| Breath Savers | |
| Producttype: | Mint (candy) |
| Currentowner: | The Hershey Company |
| Producedby: | The Hershey Company |
| Markets: | United States |
| Previousowners: | E. R. Squibb |
| Tagline: | Break Open The Breath Savers A Mint with More |
Breath Savers is a brand of mint manufactured by the Hershey Company.
Breath Savers were introduced in 1973 by the Life Savers Company, a division of E.R. Squibb, in limited areas, and were originally sugared. The brand became a national brand in 1978 when it replaced sugar with saccharin and became sugar-free from then on. Nabisco acquired the Life Savers Company from E.R. Squibb in 1981.[1] In 2000, after its merger with Kraft Foods, Nabisco sold its gum and breath mint business to Hershey.[2]
As the name and design suggests, Breath Savers are modeled after Life Savers, beveled at the outer edges and having a shallow depression in the center, on both sides. Each Breath Saver is counterembossed on one side with the legend "BREATH SAVER" in raised letters about 0.3 mm high in a circular pattern around the center. They are packaged in three ways:
The main ingredient found in Breath Savers is sorbitol, a sugar alcohol containing one-third the calories of sugar and which is 60 times sweeter than sugar.[3] In addition to sorbitol, Breath Savers also contains small amounts of aspartame and natural flavors.[4]
Breath Savers have also begun advertising some of their mints to contain sodium bicarbonate, an alkaline salt used in many personal hygiene products as a mechanical cleanser on the teeth and gums. It also neutralizes the production of acid in the mouth, and acts as an antiseptic to help prevent infections.[5] [6]