Warning issued over ‘dangerous’ home teeth-whitening kits sold online

Teeth-whitening kits sold online have been found to contain illegally high levels of a bleaching chemical which can burn gums and cause tooth loss.

An investigation carried out by Which? found that the worst had 300 times the recommended amount of hydrogen peroxide, while a further 21 out of 36 kits tested also had illegal levels of the bleach.

The consumer group said it was concerned that social media users may be encouraging others to use products with dangerous levels of the chemical.

Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection Policy at Which?, said: “It’s worrying that our tests have revealed so many of these products sold on online marketplaces – and often hyped on social media – are breaking legal limits for hydrogen peroxide and putting the health of users at risk.

“It’s clear that self-regulation is not working, leaving people exposed to a flood of unsafe products online.”

Online marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay and AliExpress, have now removed the unsafe products from sale.

Over the legal limit

Teeth-whitening products sold for use at home can contain no more than 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide, while the legal limit for application by professional dentists is 6 per cent.

Of the products tested by Which?, a total of six kits contained more than 10 per cent hydrogen peroxide.

One bleaching gel kit contained 30.7 per cent hydrogen peroxide, from the Oral Orthodontic Materials store on AliExpress.

The company said it had “found the mistake, corrected it in time and that the product has been removed from sale”.

In response to the findings, AliExpress told the consumer group: “We take product safety very seriously and after being notified by Which? of its findings, we took prompt action and removed the third-party product listings identified to be in violation of our listing policy.

"We are a third-party marketplace and all merchants selling on AliExpress must comply with our platform rules and policies, as well as comply with all local laws and regulations.

“We will take action against sellers that are found to be in violation of our terms."

Advice for consumers

Consumers have been advised to be wary of whitening kits sold online as high levels of the bleaching chemical can cause lasting damage.