It is of great importance to develop a rapid analytical method for triclosan because it has been widely added in household products and can form highly toxic dioxin-type derivatives. Herein, an electrochemical sensor based on a multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film was developed for the rapid detection of triclosan. The electrochemical responses of triclosan were examined, given that its oxidation is irreversible and involves one electron. At the MWCNT film, the oxidation signals of triclosan remarkably increase, suggesting that the MWCNT film exhibits a considerable enhancement effect with triclosan. The analytical parameters, such as pH value, amount of MWCNT suspension, and accumulation time, were optimized. The linear range is from 50 microg L(-1) to 1.75 mg L(-1), and the limit of detection is 16.5 microg L(-1) (about 57 nM). Finally, the new method was successfully employed to detect triclosan in different toothpaste samples, which was testified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).