On Dec. 9, the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD) recommended California-based GuruNanda discontinue its “natural teeth whitening” and “dazzle from first application” claims for its oil pulling and teeth whitening products.
The challenge was filed by The Procter & Gamble Company. GuruNanda will appeal the NAD decision on the “natural teeth whitening claim.”
GuruNanda claims on its labels and website that its oils offer “natural teeth whitening” and submitted two studies to NAD to support the claim. NAD concluded the studies were “not sufficiently reliable” to provide a “reasonable basis” for the challenged whitening claim, the report said.
The “dazzle from first application” claim appears on GuruNanda’s Pro Formula Whitening Gel Pen. NAD concluded in the context of a “whitening gel pen,” it communicates the message that the product whitens teeth, and the word “dazzle” is understood to be synonymous with whiten. NAD also noted some consumers might expect immediate benefits.
According to NAD, there is no evidence demonstrating the product whitens either at the beginning of first application or after 45 minutes have passed.
During the proceedings, GuruNanda voluntarily agreed to discontinue several challenged claims. In its advertiser statement, the company stated it will “respectively appeal NAD’s decision as to ‘natural teeth whitening’ to the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) and agrees to comply with NAD’s recommendation as to ‘dazzling from first application.’”
For more information, visit www.bbbprograms.org.
