Misleading adverts for ‘whitening’ toothpaste and a shampoo which beats hair loss are banned

Adverts for a ‘whitening’ toothpaste and a shampoo which claimed to beat hair loss have been banned after watchdogs labelled them misleading.

Claims made for Sensodyne True White toothpaste and Alpecin caffeine shampoo cannot be believed, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.

Millions of pounds were spent marketing the two brands. Yet, an ASA review found neither of the products lived up to the billing.

The ASA ruled that Sensodyne produced no evidence to show that its True White toothpaste was more effective at whitening than other Sensodyne toothpastes that were not marketed as whitening toothpastes

Sensodyne said that by using its ‘True White’ toothpaste you could ‘have sensitive tooth care and whiter teeth’. 

However rival toothpaste giant Colgate Palmolive complained the claims were false and Sensodyne True White did not give better whitening than a standard toothpaste.

Sensodyne’s producer GlaxoSmithKline supplied studies to support their claims. But the ASA said: ‘No evidence was provided to show this toothpaste was more effective at whitening than other Sensodyne toothpastes that were not marketed as whitening toothpastes.’

The watchdog said it was therefore misleading and the claims should not be made again.

Alpecin Caffeine C1 was promoted as a popular German shampoo that was effective at limiting baldness.

An advert boasted: ‘Alpecin provides caffeine to your hair, so it can actually help to reduce hair loss.’

A hair loss expert then questioned the idea. Manufacturers of the shampoo, Dr Kurt Wolff, produced studies to back up the claim.

But the ASA dismissed these studies, adding: ‘The claim ‘it can actually help to reduce hair loss’ had not been substantiated and was therefore misleading.’