The Old-School Candy That Rivaled Tic Tacs Back In The '70s

Tic Tacs have captured the hearts of many, serving as a convenient, easy-to-carry minty hard candy that eliminates bad breath. Since 1969, the Italian company Ferrero has produced its iconic mint that features 100 layers of gentle freshness in a white, pill-shaped form that tastes of peppermint. Tic Tac has since remained a leader in the industry, even becoming a part of John Cena's pre-show ritual, with the superstar consuming up to three boxes before hitting the ring. While this refreshing treat has a long-standing history, its fame has not come without competition; it went tit for tat against Dynamints during the "breath mint wars" of the 1970s.

Dynamints were made by the gum-making company Dentyne. Similar to its breath mint rival, Dynamints were pill-shaped and sold in clear containers. The classic candy from the '70s, which we would love to have back, carried a bit of mystery: The original red candies were marketed as "regular" with no particular flavor written on the container (however, some speculate that they were supposed to emulate cinnamon). The main difference between the two brands was that the container had a landscape orientation, as opposed to the vertical Tic Tac case. The old-school candy sold for 25 cents for 40 pieces of candy, just like Tic Tacs. However, despite heavy advertising, Tic Tacs became the preferred mint, with Dynamints eventually being phased out of Dentyne's product line by the 1990s.

The 1970s were an exciting time filled with innovation, including the introduction of a fun, clear, and shakable box that made the pill-shaped candy easily recognizable and appealing. While competitors, aside from Dynamints, used tins and paper wraps to package their candy, Tic Tacs' plastic box made consumption and disposal much more convenient (and also makes taking spices on the go much easier for an exquisite meal on the trail). The environmental movements of the time could have helped with Tic Tacs' popularity in the United States. Still, due to Dynamints' horizontal design, online commenters noted that it was sometimes hard to get the candy out of the box.

In terms of finance, Dynamints managed to take the lead amongst competitors; the Dentyne candy held a 20.7% share in the market compared to Tic Tac, which had a 17.3% share, according to a New York Times article. Advertising appears to have played a major role in Dynamints' rise and downfall, as the company far outspent Tic Tac in advertising, with a $4.4 million difference between the two companies. However, with new products entering the market like soft chewing gum, Dentyne struggled against growing competition, which allegedly gave Tic Tac an opening to take the lead. High advertising costs and distribution challenges likely led to Dentyne retiring Dynamints from its product line to focus on its popular gum brand.