some people must be buying it otherwise they would simply bring the price down.”
Caroline Hendon, 42, a support worker, said: “I’d probably only spend £5 on toothpaste, £20 is definite profiteering by the shops, it’s too much. People haven’t got that kind of money to paying £20 on toothpaste. It’s not fair.”
It’s not just supermarkets where toothpaste prices are high. A Boots in London’s upmarket Farringdon was selling Colgate Max White Renewal for £22. Meanwhile in Sainsbury’s in Forest Hill, south east London, Colgate’s Max White Ultimate – boasting an “instant effect” – is priced at £23 for a 75ml tube.
One shopper said: “The price of things is just crazy and shows just how big the gap is between the rich and the rest of us struggling to make ends meet. I find it pretty insulting to see toothpaste charged at £23. No wonder shoplifting is so rife, you need a second mortgage to afford a decent shop these days.”
Reddit users have expressed expressed their shock at the spiralling cost of toothpaste and whitening products. One user said: “When or how do we put our foot down and say no more? Personally I don’t see it happening but one can dream.”
One user issued some direct advice to people concerned about the price hike. They said: “Cheaper brands are pretty much just as good. That’s how you put your foot down.”
Prices of whitening toothpaste are slightly cheaper online. A double pack of Oran-B Pro 3D Intensive whitening costs £20 on Amazon. Meanwhile, a 40ml tube of Colgate Max White Purple Serum costs £10 and white Dr Dent teeth whitening strips cost £16 for a pack of 21.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We have a wide range of toothpastes available at Tesco, with prices starting at just 50p.”
A Boots spokesperson said: “At Boots, we offer a wide range of dental hygiene products, with prices starting from 50p and half of the dental range priced at £5 or under. We regularly run promotions on dental hygiene products, including advanced formulation lines such as the Colgate Max Ultimate Renewal Whitening Toothpaste and the Oral-B Pro 3D White Clinical Intensive Whitening Toothpaste.
“For branded products, most suppliers provide recommended retail prices (RRP) as a guide. Both the Colgate and Oral-B lines highlighted in this case are sold at or below the RRP in our stores and online.”
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