Daniel O’Donoghue & Laura O’NeillBBC North West Investigations
GettyIllegal teeth whitening treatments that can burn gums and damage teeth are being handed out in car parks and on doorsteps, a BBC investigation has found.
Some gels, which contain more than 500 times the legal limit of whitening agent for over-the-counter products, are being blatantly sold on social media.
As part of the investigation, a BBC North West reporter was able to gain a fraudulent teeth whitening qualification, as well as being given “extreme” bleach and advised to “exercise with friends and family”.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said it was “appalled” by the BBC’s findings.
In one case, a vendor boasted that there were “crazy” profits from providing the treatments.
In the UK, treatments with teeth whitening products containing more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide can only be carried out by dentists and other professionals registered with the General Dental Council (GDC).
And products used in treatments offered by dentists cannot contain more than 6% hydrogen peroxide.
However, products sold to undercover BBC journalists were sent to a laboratory for testing where results showed they contained hydrogen peroxide levels of up to 53%.
“I was in agony”
Kellie Howson, 54, who lost four teeth after paying £65 for a whitening treatment at a Lancaster beauty salon, urged the public to be aware of the risks.
He said: “I just remember not too long into treatment my gums started to really hurt and then it got worse and worse.
“I was in agony.”
Mrs Howson, who works in a hospital, was told by her dentist that the gel had caused irreparable damage and only the removal of four teeth would stop the pain.
The grandmother said it took years and tens of thousands of pounds to repair 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, I didn’t want to see anyone,” she said.
“So powerful it’s not available to buy in the UK”
“I just don’t think there’s enough knowledge about it. You go on social media and you see so many offers.”
The beautician who treated Mrs Howson was prosecuted for illegal dental practice and ordered to pay £250 compensation.
The BBC’s investigation into the North West began after the group was contacted by a beautician who was concerned about how widespread the use of illegal treatments was in the area.
It didn’t take long for evidence to emerge of kits containing levels of chemicals well beyond legally safe limits being advertised and sold online by other beauticians in the Manchester and Merseyside areas.
Some of the gels were advertised as containing “extreme bleach” and boasted that they were “so strong they are not available to buy in the UK”.
An undercover BBC reporter approached the salons and agreed to meet and buy the whitening kits.
White n Bright in Droylsden, Manchester advertised kits containing 35% carbamide peroxide, a bleaching agent which, at this strength, breaks down to about 12% hydrogen peroxide.
This level is 120 times the legal limit that can be used in cosmetic treatments by non-dentists and twice the strength that dentists can legally use.
The owner of the company – which sold the kits for £55 – claimed on social media that the business offered “advanced teeth whitening” and described the treatment as “safe and non-sensitive”.
When the BBC reporter went to collect the kit, she was handed two syringes of “whitening gel” in a plastic sandwich bag on the doorstep of the seller’s home by someone understood to be a relative of the seller.
There were no instructions for use and no safety advice was given.
In Merseyside, the BBC found a beautician advertising illegal whitening products and training courses for fraudulent qualifications.
Pearly White Diamonds charged £300 for an online training course which included a kit containing “high” and “extreme” hydrogen peroxide gels, described as 35% and up to 53% in strength.
FacebookThe owner of the company asked the BBC reporter to meet her in the car park of a care home to collect the kit.
Prior to this meeting, the owner texted the undercover reporter and said: “Do you know the rules have changed who can whiten teeth? In 2012 it changed from anyone to dentist only…however as you will know everyone is still doing it anyway.”
The company boss said the rule change “doesn’t make a difference, to be honest”.
In the parking lot, she delivered three pink sparkly party bags containing unlabeled gel, a pre-signed teeth whitening certificate and a set of plastic practice teeth.
Over the next few days, the company boss provided an “educational program” in the form of a series of messages sent via WhatsApp.
The instructions, given in three messages, gave advice on where to apply the gel, safety and patient satisfaction.
The owner of the company advised to “practice on friends and family” after reading the instructions.
“Once you’re all settled in, I can hand you over to my dental manufacturer to brand your own teeth whitening products. It’s really cheap to do and the profit is insane,” he said.
The BBC also found a Wirral beautician who had taken one of the training courses offered by Pearly White Diamonds.
The owner of Hannah Louise Aesthetics posted an image of a certificate similar to the one the BBC reporter received.
The beautician used it to claim she was qualified to treat clients and take bookings.
The company also ran ads offering teeth whitening treatments using “super” strength gels, as well as “hybrid gels” advertised as containing 22% hydrogen peroxide and 22% carbamide peroxide.
White n Bright, Pearly White Diamonds and Hannah Louise Aesthetics did not respond when approached by the BBC for comment.
“The risk must appear to be worth the reward for these crooks”
Since 2016, anyone using more than the legal limit of hydrogen peroxide can face an unlimited fine and a criminal record in England and Wales.
However, investigations are based on customers appearing and the last successful prosecution brought by the GDC was in October 2021.
“GDC investigations are reactive and not proactive, in line with our statutory mandate and objectives,” a GDC spokesman said.
The regulator said that in recent years the focus has been “on education, engagement and encouraging early compliance”.
The kits bought by the BBC were tested in a laboratory at the University of Lancashire.
Testing confirmed that the gels contained the advertised levels of hydrogen and carbamide peroxide.
Dr Shalini Kanagasingam, from the University of Lancashire, said: “If you use a higher percentage, especially if it’s not professionally monitored by a dentist, you could end up causing irreversible damage to a tooth and causing a chemical burn.”
Dr Kanagasingam, who oversaw the tests at the university’s school of medicine and dentistry, described the gels bought by the BBC as “extremely dangerous”.
She added: ‘I can absolutely understand why someone would want whiter teeth. It is something that people aspire to nowadays.
“But I would always advise the public to go to their dentist first, because it could just be a matter of cleaning, scaling and polishing rather than choosing whitening agents, and especially whitening agents at such high levels.”
The BDA urged the government to launch an urgent crackdown.
A spokesman said: “We are appalled that so-called ‘education’ is being offered on social media and syringes containing 50% hydrogen peroxide are being sold in car parks.
“The risk must be seen to be worth the reward of these crooks.”
A government spokesman urged the public to “contact Citizens Advice or their local authority’s Trading Standards department” if they have concerns about teeth whitening products for sale in their area.
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