Eclipse (breath freshener)

An Eclipse mint is an oval prism rounded at top and bottom, with the top and bottom halves varying in colour, depending on the flavor. Spearmint (green), peppermint and Black Chill (blue), and Winterfrost (dark blue) are available, as well as cinnamon (all pink), orange (light orange) and blackcurrant (purple).

All the eclipse flavors lined up: orange, cinnamon, blackcurrant, winterfrost, peppermint, and spearmint

The ingredients in the Australian and New Zealand cinnamon product are sorbitol, flavor, anticaking agent (470), sweeteners (955, 950) and colours (129, 133); while the orange product contains food acid (330), sweetener (951) (instead of 950), and colours (102, 129) (instead of 129, 133). The orange product advises that it contains Phenylalanine.

Though classified as breath mints, it is unknown if the mints contain active antibacterial ingredients. The new packaging now claims to have a 'natural ingredient' that is scientifically proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath. Such ingredient is not specified but the label points to a pending patent for this ingredient. Wrigley's product website for Eclipse describes the ingredient as Magnolia bark extract (MBE), which has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine. In lab tests, MBE is said to have killed almost all oral bacteria, including the types that cause bad breath and cavities. Eclipse is the first product in the US to contain MBE.[1]

Eclipse mints are packaged in a recyclable steel box. The top of the box (narrow end) is attached with metal hinge (a true hinge, not a living hinge like many boxed mints). The top may be opened and pushed back on the hinge to gain access to the mints. On opening the box the tagline "powerful fresh breath" is revealed, printed on a raised metal plate on the inner surface of the lid.

50 mints are contained in each package, with a net weight of 1.2 oz (34 g). The Canadian version only has 49 mints. In Australia the packaging has changed [ March 2019] to 17 g, but the price has remained at $2 that the original packaging was at when on special at Woolworths.

Eclipse mints are sold in Canada under the name Excel. They are sold in the United States, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Latvia, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong under the name Eclipse mints; in Australia, they were previously sold under the name Airwaves. In Bulgaria they are still sold as Airwaves.

The Australian and New Zealand products contains a French translation on the outer wrapper, even though it is not an official language of either country.

The winterfrost variety is not sold in Australia. Cinnamon has been discontinued due to very low sales, but are still available in many stores. In early 2009, the "Black Chill" variety was introduced. This variety comes in a black tin, and the mints are the same colour as the Peppermint variety. The taste is comparable to Wintergreen Tic Tacs. In late 2009 a new flavor was introduced, Cool Breeze. They are a less intense peppermint flavor and appear in a silver tin.

In Canada, Excel Mints are sold with both French and English on the box, as required by law.

In Taiwan, Eclipse mints are sold with Chinese name "Yi Koh Shu" (易口舒) printed on the tin box. Two collections, Original Mint and Fruity Mint, with three flavors each are available in the market. These flavors are Spearmint, Peppermint, Winterfrost, Peach Mint, Apple Mint and Lemon Mint.[2]

In Hong Kong, Eclipse mints are sold in tin with Spearmint (Green), Peppermint (Light Blue), Winterfrost (Blue), Orange (Orange), Blackcurrant (Purple) Flavor and Lime (Silver and Green) Flavor, and Eclipse sugarfree gum are sold in resealable bag with Spearmint (Green), Peppermint (Blue), Polar Ice (Silver), and Lemon Ice (Yellow) Flavors.

• Eclipse Ice
• List of breath mints
• List of chewing gum brands

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eclipse (breath freshener).

• Wrigley's page on Eclipse
• ADA seal search page for Wrigley