By Jessica DiNapoli

(Reuters] – Prepare for the $10 tube toothpaste.

Noel Wallace (NYSE:) Co CEO of Colgate-Palmolive said at an industry conference last week that household goods manufacturer Colgate Palmolive sees Optic White Pro Series toothpaste, as a premium product which is vital to the company’s ability to raise its prices. That will drive profit growth in the coming year.

These remarks were made at a time when consumer product companies raise prices to offset rising costs. This trend could be exacerbated by the ongoing conflict between Russia, Ukraine and other economic threats, including higher gasoline prices.

Higher prices have so far not affected consumers and retailers. Some lawmakers and advocates for consumers argue that corporations are raising prices excessively to increase profits and make shareholders money.

U.S. Representative David Cicilline said that he is currently working to create antitrust legislation in order to lower prices. They are imposing severe hardships. People are taking things out of their grocery carts because it’s too expensive.”

In the past major retailers, such as Walmart (NYSE 🙂 Inc, resisted price rises. Now, however retailers such as Walmart are embracing price increases. Target Corp (NYSE:), is due to release quarterly results Tuesday. They are generally going with them.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the last three months has probed sky-high prices and supply chain disruptions, requiring companies including Procter & Gamble (NYSE:), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:) Co, Kroger (NYSE:) Co and Walmart to turn over internal documents on profit margins, pricing and promotions.

Commentaries on the inquiry must be submitted by March 14, and have shown small grocers upset at being forced to pay less and get less crucial products. Customers complained about not being able to find cat food, oatmeal or cereal.

Cicilline, in an interview with Reuters mentioned Colgate as an instance of a company that touts price rises and makes essential items more expensive while paying less to investors.

Colgate believes that this year’s margins will grow due to the higher price of its products. Investors are also benefited by the fact that it bought back nearly 50% of its shares in 2013.

Wallace stated last week that Colgate’s “key capability”, which is raising prices, will drive profits growth.

A Colgate spokesperson said in a statement that the company has a wide portfolio of products at different price points, and touted its new $10 toothpaste as the first with 5% hydrogen peroxide, with “demonstrated efficacy to whiten teeth.”

Last year, consumer goods firms raised prices to address rising labor costs and shortages caused by the pandemic.

Katie Denis spokeswoman of the Consumer Brands Association. She said that there is an incredible demand for Colgate products. “We make essentials. There is no other option than to deliver.

Analysts also reported that prices rose for comparable private-label items.

In an effort to combat inflation, the White House has begun to target corporate profits. Bharat Ramamurti is the deputy director for the White House National Economic Council. He said that there are many examples of businesses outside the meatpacking sector — which has been particularly in White House’s crosshairs — raising prices above their rising costs.

Lindsay (NYSE.) Owens, the executive director of Groundwork Collaborative’s progressive non-profit, named diapers a product category that has little competition. This paved the way to price rises.

Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: ) saw its margins take a blow in 2021 as a result of increasing costs. Huggies’ diaper maker is betting consumers will purchase pricier products made from plant-based materials, which could help it recover its profits, said executives at the conference last week.

P&G executives said last week that they expect margins to continue to improve as higher prices hit stores. It also has plans to buy back stock more than was initially planned.

“Many companies are taking advantage of high consumer demand to continue to raise prices when they don’t need to,” said Jack Gillis, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America, a non-profit consumer interest group. “As long as consumers are willing to pay those prices, there’s no incentive to lower them.”