US — Chewing gum and mints are the go-to solutions to mask bad breathe whenever we are not in a position to brush our teeth. These solutions are often short-lived, forcing people to be on either gum and mints at times for the entire day, just to mask their bad breath.

Apart from being a temporary solution, most gums and mints are sugary and contribute to damaging teeth and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

Looking at the problems not addressed by the current gum and mint industry, Camille Varlet, founder and chief executive officer of Mouth Off Health, Inc saw an opportunity and in partnership with an ingredient supplier developed a dissolving gum that fights bad breath.

In her words, her new brand of dissolving gum known as Mouth Off dissolves in the mouth in under a minute, effectively eliminates bad breath, and is effective for up to four hours.

The dissolving gum contains patent-pending, plant-based formula that binds to, deactivates and removes sulfur compounds, the cause of odor.

 “We created this gum free of sugar, free of artificial sweeteners, free of plastics and plant-based to be in line with today’s consumer’s tastes, needs and preferences,” valet said.

On why chose a dissolving gum instead of a chewing one, she said: “We wanted to make sure the product was convenient, so no need to spit out, and eco-friendly.”

Mouth Off relies on sugar alcohols for sweetness as this reduces the need for sugar which apart from being unhealthy, contributes to bad breath.

Social distancing and work-from-home schedules led to a decline in gum and mint sales last year, down 23% from the year before, according to the National Confectioners Association.

But Ms. Varlet suggested the pandemic has created a new need for breath freshening based on market tests.

“Wearing a mask has increased people’s awareness of their own breath quality,” she said. “We like to say, ‘Take the mask challenge.’ Eat or drink whatever, use Mouth Off, put on a mask and you’ll see that it’s working.

The one of its kind gum has already debuted online at mouthoff.com and is available in one flavor currently, peppermint. MouthOff plans to add a second flavor later this year.

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