The Bottom Line:
- While dollar sales saw notable increases, unit sales were up more modestly
- Non-mint flavors are increasing
- Mint consumers are interested in health and wellness benefits
It makes sense that mint sales are up (though modestly, when looking at units sold) as recovery from the effects of the pandemic marches on. Americans are venturing out of their homes more often and mingling with friends and the general public, most with mask-less faces. With in-person encounters on the rise, consumers are once again reaching for mints, breath fresheners, sprays, and other items to help keep their breath pleasant during increasing face-to-face encounters.
Market data
The dollar figures in mint sales over the 52-week period ending May 21, 2023 (according to Circana OmniMarket) enjoyed notable increases across the various subcategories. Plain mints, for example, rose 18.5% year over year, hitting a total of $431.4 million; Breath fresheners were up 12.7% to $694.3 million. While much of that can be attributed to inflation, materials costs, and other factors, unit sales also were up, though modestly.
Life Savers (a Mars Wrigley brand) topped the plain mints subcategory in terms of sales. The brand hit sales of $166.8 million for the 12-month period, an increase of 27.6% over the previous 12-month period. What’s more, the brand was one in the subcategory that enjoyed an increase in unit sales, rather than a downturn. Life Savers sold 46.3 million units during the period, an increase of 13.6%. Other top performers in terms of dollar sales:
- Mentos: $148 million, up 10.4%
- Private label: $53.5%, up 12.2%
- Bob’s: $27.1 million, up an impressive $52.8%
The breath freshener subcategory overall increased 12.7% over the 12-month period (hitting $694.3 million) in dollar sales (unit sales were up, too, though only by 2.1% for the year). The subcategory saw mostly dollar figure increases across its sales leaders—Hershey-owned Ice Breakers led the pack, with $229.3 million in sales (an increase of 15.9% compared to the previous year). Ferrero’s Tic-Tac brand came in second with $218.7 million (up 11.9% compared to the previous period). Holding a third-place position was Altoids, another Mars Wrigley brand; it increased 16.1% to reach $139.4 million in sales.
Finally, the subcategory of breath freshener sprays and drops also saw a dollar sales increase (up 14.7% to $19.3 million in sales), accompanied by a slight increase in units sold (1.4%) compared to the year prior. Listerine led the pack, with $12.5 million in sales (an increase of 21% compared to the previous period. In distant second came Scope Outlast, with $4.3 million in sales (up 5.6%), then private label products in third ($2.1 million in sales, up 41.6% compared to the previous 12-month period.
Looking back
Endri Shtylla, marketing director for Tic Tac, Ferrero USA, says the producers in the mint category were not alone in having to tackle myriad challenges over the 12-month period.
“Everyone in the CPG business has had to tackle supply chain, transportation, and inflationary challenges,” he concedes. “It takes creativity and hard work from lots of different teams and disciplines to tackle these challenges, but Ferrero and others in the industry are making progress for sure. In mints specifically, we’re glad to see overall strong category growth as people get together more and more.”
And, Shtylla says, Ferrero specifically has a lot to celebrate.
“We’re feeling very good; we’re up double digits from the previous year, with strong sales across our iconic core flavors driving growth, boosted by flavor innovations like Tic Tac Sprite and Tic Tac Strawberry & Cream,” he points out.
Consumers still reach for traditional mints (peppermint, spearmint, and the like). However, Shtylla says, shoppers are showing increasing interest in mints that aren’t necessarily mint-flavored, and producers like Ferrero has innovated in that direction.
“This spring we expanded our fruit-flavored portfolio with Tic Tac Strawberry & Cream and launched the product by bringing the Tic Tac experience to life in Chelsea Market in New York City,” he shares. “This summer we also launched the limited-edition Sprite-inspired lemon-lime flavored Tic Tac, continuing to build on the existing relationship with Coca-Cola, after our extremely successful limited-edition Tic Tac Coca-Cola flavored product in 2019.”
Mints shoppers also may be interested in products that do more than freshen their breath. For example, Perfetti Van Melle brand Mentos came out with Fruit Mints with Vitamins, a hard mint that features vitamins B6, B12, and C.
“We see strong performance results with our Mentos hard mints as well as our newer Mentos Gum with Vitamins portfolio,” says Craig Cuchra, vice president of marketing, Perfetti Van Melle North America. “As we look at trends, we continue to see an emphasis from consumers and retail partners on health and well-being, so we felt we needed to create a hard mint that could deliver functional benefits.”
Looking forward
The formidable challenges mint makers have had to deal with in recent years—soaring inflation, material price increases, supply chain woes, and more—are not going away anytime soon.
“Supply chain, inflationary pressures, and the events in the world that affect it will be an evolving challenge for the foreseeable future, I think,” muses Shtylla. “Additionally, transformation and eCommerce growth will continue to be relevant trends for the Mints category. We all have to continue to be flexible and creative.”
Also, Shtylla predicts, brands will have to continue seeking out ways to broaden and deepen their reach with shoppers.
“In addition to making sure we’re getting consumers the new and interesting flavors they’re looking for, we’re also looking at how to better reach them in a social media landscape that is really in flux and constantly evolving,” he says. “Going forward, brands are going to really rethink the channels they use and how to use them to engage with consumers in a meaningful and personalized way.”
To that end, Mars Wrigley announced a partnership with home-delivery e-commerce platform Instacart, working to get Life Savers and other brands held by the company into the hands of online shoppers within 24 hours.
"At Mars, we are consumer obsessed and know today's savvy consumers are shopping on digital platforms like Instacart for choice, convenience, and time-saving benefits,” says Kelly Goering, vice president of sales with Mars. “Our innovative partnership with Instacart enables Mars to continue to reach consumers where they choose to shop.”
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