Teeth whitening products bought online or over the counter may contain up to 300 times the legally permissible amount of hydrogen peroxide, according to a report by a group called Which? published on June 7 in BDJ in Practice.
Investigators from Which? tested at least two teeth whitening products, both gel-filled syringes bought from sellers on AliExpress, that contained dangerously high levels of hydrogen peroxide: around 30% hydrogen peroxide, or 300 times the amount that can be legally sold directly to consumers in Britain on the street or online.
Tests revealed that 21 of the 36 teeth whiteners tested from online marketplaces contained more than the legal amount of hydrogen peroxide (0.1%) permitted for home use in teeth whitening kits. Eleven of the 36 contained more than 6% hydrogen peroxide, which is the limit in terms of what dentists are allowed, according to the British Dental Association (BDA).
The "offending" products have since been removed from online sellers, according to the BDA. However, the public should be aware of the dangers of buying teeth whiteners that fail to declare their precise chemicals, the organization said.
