Illegal teeth-whitening industry exposed by BBC

⚠️Illegal Teeth-Whitening Gels That Can Burn Gums Sold on Doorsteps

An investigation by the BBC has revealed that illegal teeth-whitening products, capable of burning gums and damaging teeth, are being offered in car parks and on doorsteps. Gels containing more than 500 times the legal over-the-counter limit are being sold overtly on social media.

As part of the probe, a BBC North West reporter was able to obtain a fraudulent teeth-whitening certificate and was given "strong" bleach with instructions to "practise on friends and families." The British Dental Association (BDA) said it was "appalled" by the BBC's findings.

One vendor boasted that offering the treatments would result in "insane" profits.

In the United Kingdom, dental services using teeth-whitening products containing more than $\text{0.1\%}$ hydrogen peroxide can only be administered by dentists and other healthcare professionals registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). Products prepared by a dentist should not contain more than $\text{6\%}$ hydrogen peroxide. However, products sold to undercover BBC reporters and sent for laboratory testing showed hydrogen peroxide levels of up to $\text{53\%}$.

💔 'I Was in Agony'

Kellie Howson, 54, who lost four teeth after receiving a $\text{\textsterling}65$ whitening service at a beauty salon in Lancaster, pleaded with the public to be aware of the risks.

"I just remember that not long into the treatment, my gums started to hurt, and after that, it got worse and worse. I was in agony."

Mrs. Howson, a hospital worker, was told by her dentist that the gel had caused irreparable harm and that only the removal of four teeth would stop the pain. The grandmother said it had taken years and tens of thousands of pounds to fix some of the damage caused by the hydrogen peroxide treatment she received in 2015.

"It destroyed my confidence. I didn't want to go out, didn’t want to see anyone," she recalled.

🧪 Chemical Strengths and Illegal Sales

Mrs. Howson said she believed there was insufficient public information about the dangers, noting that "So many offers are on social media."

The beautician who performed Mrs. Howson's treatment was found to have been unlawfully practising dentistry and was fined $\text{\textsterling}250$ in a court case for damages.

The BBC’s North West probe began after the team was contacted by a beautician worried about how widespread the use of illicit products was in the area. The investigation found evidence of kits containing chemicals far beyond legal limits sold by other beauticians in Manchester and Merseyside. Some of the gels were branded as "extreme bleach" and boasted that they were "so good it's not available in the United Kingdom."

An undercover BBC journalist successfully arranged to buy whitening kits. White n Bright in Droylsden, Manchester, sold kits containing $\text{35\%}$ carbamide peroxide, a bleaching agent that, at most, breaks down to about $\text{12\%}$ hydrogen peroxide. That figure is 120 times higher than the legal limit for cosmetic procedures used by non-dentists and twice the strength dentists can legally use.

The company's founder, who sold the kits for $\text{\textsterling}55$, announced on social media that the procedure was "safe and non-sensitive" and called it "advanced teeth-whitening."

On the doorstep of the seller's house, a BBC reporter was given two syringes of "whitening gel" in a plastic sandwich bag by someone who was not identified as a relative of the vendor. No instructions for use or safety information were provided.

📜 Fraudulent Certificates and Training

The BBC discovered a beautician on Merseyside selling illicit whitening solutions and training courses for fraudulent qualifications. Pearly White Diamonds charged $\text{\textsterling}300$ for an online training course that included "high" and "extreme" hydrogen peroxide gels, described as up to $\text{35\%}$ and up to $\text{53\%}$ in strength.

The company's owner directed the undercover reporter to collect the kit in the car park of a retirement home. Before this meeting, the owner contacted the reporter and discussed the law:

"The laws have changed on who can whiten teeth... It went from anyone to dentist only in 2012, but as you'll soon know, everyone's still doing it anyway. The rule change, to be honest, doesn't make a difference."

In the car park, she handed over three pink sparkly party bags containing unlabelled gels, a pre-signed teeth-whitening test, and a set of plastic teeth to work on.

The company's chief then conducted a "training course" over the next few days in the form of a series of WhatsApp messages. The instructions provided tips on using the gel, patient safety, and satisfaction. After reading the instructions, the reporter was advised to "practise on friends and families."

"I can then move you over to my dental company to sell your own teeth-whitening products as soon as you're settled. It's really cheap to do, and the return is insane," she added.

The BBC also discovered a Wirral beautician, Hannah Louise Aesthetics, who had completed one of Pearly White Diamonds' training courses. The owner shared a photograph of a certificate similar to the one obtained by the BBC reporter and used it to claim she was licensed to see clients and book appointments. The company also posted advertisements promoting treatments using "extreme strength gels" and "hybrid gels," listed as containing $\text{22\%}$ hydrogen peroxide and $\text{22\%}$ carbamide peroxide.

White n Bright, Pearly White Diamonds, and Hannah Louise Aesthetics did not respond when approached by the BBC for comment.

⚖️ Calls for a Crackdown

Since 2016, those operating over the legal hydrogen peroxide threshold in England and Wales face an unlimited fine and a criminal record. The GDC’s last successful prosecution was in October 2021.

A GDC spokesperson said their investigations are "reactive rather than proactive," in line with their legislative mandate, adding that in recent years, the focus has been on "education, involvement, and encouraging compliance in the first instance."

The kits purchased by the BBC were tested at a University of Central Lancashire laboratory. The results confirmed the gels did not contain the expected amounts of hydrogen and carbamide peroxide.

Dr. Shalini Kanagasingam of the University of Central Lancashire, who oversaw the tests at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, said the gels purchased by the BBC were "highly risky."

"You may end up causing irreversible harm to a tooth and possibly cause a chemical burn," she warned.

"I can absolutely understand why someone would want whiter teeth. It's something people aspire to nowadays. But I would always recommend that the patient go to their dentist first, because it might be better to get a good clean, scale, and polish rather than opting for bleaching agents."

The BDA urged the government to launch an urgent crackdown. A spokesperson said they were dismayed that so-called "training" was being offered on social media and that hydrogen peroxide syringes with a $\text{50\%}$ concentration were being sold in car parks.

"The risk must be worth the reward given to these criminals," the BDA concluded.

A government spokesperson advised the public to contact Citizens Advice or their local authority Trading Standards Department if they had concerns about teeth-whitening kits being sold in their area.