Ingredients of Eclipse Mints

Eclipse mints, a product of the Wrigley company, are touted as the "fresh breath solution for people on the go." Well, the "on the go" portion of the tout may have a different meaning when it is discovered that one of the Eclipse mints ingredients is sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that does not absorb well into the body and results in gastric distress and diarrhea. Of course, you have to digest five times the recommended amount of the mint to result in the "runs," but the mints are so tasty that you might just keep popping them into your mouth. Limit your daily intake of this breath mint to just two and you will be safe.

Sorbitol is listed as the first ingredient on a package of Eclipse mints. That means that sugar alcohol is the number one ingredient in the mint. The sorbitol is followed by natural and artificial flavors and decreasing amounts of magnesium stearate, a salt that has a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts. Other ingredients include acesulfame K, an artificial sweetener; sucralose, another artificial sweetener; lactic acid; and calcium lactate. There is no fat or sodium in any of the Eclipse flavors.

Spearmint has a delicate touch when eaten due to the carvone within the spearmint. This is artificially introduced in the Eclipse mints and is known to tame upset stomach. Wrigley's Extra Spearmint Gum is a bestseller due to its breath equalizer and refreshing, gentle taste.

Peppermint has a spicier taste, and in its natural state, it is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint. It is the menthol in the peppermint that creates the cooling effect of the product.

Since its introduction to the American market in 2003, the Eclipse brand of breath mints has undergone several reformations and has been discontinued in several countries. The taste of the product also changes depending on whether it is produced in America or Shanghai, China. Consistency is not in the brand's wheelhouse, and name changes depend on the country in which the product is sold. Eclipse is the American brand name.

The peppermint version of Eclipse contains artificial sweeteners, as do all varieties of Eclipse. Most candy companies add lab-formulated flavorings to make their products taste better because natural flavorings are more expensive to produce. Be careful if you consume a large quantity of the mints, as the artificial sweetener acesulfame K has been found to be carcinogenic

The blue Eclipse mints are marketed as peppermint blue and winterfrost dark blue. Artificial coloring is added to the compound to darken the mint, while artificial flavorings dictate the taste.