Teeth whitening Kits
A string of teeth whitening kits look set to be removed from the shelves after it has been found that many contain an illegally high levels of hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent.
Regulations state that teeth whitening kits can contain no more than 0.1% of the bleaching agent But it was discovered by Trading Standards Institute that one whitening product exceeded the limit 230 times.
Ron Gainsford, chief executive for Trading Standards Institute said: "Many people these days aspire to having the perfect Hollywood smile and some stars have paid a lot of money to achieve this through cosmetic dental treatment.
There are much cheaper kits on sale for home use - for instance, some of those tested by trading standards cost as little as £14. But this could end up burning more than a hole in your pocket."
Of the twenty products that were tested 18 of them contained levels of hydrogen peroxide above the legal limit. The only two products that did pass the tests were Boots Expert Whitening Programme and the Brilliant Tooth Whitening System.
The high levels of hydrogen peroxide which more commonly associated with dying hair can cause sensitive teeth and aggravate gum disease and even cause chemical burns.