 | |
| Inception | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Perfetti Van Melle |
| Models made | Sweetmint, Peppermint, Spearmint, Strawberry |
| Slogan | No Smint, no kiss |
| Website | www |
Smint is a brand of sugar-free breath mints owned by the Italian-Dutch company Perfetti Van Melle. Is known for their 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. 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. In 1996 Smint started their "No Smint, no kiss" campaign, aiming to make the brand name "smint" synonymous with "kissing breath".
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.
In 2006, Smint and Chupa Chups were taken over by Perfetti Van Melle. In 2009, Smint launched Smint-XXL tins in the UK, which are three times larger than regular Smint dispensers.
Health benefits
In 2003, Smint started advertising that the xylitol in their product provides health benefits. Xylitol has been posited to have a plaque-reducing effect which helps to prevent dental caries, but a 2014 meta-analysis found only a weak effect. Despite the weak evidence for their benefits, xylitol-sweetened mints are still better for dental health than sugared breath mints, as sugar actively contributes to tooth decay while xylitol does not.
Smint is endorsed by Toothfriendly International, an international dental ratings' organization which certifies products as being non-erosive to teeth and non-carcinogenic.
References
- ^ "Smint Journey". Smint. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ Tim Jones (2012). Innovating at the Edge. Routledge. pp. 164–165. ISBN 9781136395352. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ Tanzer JM (1995). "Xylitol chewing gum and dental caries". International Dental Journal. 45 (1 Suppl 1): 65–71. PMID 7607747.
- ^
Riley, P.; Moore, D.; Ahmed, F.; Sharif, M.O.; Worthington, H.V. (26 March 2015). "Xylitol-containing products for preventing dental caries in children and adults". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015 (3): CD010743. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010743.pub2. PMC 9345289. PMID 25809586.
Riley, P.; Moore, D.; Ahmed, F.; Sharif, M. O.; Worthington, H. V. (2015). "Can xylitol – used in products like sweets, candy, chewing gum, and toothpaste – help prevent tooth decay in children and adults?". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Lay summary. 2015 (3): CD010743. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010743.pub2. PMC 9345289. PMID 25809586.
- "Toothfriendly at the ISM 2016". Toothfriendly. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
External links
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