Sugarless gum and regular gum sales have seen fairly steady declines since 2010, and are expected to continue doing so through 2020, with sugarless gum dropping an estimated 31.7% from 2010-20, and regular gum declining an estimated 20.2% during the same time frame. Factors such as smoking rate declines, increased snacking, and the belief that gum chewing is undesirable likely are contributors to this decline. Sales of mints and breath fresheners, however, have been on the rise since 2010 and are anticipated to continue rising through 2020, with sales of mints growing an estimated 34.7% from 2010-20, and breath freshener sales increasing a projected 55.2% during the same period. Mints and breath fresheners offer the breath-freshening attributes consumers desire and are more discreet than gum. Growing sales of mints and breath fresheners will require a focus on freshening attributes and new formats, while improving sales of regular and sugarless gum will require flavor innovation and functional attributes that could remove the stigma from gum chewing.

This report examines the US retail market for gum, mints, and breath fresheners. It builds on the analysis presented in Mintel’s Sugar Confectionery and Breath Fresheners – US, December 2014 report, as well as the reports bearing the same name from December 2013, December 2012, February 2010, May 2008, April 2007, and January 2006, and Gum and Mints – US, January 2005.

For the purpose of this report, Mintel uses the following definitions:

• Sugarless gum (sugarless gum including dental and whitening gum)

• Regular gum

• Breath fresheners (Ice Breakers, Tic Tac, and Altoids)

• Candy mints (Life Savers mints, Mentos, and Red Bird).

Excluded from this report are:

• Nicotine gum

• Mouthwash

• Toothpaste

• Candy in all forms except candy mints (eg, Life Savers mints are included, while other types of Life Savers are excluded).