NAD Supports P&G Advertising Claims

Following a challenge from GuruNanda LLC, BBB National Programs National Advertising Division determined that The Procter & Gamble Company provided a reasonable basis for quantified express claims that its Crest 3D Whitestrips remove years of stains.

P&G and GuruNanda are competitors in the oral care market. P&G’s Crest 3D Whitestrips come in multiple versions each with a different concentration of hydrogen peroxide, application duration and number of treatments to allow consumers to choose how fast they want to whiten their teeth. Product labels state the time required to remove a specified number of years of stains, such as “Removes Years of Stains in Just 1 Hour” and “Removes 10 Years of Tough Set-In Stains.”

Understanding the Yellow Slope Value

P&G explained that Crest 3D Whitestrips work by using hydrogen peroxide to remove intrinsic yellowing from teeth, which generally cannot be removed by brushing or by routine dental cleaning. P&G submitted four meta-analyses that determined the rate at which teeth yellow over time. These studies concluded that intrinsic yellowing is affected only by age, and that all teeth yellow at the same rate every year, called the Yellow Slope Value. P&G also submitted four clinical studies testing its products’ efficacy to determine how much less yellow the teeth became after treatment. Finally, knowing the change in yellowness and the rate at which teeth yellow per year, P&G calculated years of stain removal by dividing the product efficacy by the Yellow Slope Value.

Based on the evidence, NAD concluded that P&G’s “Years of Stains” claims for Crest 3D Whitestrips were substantiated.

In its advertiser statement, P&G stated that it “appreciates NAD’s clear reasoning and consistent application of its standards.”

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