CURAPROX BLACK IS WHITE
THE CLAIM: Powdered charcoal is in a host of beauty products, from face masks to lip balms. Curaprox added it to toothpaste for its ‘natural’ anti-bacterial properties. They say the porous texture means it can absorb compounds that stain teeth and bacteria that contributes to gum disease, and that this whitens teeth in a gentler way with no potent peroxides or abrasive silica.
VERDICT: Dr Carter says: ‘The teeth look whiter because of the contrast of the black with the white of the teeth. Once you spit out the black gunk, it looks like your teeth are sparkling, but they are not.
‘And you wouldn’t want to put it near a tooth-coloured filling. The charcoal could get stuck and look like you have a black outline round the tooth.’
TASTE TEST: Soft, runny and very bitter. Teeth sparkle but ten minutes later the effect vanished.