White teeth in five days, from yellow they were. Possible? According to theAntitrust, no. The Competition and Market Authority has detached one half a million euro fine towards Colgate-Palmolive, a colossus that in Italy alone has a turnover of 290 million a year. The accusation is that he spread misleading advertising: in this case, that of Expert White toothpaste, which thanks to "the whitening ingredient used by dentists" promised to transform the smile of a caffeine-addicted smoker into that of a Hollywood star in less than a week.
“Commercial communications disseminated through the Internet, packaging and television commercials – reads the Antitrust weekly bulletin – relating to the claimed whitening characteristics of Expert White toothpaste, according to which it has a different action than most toothpastes since, thanks to the use of a whitening ingredient used in professional treatments, would have the ability to remove deep stains and to reverse years of yellowing of the teeth, appear misleading and deceptive, both due to the failure to fulfill the burden of proof and on the basis of the evidence to the contrary acquired in deeds".
Colgate defended itself by manufacturing a scientific study in support of what is stated in the advertisement. But the Authority, which acted on the recommendation of Altroconsumo, also disputes this document, stating that it provides neither indications on how long it takes to obtain teeth whitening, nor explanations of how this can take place "in depth", as it limits itself to speaking of effectiveness on “extrinsic stains”.
Therefore, according to the Antitrust, the “censored advertising content, on the one hand, bears false information and, on the other, they are lacking essential information for an informed choice, with the consequent impossibility for the consumer to clearly perceive the characteristics in terms of assimilation of the whitening efficacy of a professional treatment to the use of toothpaste and consequently to adopt an informed commercial decision”.
