January 16, 2004

MACH3Turbo Beats Schick Quattro by a 2-to-1 Margin January 2004 (Newstream) -- The Gillette Company on January 15 released the results of an independent, full-scale consumer use test of its Gillette MACH3Turbo shaving system against the Schick Quattro shaving system.

Testing among hundreds of men clearly established MACH3Turbo's superiority. MACH3Turbo scored a significant overall preference win over Schick Quattro of 60 percent to 31 percent, a margin of 2-to-1. Among men who use a MACH3 or MACH3Turbo razor, the results were even more impressive, with MACH3Turbo scoring a preference win of 66 percent to 25 percent.

"The results of this consumer use test prove that shaving performance is not determined solely by the number of blades, but rather by the combination of all the advanced technologies built into a shaving system," said Peter K. Hoffman, president, Blades and Razors, The Gillette Company.

Consumer use tests provide an independent, unbiased analysis that compares product performance. These tests are conducted according to the industry's most rigorous standards. They have been upheld in U.S. Federal Courts and at the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureaus, Inc., as an appropriate and reliable method for determining the performance of shaving products. The MACH3Turbo vs. Schick Quattro test was conducted among a nationally representative sample of more than 400 men.

The MACH3 franchise is the shaving category's most successful brand. Since MACH3's launch in 1998, the franchise has generated more than $9 billion in worldwide consumer sales. In 2003 alone, MACH3 and MACH3Turbo systems generated worldwide consumer sales of more than $2.5 billion. In North America, the MACH3 franchise blade share grew by two points to nearly 34 percent of blade category dollars in 2003. MACH3Turbo, which was launched last year in Europe, has grown MACH3's European value share to 37 percent, up nearly 5 points in 2003. Today, MACH3Turbo is the number one razor in North America and in Europe.

Headquartered in Boston, Mass., The Gillette Company is the world leader in male grooming, a category that includes blades, razors and shaving preparations. Gillette also holds the number one position worldwide in selected female grooming products, such as wet shaving products and hair epilation devices. In addition, the company is the world leader in alkaline batteries, and manual and power toothbrushes.

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Produced for Gillette

Contact:

Gillette Michèle Szynal, 617-421-7086

Porter Novelli
Jonathan Kreissman, 212-601-8165
Jennifer Elias, 212-601-8065