The National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau National Programs recommended SmileDirectClub discontinue advertising claims comparing its fast-dissolving whitening strips to Crest Classic White Whitestrips.
Six things to know:
1. SmileDirectClub's ads claimed that its strips made teeth two times whiter than Crest's strips and worked two times faster.
2. A review of the claims began after a challenge from Proctor & Gamble, the company that manufactures Crest Whitestrips products, according to an Aug. 4 news release.
3. SmileDirectClub relied on the results of a consumer study comparing performance of the two strips to support its first claim that the whitening strips made teeth two times whiter.
4. SmileDirectClub backed its claim that its strips whitened teeth two times faster because the strips dissolve in 15 minutes, compared to the 30-minute wear time of Crest's strips.
5. The NAD found that SmileDirectClub's claims were not objectively verifiable by consumer studies or supported by performance evidence.
6. SmileDirectClub said that while it disagreed with the NAD's findings and was disappointed with its conclusion, it would comply with the organization's recommendations to discontinue such advertising in support of the self-regulatory process.