# Why are toothpastes overwhelmingly wintergreen flavored? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2014, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432 "2014-11-03T08:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/21 "2014-11-03T16:42:48Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > (chanting) > > Details! Details! Details! I’ve told this sad tale before on this board. My best friend and I had to ride the bus for a really long time after school every day, and she was a Girl Scout. One day, we decided to pass the time by eating a box of Thin Mints. The bus and the Thin Mints combined to create a rather dramatic homecoming when I finally got there. “Mom! I’m home and I don’t feel so good” _blaeeaaaahhhhggg_ I haven’t been able to eat mint since. That was… I think about 35 years ago. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/22 "2014-11-03T17:00:41Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Oddly enough, boring old Crest has the largest number of flavor choices on the shelf at the store where I work, including cinnamon, vanilla, citrus/orange, and _chocolate_ (though I think that’s actually chocolate mint). I miss the old vanilla-mint.☹ I also notice that kaopectate has shifted from a vanilla mint to straight vanilla, and to some chemical instead of kaolin and pectin. My poor digestive tract has issues with being chemically suppressed, instead of the effect lasting a few hours/24 hours, it can go to up to a week so I have to treat kaopectate like it was immodium now. And Japan has some funky toothpaste [flavors](http://www.japantrendshop.com/breath-palette-flavored-toothpastes-p-436.html). I have been debating getting the full bunch of flavors, except it is expensive. All 4 sets of 7 flavors [nonfluoridated] would run me $200 plus shipping and handling. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/23 "2014-11-03T17:05:48Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > There are fewer health stores in towns now, particularly fewer small independents, so less places to buy alternatives, even if such alternatives are as corporate as Toms of Maine. Most toothpaste tubes here for the masses are made by Colgate, Glaxo, Proctor & Gamble etc., and Toms of Maine is owned by Colgate. > . Actually most of the small company toothpastes are made by contract by [Sheffield Labs](http://www.sheffield-pharmaceuticals.com/), one of our roomies used to work there. At one point in time we didn’t have to buy toothpaste for about 5 years because he would bring home ‘factory seconds’ - misprinted labels and the like. There were some of the more expensive small brands too [on specifically came in a morning and evening formulary.😕] I know at that point in time Tom’s was made by Sheffield on contract. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/24 "2014-11-03T17:07:29Z")
An excerpt from the [Power of Habit](http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/): "Unlike other toothpastes of that period, Pepsodent contained citric acid, as well as doses of mint oil and other relatively exotic chemicals. Pepsodent’s inventor had used those ingredients to make his toothpaste taste minty and to make sure the paste wouldn’t become gluey as it sat on shelves. But those chemicals had another, unanticipated effect as well: They’re irritants that create a tingling sensation on the tongue and gums. When researchers at competing companies started interviewing customers, they found that people said that if they forgot to use Pepsodent, they realized their mistake because they missed that cool, tingling sensation in their mouths. They expected—they craved—that slight irritation. If it wasn’t there, their mouths didn’t feel clean." That’s why the mint flavour. Also, shampoos have foaming action for basically the same reason. You expect the foam to “carry off” the dirt even though it really has no purpose. You expect it to be there, so mfrs put a foaming agent in. I love the flavour of wintergreen, personally. I also like the spark you get from Wint-O-green Lifesavers. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/25 "2014-11-03T19:01:15Z")
I hate wintergreen, because that is the traditional flavor of Pepto-Bismol, and so I associate wintergreen with feeling nauseated. Fortunately, I’ve never had to use wintergreen toothpaste. I like spearmint or cinnamon, though I’m really not too picky. A lot of toothpastes and mouthwashes are labeled with flavors such as “clean mint” or “icy mint” or “fresh mint” and they usually taste vaguely like spearmint or peppermint. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/26 "2014-11-03T19:04:36Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > But those chemicals had another, unanticipated effect as well: They’re irritants that create a tingling sensation on the tongue and gums. Well, your post caused me to Google, and apparently I’m not the only one who finds the irritation too much. Also, it’s not psychological – seems to be the [SLS](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8653493). So some Tom’s of Maine will be added to my toothpaste stock, as it doesn’t have the irritants. > [@Tangent](#): > > I like spearmint or cinnamon, though I’m really not too picky. A lot of toothpastes and mouthwashes are labeled with flavors such as “clean mint” or “icy mint” or “fresh mint” and they usually taste vaguely like spearmint or peppermint. I used to love one company’s cinnamon flavor toothpaste…can’t find it now. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/27 "2014-11-03T19:05:22Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Original Crest toothpaste was wintergreen/licorice flavored. I remember when the mint-flavored version came out. It tasted much better than the original! I think another reason I never liked Crest was that its color was too close to original Zest bar soap (that’s all we ever had), and I had some imagined synesthesia thing going on. Such is the mind of a child- I’ve been avoiding Crest for decades because I hate wintergreen so much. Maybe I can be less cautious now. And I agree that the greenish grey color of Crest was also off putting. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/28 "2014-11-03T19:06:01Z")
Spitting this over to the Great Sink of General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/29 "2014-11-03T19:07:03Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I hate wintergreen, because that is the traditional flavor of Pepto-Bismol, and so I associate wintergreen with feeling nauseated. Fortunately, I’ve never had to use wintergreen toothpaste. > > . ??? Pepto Bismol is mainly Bismuth subsalicylate. That has some relation to methyl salicylate, but not much. Aspirin is about as closely related, and it doesn’t taste like wintergreen. I grew up with Pepto-Bismol, and I don’t think it tastes like wintergreen at ALL\> You need to get hold of a pack of wintergreen life savers and refresh your memory. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/30 "2014-11-03T19:13:25Z")
> **[Bismuth subsalicylate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepto-Bismol)** > > Bismuth subsalicylate, sold generically as pink bismuth and under the brand names Pepto-Bismol and BisBacter, is an antacid medication used to treat temporary discomforts of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, such as nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, and diarrhea. > Bismuth subsalicylate has the empirical chemical formula C7H5BiO4, and is a colloidal substance obtained by hydrolysis of bismuth salicylate (Bi(C6H4(OH)CO2)3). > As a derivative of salicylic acid, bismuth subsalicylat... “This original formula is a medium pink color with a strong wintergreen or cherry flavor.” Also, from their official site: [http://www.pepto-bismol.com/products/liquid/original](http://www.pepto-bismol.com/products/liquid/original) “with just a hint of a fresh wintergreen taste.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/31 "2014-11-03T19:19:54Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > … > Same applies to toothpaste - you brush with something that tastes like what you’re used to and you feel clean. > > The effect woud be multiplied there since toothpaste, unlike ketchup, is vaguely medicinal, and there’s a huge familiarity effect when it comes to medicines. People often choose a known brand over a generic despite them having the exact same constituents because it’s what they’re familiar with. I have asthma and am fine with any brand of salbutamol inhaler but I know some people who insist on Ventolin because it’s what they’ve had since childhood, and that’s just a different name for the same drug. > > I don’t think that there could be a placebo effect when it comes to whether your teeth rot or not, but in making you brush for long enough to be effective? Maybe. Tastes good enough to keep in your mouth for the length of time you need to brush, too, unlike that horrible fennel stuff. I think this is a good point. I once tried simply dabbing my teeth with US wintergreen-flavored toothpaste without actually brushing and that largely satiated the “need to brush!” feeling of having an unclean mouth. So it makes sense that although a coffee-flavored toothpaste would likely be as effective in a dental sense as anything else on the shelf, it would not sell as well because it wouldn’t really “satisfy” people who have used Crest and Colgate all their life. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/32 "2014-11-03T19:21:36Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > [Bismuth subsalicylate - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepto-Bismol) > > “This original formula is a medium pink color with a strong wintergreen or cherry flavor.” > > Also, from their official site: > [http://www.pepto-bismol.com/products/liquid/original](http://www.pepto-bismol.com/products/liquid/original) > > “with just a hint of a fresh wintergreen taste.” That might be the claim, buit it never tasted like wintergreen to me. I re-iterate, get some wintogreen life savers. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/33 "2014-11-03T19:41:24Z")
I have. They taste like Pepto-Bismol has always tasted to me. See my cites above. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/34 "2014-11-03T19:57:24Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I have. They taste like Pepto-Bismol has always tasted to me. See my cites above. I don’t need your cites. Pepto Bismol does not, and never has tasted like wintergreen to me. I note the official site says “a hint of wintergreen”, which doesn’t support it tasting like wintergreen – just that the note of the flavor is in there. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/35 "2014-11-03T20:15:57Z")
I’d love to find a toothpaste that didn’t leave that “minty fresh” aftertaste. When I’m done brushing & rinsing a bit I shouldn’t taste anything. Certainly I should not still be having mint flavored soap sloshing around in there an hour later. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/36 "2014-11-03T20:35:31Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I hate wintergreen, because that is the traditional flavor of Pepto-Bismol… > [@CalMeacham](#): > > I grew up with Pepto-Bismol, and I don’t think it tastes like wintergreen at ALL\> > > You need to get hold of a pack of wintergreen life savers and refresh your memory. > [@Tangent](#): > > “This original formula [of Pepto-Bismol] is a medium pink color with a strong wintergreen or cherry flavor.” > [@CalMeacham](#): > > That might be the claim, buit it never tasted like wintergreen to me. I re-iterate, get some wintogreen life savers. > [@Tangent](#): > > I have. They taste like Pepto-Bismol has always tasted to me. See my cites above. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > I don’t need your cites. Pepto Bismol does not, and never has tasted like wintergreen to me. Perhaps we should note that not all flavors/chemicals taste the same to all people, and take **Tangent** at her word that it tastes the same to her, while we take you at your word that it does not taste the same to you. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/37 "2014-11-03T20:35:48Z")
This wiki on **[Toothpaste Brands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_toothpaste_brands)** unfortunately mixes live and defunct items like failing teeth in a jaw, making it difficult to decide who owns what under the Iron Law of Monopoly; however some of the brand names are amusing. [ There’s one of those gears grinding backwards moments with Colgate: _Colgate – marketed by Colgate-Palmolive, it is the first toothpaste in a collapsible tube, introduced in 1896, when it had previously been sold in glass jars since 1873_ When in the wiki on **[Toothpaste](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toothpaste)**: \* In 1880, Doctor Washington Sheffield of New London, CT manufactured toothpaste into a collapsible tube, Dr. Sheffield’s Creme Dentifrice.\* ] Apparently the ancient Greeks had toothpaste of a sort, although I have no doubt the Chinese and the Islamics will claim precedence. They usually do. Ignoring non-European names — apart from the Japanese [**The Mighty**] \ ***DENTOR !!!** \* _Chlorodont_ — possibly a name in Gregory of Tours _Doramad Radioactive Toothpaste_ — produced under the nazis, naturlich _Gleem_ — kind of insinuating [**Viva**] _Ipana_ — ‘_The famous Disney-created mascot named Bucky Beaver joined the Ipana marketing efforts in the 1950s_’. Famous ? _Kalodont_ [\*\*The Conqueror \*\*] — a series of epics Robert E Howard shoved away in a drawer as too badly written to publish _Kolynos_ — the philosopher-detective _Signal White Now Men_ — ‘\* the first whitening toothpaste designed especially for men, produced by The Unilever company\*’ For MEN !. No-one can imagine why this name might be problematic outside the earlier Sarf Efrica, but it debuted this year in France, not Harlem. _Stomatol_ [**The Destroyer**] Still, apart from the horror of mint, I am reminded that as a child dentists offices smelt of a distinctive scent I’ve never had replicated — except with some weird little circular candy rings, maybe 2mm wide, that strung like beads in many colours at the same period — maybe it was some disinfectant, maybe some chemical used back then by dentists, but really was strange. The tragedy of scent past is there is no way to describe it. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/38 "2014-11-03T20:53:03Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > I’m kind of horrified to learn that there is _fennel_-flavored toothpaste. I can’t ever recall seeing such, and have no idea why anyone would want the stuff. ick. It’s the only flavor I like. Mint hurts my mouth. Fennel is such an unpopular flavor that I have to order it online (I prefer Tom’s of Maine, but Nature’s Gate makes an acceptable anise flavor). But I like everything fennel and anise. I still graze on tender fennel stems growing along the road, as I did when I was a child. And love anise Christmas cookies. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/39 "2014-11-03T21:01:14Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Perhaps we should note that not all flavors/chemicals taste the same to all people, and take **Tangent** at her word that it tastes the same to her, while we take you at your word that it does not taste the same to you. Plus, the freakin’ maker of the product says it tastes like wintergreen! And I’m a “he.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432/40 "2014-11-03T21:28:01Z")
My cousin the dentist suggested I brush with Xylitol, as it helps prevent tartar. The flavor is sweet, of course, but not minty. There’s no fluoride in it, which may be more of an issue for kids; our tap water is fluoridated and I also do brush with Sensodyne sometimes (minty, but the flavor isn’t an issue for me). Unless I missed it being mentioned upthread, there is or used to be cinnamon-flavored Toms, which might help your daughter, **SciFiSam** , don’t know if that would help. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-toothpastes-overwhelmingly-wintergreen-flavored/703432.md?page=3)