Smint

Smint is a brand of sugar-free breath mints owned by the Italian-Dutch company Perfetti Van Melle. It is known for its distinctive packaging that dispenses one mint at a time, and for their Reuleaux triangle shape. The name is a portmanteau of "sugarfree" and "mint", not of "small mint" as is commonly thought.

History

Smint was first conceived by Chupa Chups in 1990 as a sugar-free product targeted at adult consumers.[1] After four years of development, Smint was introduced to the market as a subsidiary brand, and launched in the UK a year later in 1995.[1] In 1996 Smint started their "No Smint, no kiss" campaign, aiming to make the brand name "smint" synonymous with "kissing breath".[1]

By 2001, Smint was the top-selling mint in its class in 90% of the markets where it was available, and in the same year Smint started a partnership with Breast Cancer Care, donating 5p to the charity for every pack of strawberry Smint sold.[1]

In 2006, Smint and Chupa Chups were taken over by Perfetti Van Melle.[1] In 2009, Smint launched Smint-XXL tins in the UK, which are three times larger than regular Smint dispensers.[1]

Ingredients

Aspartame, xylitol, flavoring, and anticaking agent are used to make Smint in the UK.[2] Xylitol has been demonstrated to have a plaque-reducing effect by attracting and starving the sucrose-seeking microorganisms that cause tooth decay[3], but a 2014 meta-analysis found that the claim has, at most, a weak effect tooth health.

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