Thursday, November 27, 2003
NEW YORK (AP) -- Colgate-Palmolive Co. sued Procter & amp; Gamble Co. on Monday, alleging P & amp;G is misleading consumers with new advertising comparing the companies' do-it-yourself tooth whitening products.
The federal suit accuses P & amp;G of lying in commercials that say its Crest Night Effects and Crest Whitestrips products are "clinically proven" more effective than Colgate's Simply White Night and Simply White products.
New York-based Colgate also claims P & amp;G used questionable measuring tactics to reach results showing its products make teeth several times whiter.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, seeks unspecified damages and asks a judge to order P & amp;G to pull the advertising -- including TV ads, newspaper inserts and cardboard coffee-cup holders.
Colgate claims the advertising risks "substantial and irreparable harm, including a loss of consumer confidence, loss of goodwill and lost sales, and could well destroy Colgate's tooth-whitening business."
The two conglomerates are the nation's top two makers of tooth-whitening systems, which have gained popularity since hitting the U.S. market three years ago.
They claim to whiten teeth with various methods, including chemical-laced strips that stay on the teeth overnight and paint-on chemical gels.