Ad Alert

A Toothache for Colgate

Colgate is in deep water with its teeth-whitening claims for Optic White products.

Ad Alert

A Toothache for Colgate

In 2012, Colgate competitor Crest (a subsidiary of P&G) referred Colgate to the National Advertising Division (NAD). Crest wanted Colgate to discontinue certain claims it made about the toothpaste, such as that it had the same whitening ingredient as strips.

NAD found Colgate did not have sufficient evidence to support the advertising claims, specifically “the messages that the hydrogen peroxide as contained in Optic White functions as a significant whitening agent on both intrinsic and extrinsic stains or that Optic White provides the same level of whitening improvement as Whitestrips.” NAD asked Colgate to stop making the claims.

But Colgate is still making claims about intrinsic whitening. A commercial claims that Colgate Optic White Toothpaste “whitens deeper.” In response to a NAD compliance inquiry, Colgate said it had reformulated the product and undertaken new studies and developed new evidence to support the claims.

NAD said the changes “are of little consequence” and referred the company to the FTC for not bringing its advertising into agreement with the previous decision.

For more on teeth-chattering claims, read here.


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