Colgate considers rebranding its ‘Black People Toothpaste’ and Chinese consumers are confused

For decades, consumer goods giant Colgate-Palmolive knew that Darlie, one of its major toothpaste brands, had racist elements in its branding. The company took steps to fix the problem over the years, dropping the brand’s original name, Darkie, a racial epithet, and redesigning its logo, a grinning man in blackface.

But it wasn’t until yesterday that Colgate announced a review of Darlie’s Chinese name, hēirén yágāo 黑人牙膏, which literally means “Black People Toothpaste.”

In a statement, the company wrote, “For more than 35 years, we have been working together to evolve the brand, including substantial changes to the name, logo, and packaging. We are currently working with our partner to review and further evolve all aspects of the brand, including the brand name.”

The decision to rebrand Darlie, which was founded in Shanghai in 1933 and acquired by Colgate in 1985, came as widespread protests against police brutality and racism have raged across the U.S., prompting many American companies to confront their brands’ racist histories and make changes.

Darlie is one of the best-selling toothpaste brands in Asia. According to data firm Euromonitor International, the company enjoys 17% of the toothpaste market in China, 21% in Singapore, 28% in Malaysia, and 25% in Taiwan.

While the controversial product isn’t sold in the West, the rebranding has been met with praise from a lot of American consumers, many of whom said that the decision was actually long overdue.

In an ironic contrast, the news received a lukewarm response on Chinese social media. With almost zero knowledge about the brand’s history, many Weibo users said that the decision was another example of “excessive political correctness” in the U.S. “Black people are so sensitive and dramatic. Does it mean I can’t use the word ‘black’ anymore because it’s offensive to them?” one person wrote (in Chinese).