Philips sues P&G over Braun electric razor claims

NEW YORK Philips Electronics has filed a lawsuit against Procter & Gamble and its Braun division for allegedly falsely advertising its “Pulsonic” line of electronic shavers.

The suit seeks to order Braun to stop the alleged false advertisements and to award damages to Philips, which produces its own line of electronic shavers as well as the Norelco brand. Among other alleged false claims, the lawsuit identifies P&G’s claim that the Pulsonic uses sonic power to generate microvibrations to expose and shave more hair with every stroke.

The complaint also addresses Braun’s claim that “9 out of 10” men voted Pulsonic the “best electric shaver they have ever tried” in a 2007 Men’s Health survey. Philips argues that the survey was a scientifically uncontrolled sweepstakes in which Braun gave each participant a free Pulsonic, for which it usually charges the price of $250.

A P&G spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.