Colgate Challenges P&G in Whitening Products
Colgate-Palmolive Co. is set to challenge Procter & Gamble Co.’s lead in the fast-growing at-home teeth-whitening market with its a gel that costs less than half the price of Crest’s Whitestrips, reports Reuters.
The company will launch Colgate Simply White, a gel that whitens teeth in two weeks using a tooth-whitening system that brushes on to individual teeth like nail polish. The system, which will cost $14.99, comes out more than a year after P&G introduced Crest Whitestrips in stores.
Colgate’s research has found that price and difficulty in use have still kept most consumers away from home whitening products. Only 3.4 percent of U.S. households use whitening systems, says Ian Cook, president of Colgate North America.
Moderator Comment: Will Colgate’s Simply White launch drive significant incremental growth in the whitening products category?
Whitening product sales are already growing exponentially.
If ease of use has been an obstacle to consumers entering the category, Simply
White should overcome much of that reticence. It will be interesting to see
P&G’s response. Stay tuned. [George
Anderson – Moderator]