Trade buyers ask us some version of this every week: strips or gel, Crest or Zoom, retail or clinic. Both are brands we supply as genuine Hong Kong retail-channel stock, but they are not interchangeable SKUs. Here is what separates them.
Are Crest Whitestrips and Philips Zoom the same kind of product?
No. Crest 3D Whitestrips is a Procter & Gamble strip product: a flexible strip coated with hydrogen peroxide gel, sold as a fixed retail SKU (more detail in our Crest 3D Whitestrips wholesale guide).[1] Philips Zoom NiteWhite and DayWhite are take-home gels dispensed from syringes into trays custom-fitted by a dentist, with the first cycle demonstrated or supervised by a dental professional.[2] One is a shelf item. The other is a professional-channel product that happens to go home with the patient afterward.
Who is the end customer for each?
Crest Whitestrips moves through the same channel as any other retail oral care SKU: marketplace listings, pharmacies, general resellers. No professional fitting or supervision sits between the carton and the buyer. Philips Zoom moves through dental clinics and whitening studios that already work with a dentist, because the trays the gel goes into are custom-made per patient and the instructions for use call for professional demonstration on the first cycle.[2] A reseller stocking Crest is selling to a shopper. A reseller stocking Zoom is selling to a practice.
What does the label say?
| Product | Format | Active ingredient | Labeled concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crest 3D Whitestrips | Strip | Hydrogen peroxide | Not published by Crest; check the carton [1] |
| Philips Zoom DayWhite | Syringe gel | Hydrogen peroxide | 6%, 9.5%, 14% [2] |
| Philips Zoom NiteWhite | Syringe gel | Carbamide peroxide | 10%, 16%, 22% (3.5%, 5.9%, 8.4% H2O2 equivalent) [2] |
Crest's own ingredient page names hydrogen peroxide as the whitening agent but does not publish a percentage.[1] That's what the manufacturer's own page says, not us being vague. The number that matters is whatever is printed on the carton you're actually offered. Philips, by contrast, publishes an exact concentration and a hydrogen peroxide equivalent for every SKU in its instructions for use; see our Philips Zoom wholesale guide for the full breakdown.[2]
Where can each be sold?
Rules vary sharply by market, and Crest's unpublished percentage means the carton in front of you, not this post, is the number to check against any of the ceilings below.
US. Crest Whitestrips sell over the counter directly to consumers.[3] Philips Zoom is distributed through the dental channel regardless of concentration; that's how Philips designs the take-home range, not a rule specific to one country.[2]
EU, UK and Ireland. Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annex III, entry 12 sets three tiers by hydrogen peroxide present or released: up to 0.1% to consumers directly, 0.1% to 6% to dental practitioners only with first use supervised and not used under 18, above 6% not permitted in a cosmetic at all.[4] By Philips' own equivalence figures, NiteWhite 10%/16% and DayWhite 6% fall inside the dental-practitioner tier; NiteWhite 22%, DayWhite 9.5% and 14% exceed the 6% ceiling and sit outside what the regulation permits as a cosmetic through any channel.[2][4]
Australia. Over-the-counter sale is permitted up to 6% hydrogen peroxide; above that, only a registered dental practitioner may supply or use the product, per the ADA's own policy statement.[5]
Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. Cosmetic products need to be notified to the SFDA before they reach the market, strips and gel alike, on top of whatever concentration rule sits underneath it.[6]
None of this is a workaround. You're the importer of record for anything you buy from us, and the compliance call in your market is yours. See our note on importing whitening strips by destination for more detail market by market.
What does each one need in storage and transit?
Crest strips ship as sealed foil pouches inside a printed carton. There's no published transit temperature range for the strips the way Philips publishes one for its gel; the practical check is the one that applies to any peroxide-based cosmetic: keep cartons out of direct heat and sun, and read the use-by date printed on the box before you accept a shipment.
Philips is specific about its own product: store the gel between 15°C and 25°C in a dark, dry place, do not refrigerate or freeze, and storage above 25°C reduces shelf life.[2] That's a heat problem, not a cold-chain one. Syringes are also more exposed to rough handling than a flat strip carton, so a damaged or leaking syringe is a risk a strip pouch doesn't share. Both lines carry a printed batch code and use-by date rather than one fixed shelf life, so ask for the date on the specific stock you're offered rather than assuming.
Which one should a reseller stock?
It depends on your market and your channel, not on which product performs better. They're built for different customers.
| Market | Retail / marketplace channel | Dental / clinic channel |
|---|---|---|
| US | Crest Whitestrips fits: OTC, no professional step required | Zoom moves through dental supply, not general retail |
| EU, UK, Ireland | Neither by default; check Crest's carton against the 0.1% line | NiteWhite 10%/16% and DayWhite 6% fit dental-only; higher SKUs exceed 6% |
| Australia | Check Crest's carton against the 6% OTC line | Any concentration via a registered dental practitioner |
| Saudi Arabia / GCC | Needs SFDA cosmetic notification first | Same notification requirement applies |
A marketplace or pharmacy account is usually built around Crest: retail packaging, broad reach, no professional relationship required on either end. A dental or whitening-studio account is usually built around Zoom: fixed concentrations on the label, syringe handling, and a customer base that already works with a dentist. Depending on the batch, we tell you before you order which concentration and configuration you would actually receive, for either product. Resellers selling into both a retail and a professional channel tend to carry both lines rather than pick one winner. See the whitening strips and whitening gel ranges for current stock.
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
- Crest, What are the ingredients in Crest 3D Whitestrips?: https://crest.com/en-us/oral-care-tips/what-are-theingredients-in-crest-3d-whitestrips
- Philips Zoom NiteWhite/DayWhite Instructions for Use: https://www.documents.philips.com/assets/20201027/f9088679bce34ce3b6a8ac61001ccedf.pdf
- Crest, 3D Whitestrips Professional White At-home Teeth Whitening Kit (direct-to-consumer product page): https://crest.com/en-us/oral-care-products/crest-3d-whitestrips-professional-white-at-home-teeth-whitening-kit
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex III, entry 12, as retained in UK law: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/1223/annex/III
- Australian Dental Association, Policy Statement 2.2.8, Teeth whitening (bleaching) by persons other than dental practitioners: https://ada.org.au/policy-statement-2-2-8-teeth-whitening-bleaching-by-persons-other-than-dental-practitioners
- SFDA, Guidance and Requirements of Cosmetic Product Notification: https://www.sfda.gov.sa/en/regulations/guidance-and-requirements-cosmetic-product-notification