* Lawsuits say packaging misleads about safety for

children under 6

* Judge dismisses similar lawsuit concerning toothpaste

* Colgate did not immediately respond to comment request

By Jonathan Stempel

March 27 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday said

Colgate-Palmolive ( CL ) must face two lawsuits claiming its

packaging for mouth rinse misleads parents into believing

children under 6 can use the products safely. The judge

dismissed a similar lawsuit concerning Colgate toothpaste.

Consumers in the proposed class actions said U.S. health

authorities warned that children under 6 should not use fluoride

rinses, and recommended that children between 2 and 6 use only

"pea-sized" amounts of fluoride toothpaste.

They said Colgate's packaging, featuring bright colors and

flavors such as Bubble Fruit and Silly Strawberry, made it seem

safe for young children to use rinses, and to use as much

toothpaste as older children and adults. Fluoride can be harmful

if swallowed.

U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood in Chicago said reasonable

consumers might not know where to draw the line for rinses,

given how most Colgate labels prominently featured the words

"kids" or "children's."

She said she was unpersuaded by Colgate's insistence that

consumers would know rinses are over-the-counter drugs and check

the back labels, which contain required U.S. Food and Drug

Administration warnings for young children.

Toothpaste was different, the judge said, because the labels

expressly instructed that children between 2 and 6 use pea-sized

amounts.

"Viewed in context, the toothbrush with a full strip of

toothpaste is there only to represent the act of toothbrushing,"

Wood wrote.

Colgate, based in New York, and its lawyers did not

immediately respond to requests for comment.

Michael Connett, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said courts

have been receptive to deceptive labeling claims. "These rulings

will hopefully send a wake-up call to manufacturers to stop

promoting unsafe use of fluoride products," he said.

Procter & Gamble ( PG ), which makes Crest, as well as

Perrigo ( PRGO ) and Sanofi have also been sued over

their packaging of fluoride products for children.

Colgate agreed last September to introduce new packaging for its

Colgate, Tom's of Maine and hello brands of toothpaste to

resolve an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Procter & Gamble ( PG ) reached a similar resolution in January.