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NAD Recommends J&J Healthcare Products

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Posted: September 12, 2011
NAD RECOMMENDS J&J HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS
MODIFY CLAIMS FOR REACH TOTAL CARE + WHTENING TOOTHBRUSH

New York, New York – Sept. 9, 2011 – The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products modify performance claims for its REACH Total Care + Whitening Toothbrush to clarify that the brush whitens teeth through the abrasive action, rather than through bleaching. NAD determined that the advertiser could support the claim that “[o]rdinary toothbrushes clean teeth. REACH whitens them.”

As part of NAD’s routine monitoring program, NAD – the advertising industry’s self-regulatory forum – requested substantiation for express claims that included:

• “Ordinary toothbrushes clean teeth. REACH whitens them.”
• “At the core of this revolutionary toothbrush REACH has engineered a unique row of bristles infused with Calcium Carbonate MICROWHITENING technology. That means each time you brush, you’re whitening teeth and removing stains.*” (*in lab tests)

NAD also examined the implied claim that the REACH Total Care + Whitening Toothbrush has been proven to actually whiten teeth when used in the same manner as an ordinary toothbrush.

According to the advertiser, the toothbrush, launched in 2010, was designed with bristles embedded with calcium carbonate, recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as an abrasive used in fluoride toothpastes.
In support of its claims, the advertiser provided NAD with evidence that demonstrated that calcium carbonate infused bristles do, in fact, provide statistically significantly better stain removal than brushes with ordinary bristles. Further, the advertiser provided testing to demonstrate that its advertised toothbrush provided significantly better plaque removal than the other two ordinary toothbrushes tested. Further, the advertiser’s evidence demonstrated that the difference in whitening and stain removal was meaningful to consumers.


Following its review of evidence, NAD determined that the advertiser could support the claim that “[o]rdinary toothbrushes clean teeth. REACH whitens them.”

However, NAD recommended that the advertiser modify the claims “whitens and removes stains” and “each time you brush you’re whitening and removing stains” to assure that consumers are aware that stain removal is accomplished extrinsically, through the stain-removing abrasive action of the bristles, not intrinsically through bleaching.
The company, in its advertiser’s statement, said it is disappointed with NAD recommendation, “given the industry practice of making unqualified whitening claims based on data showing extrinsic whitening only. Nevertheless, we understand NAD's recommendations and will take them into consideration in future advertising.”


NAD's inquiry was conducted under NAD/CARU/NARB Procedures for the Voluntary Self-Regulation of National Advertising. Details of the initial inquiry, NAD's decision, and the advertiser's response will be included in the next NAD/CARU Case Report.

About Advertising Industry Self-Regulation: The National Advertising Review Council (NARC) was formed in 1971. NARC establishes the policies and procedures for the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the CBBB’s Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) and the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP).

The NARC Board of Directors is composed of representatives of the American Advertising Federation, Inc. (AAF), American Association of Advertising Agencies, Inc., (AAAA), the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. (ANA), Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB), Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Its purpose is to foster truth and accuracy in national advertising through voluntary self-regulation.

NAD, CARU and ERSP are the investigative arms of the advertising industry’s voluntary self-regulation program. Their casework results from competitive challenges from other advertisers, and also from self-monitoring traditional and new media. NARB, the appeals body, is a peer group from which ad-hoc panels are selected to adjudicate NAD/CARU cases that are not resolved at the NAD/CARU level. This unique, self-regulatory system is funded entirely by the business community; CARU is financed by the children’s advertising industry, while NAD/NARC/NARB’s sole source of funding is derived from membership fees paid to the CBBB. ERSP’s funding is derived from membership in the Electronic Retailing Association. For more information about advertising industry self-regulation, please visit www.narcpartners.org.

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