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China Crest

Toothpaste brand crestfallen over $1m false advertising fine

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By John Glenday, Reporter

March 10, 2015 | 1 min read

Crest, Procter & Gamble’s toothpaste brand, has been hit by a $1m fine by Chinese authorities amidst claims of false advertising.

The American brand has been found guilty by the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce of inflating the health benefits of the product whilst photo shopping advertising imagery to make teeth appear whiter.

This led to a $963k sanction being placed on the firm, said by local media to be the largest such fine ever imposed for a misrepresentation of this nature. Crest was quick to pull the offending advert last year but has yet to state whether it plans to appeal against the fine.

China has been cracking down hard to strengthen its consumer protection laws in recent years with a raft of household names becoming caught up in the regulators dragnet; with the spotlight also falling on Apple, Volkswagon and Nikon.

Defending its brand P&G said: “Crest has always done its utmost to produce and sell high-quality, safe products for consumers.”

China Crest

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