Crest 3D Whitestrips is one of the most copied products we carry. Procter & Gamble has spent more than a decade in court defending the line's patents, trade dress and trademarks. Some of those cases were against private-label strips that copied the technology. At least one was against product built to pass for the real thing. For a trade buyer, that record is useful. It confirms the scale of the problem and shows what P&G itself treats as the tells.
P&G has fought this in court, repeatedly
The clearest case is Procter & Gamble Co. v. Onuge Personal Care (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., filed in February 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. P&G alleged that Onuge and its importer, MS International Enterprises, were making and distributing whitening strips that infringed Whitestrips patents, trade dress and trademarks, with packaging and branding built to look like the genuine product. MS International settled and withdrew its products. The court entered a permanent injunction against Onuge in August 2016 [1][2].
That case was not isolated. Trade press reports that P&G took action against Clio in 2014 and against Team Technologies and Brushpoint Innovations in 2012 [3], and in 2014 it sued Ranir over store-brand strips sold through Walmart and Kroger that it said used its patented strip technology [4]. Those later cases were about patents rather than counterfeits, but they show the same thing: P&G polices this product line closely.
In 2018 P&G partnered with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, donating authentication devices so CBP officers can test suspect P&G product at the border [5]. That program covers P&G brands generally, not Whitestrips alone, but it tells you the company treats counterfeit goods as a live supply-chain risk.
What a genuine box carries
Crest's own product pages print the distributor line that appears on the carton: "Distributed by Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH 45202." The same pages list the full ingredient panel, which should match what is printed on the box [6]. Crest's guidance tells buyers to check the box for a best-if-used-by date [7]. The lot code is printed alongside it. We do not describe a fixed code format here, because P&G does not publish one and the print has changed over the years. What matters for a buyer is that the date and lot code are present, legible and consistent across a shipment.
Pack sizes vary. Standard retail kits, club-store packs and bonus packs all carry different treatment counts, so the count printed on the box face must match what is inside, and it must match what your supplier quoted. Each treatment is sealed in its own foil pouch. Pouch printing has also changed over time, so plain foil on its own proves nothing either way. Crest and Whitestrips are both registered U.S. trademarks of Procter & Gamble [8], and the trademark notice should be legible and consistent between the outer box and the individual pouches.
| Genuine box signal | Where to check |
|---|---|
| "Distributed by Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH 45202" | Back or side panel |
| Ingredient panel matches Crest's published formula | Back panel |
| Treatment count on the box matches the contents and the quote | Box front vs. contents |
| Trademark notice present and consistent | Outer box and individual pouches |
| Best-if-used-by date and lot code present and legible | Carton, checked across the whole shipment |
What buyers report on fakes
Reseller and consumer reports on suspect Whitestrips point to a recurring set of packaging tells: the Crest logo not sized as the dominant element on the box, inconsistent font treatment on the range name, and a trademark symbol present on the outer box but missing from the pouches inside. None of these alone proves a box is fake, because P&G has changed its packaging more than once. More than one of them showing up on the same shipment is worth acting on. Other tells circulate in reseller discussion, such as short strip counts, uneven or discolored gel, and typos in box copy. Treat those as prompts to look closer, not as proof.
On price, the rule for a trade buyer is simple. A wholesale quote far below prevailing retail is the red flag itself, not a discount worth chasing. Genuine retail-channel stock has a floor, because someone paid retail for it.
How trade buyers actually verify stock
Packaging checks do not substitute for verifying where the stock came from. The method that works:
- Buy from a supplier who holds retail-channel stock and can produce purchase invoices tied to that stock. If a supplier cannot show where the goods were bought, stop there.
- Ask for photos of the lot codes on the exact cartons being shipped, not stock photography, before goods move.
- Sample before you commit to volume. One case first, then the order.
- Check lot codes across every carton in the shipment. Mixed or partially blank lot codes within one lot are a bad sign.
- Compare a sample against a known-genuine reference box side by side, rather than from memory.
- Use price as the first filter, not the last. Stock offered well under prevailing retail is a warning, not an opportunity.
What we can show you
We stock Crest 3D Whitestrips as genuine Hong Kong retail-channel stock. Purchase invoices are available for buyer verification, and we send lot-code photos of the specific cartons on offer before you place an order.
Buying in bulk? Apply for a trade account and we release pricing on approval, usually within 24 hours. Apply for a trade account · Wholesale desk
References
- Jones Day, Procter & Gamble Successfully Protects Crest Whitestrips Line of Products (2016): https://www.jonesday.com/en/practices/experience/2016/08/procter-amp-gamble-successfully-protects-crest-whitestrips-line-of-products
- Business Wire, Procter & Gamble Prevails Against Private Label Manufacturers and Distributors in Crest Whitestrips Intellectual Property Violations (25 Aug 2016): https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825005965/en/
- Cosmetics Business, P&G wins Crest strips patent infringement lawsuit: https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/P_and_G_wins_Crest_strips_patent_infringement_lawsuit/120583
- WCPO, P&G sues store-brand manufacturer over tooth whitening strips (2014): https://www.wcpo.com/money/business-news/pg-sues-store-brand-manufacturer-over-tooth-whitening-strips
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP and Procter & Gamble Partner to Prevent Counterfeit P&G Products from Entering US (2018): https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-and-procter-gamble-partner-prevent-counterfeit-pg-products
- Crest, 3DWhitestrips Professional White product page (distributor line, ingredients): https://crest.com/en-us/oral-care-products/crest-3d-whitestrips-professional-white-at-home-teeth-whitening-kit
- Crest, Do Crest 3DWhitestrips Expire?: https://crest.com/en-us/oral-care-tips/teeth-whitening/do-crest-3dwhitestrips-expire
- USPTO TSDR, WHITESTRIPS, Serial No. 75690212: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75690212&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch">