You’ve got a date coming up and you need a mint to freshen your breath. Or maybe you want to chew some gum to get your ears popping after a long flight in an airplane. In both of these cases and more, lots of people like to use Ice Breakers: a popular brand of mints and chewing gum. But as many gluten-sensitive folks already know, even the most innocuous treats might have a bit of gluten hiding somewhere in their ingredient lists.
Ice Breakers mints and Ice Breakers chewing gum are considered gluten-free. However, a few flavors of Ice Breaker chewing gum may have some residual gluten. You should still check the back of any Ice Breakers mints or chewing gum flavor. The best gluten free alternatives are Orbit Sugar-Free Wintergreen Gum, Tic Tac Mints, and Life Savers Mints Wint O Green.
Want to know more about the ingredients in Ice Breakers mints and chewing gum? Let’s take a closer look at Ice Breakers and their nutrition facts in detail.
Contents
Why Ice Breakers are (Usually) Gluten-Free
Simply put, it’s because most mints don’t require gluten or gluten-based ingredients at all.
Think about it; the majority of mint products are little candies with peppermint oil, confectioner’s glaze or some other compound to give them a sheen or glaze, and any other flavorings the producer might decide to include.
Because of this, most mints can safely be eaten if you are extremely sensitive to gluten. This is doubly true when it comes to peppermint-flavored candies, like Ice Breakers Wintergreen and Peppermint flavors.
The one time you have to watch out for gluten when it comes to mints is if they include special flavors or fillings on the inside. Fortunately, most Ice Breakers mints just have outside flavorings, so they are almost certainly gluten-free.
Gum vs. Mints
Things are a little different when it comes to chewing gum, even from Ice Breakers.
In fact, lots of gum brands have gluten that you might not expect. Wrigley’s gum is definitely not gluten-free, since these gum flavors are sweetened with a glucose syrup that is originally sourced from wheat. Even though there’s barely any gluten remaining after the gum has been processed in a factory, some folks with celiac disease can still get sick.
Additionally, gum manufacturers don’t have to disclose any allergens aside from wheat, so it’s tough to tell whether a given brand has gluten or not.
Luckily, Ice Breakers’ chewing gum products are (typically) gluten-free.
There used to be a few Ice Breakers chewing gum varieties that did have wheat as one of their primary ingredients. These included the Dragon Fruit flavor. However, it’s almost impossible to get the Dragon Fruit Ice Breakers these days. Most Ice Breakers mints or chewing gum will not have gluten or gluten-related ingredients.
Allergen Warning
There’s some more good news about Ice Breakers and their ingredients. Their parent company, Hershey, has pledged to provide allergen warnings on all of their ingredients if they include gluten.
Therefore, if you’re ever unsure about whether a given mint or gum product from Ice Breakers has gluten or not, simply look at the label. Hershey will tell you whether gluten is included in the formula or not.
Not every company does this, so it’s nice that Hershey is taking the extra step to ensure that folks with celiac disease can enjoy their candy safely and with peace of mind.
Ice Breakers Nutrition Facts
Not sure whether your favorite Ice Breakers have gluten or not? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Ice Breakers mints and chewing gum choices to make sure they’re actually gluten-free like we say.
Ice Breakers Wintergreen Mints
These classic Ice Breakers mints are sugar-free and are one of the most popular flavors from the brand. Their minty freshness tends to last longer than many other Ice Breakers flavors.
Ingredients:
- Sorbitol
- Maltitol
- Maltodextrin
- Artificial flavors
- Aspartame
- Magnesium stearate
- Lecithin
- Gum acacia
- Artificial colors
Nutrition Facts:
- <5 cal per serving
- <1 g sugar alcohol
Ice Breakers Coolmints
Perhaps the most popular Ice Breakers are its “Coolmints”, which include natural and artificial flavors but no gluten-related ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Sorbitol
- Maltitol
- Maltodextrin
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Gum acacia
- Aspartame
- Magnesium stearate
- Soy lecithin
- Citric acid
- Artificial color (Blue 1)
Nutrition Facts:
- <5 cal per serving
- <1 g carbohydrate
- <1 g sugar alcohols
Ice Breakers Peppermint Ice Cubes
Ice Breakers’ Peppermint Ice Cubes are actually a type of gum from Ice Breakers rather than regular mints. However, you can rest assured that these won’t cause you any problems if you have gluten sensitivity.
Ingredients:
- Xylitol
- Gum base
- Maltitol
- Mannitol
- Maltitol syrup
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Soy lecithin
- Maltodextrin
- Artificial colors
- Aspartame
- Gum acacia
- Gelatine
- Acesulfame potassium
- Sorbitol
- Isomalt
- Neotame
- BHT
- Sucralose
Nutrition Facts:
- 5 cal per serving
- 2 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- 2 g sugar alcohol
Ice Breakers Duo Strawberry Mints
You might be in the mood for a fruity mint instead of a peppermint treat. In that case, the Ice Breakers Duo Strawberry Mints could be a good choice since they are totally gluten-free (unlike many other fruit-flavored candies, mints, and gums).
Ingredients:
- Sorbitol
- Maltodextrin
- Malic acid
- Magnesium stearate
- Maltitol
- Aspartame
- Citric acid
- Artificial flavors
- Modified cornstarch
- Hydrogenated vegetable oil
- Artificial colors
- Gum acacia
- Soy lecithin
Nutrition Facts:
- <5 cal per serving
- 1 g carbohydrate
- 1 g sugar alcohol
Healthy Gluten-Free Alternatives to Ice Breakers
Although Ice Breakers are gluten-free by and large, some folks might want other gluten-free alternatives. Fortunately, Ice Breakers are far from the only gluten-free gum and mint choices available to you. For example, the classic Mentos candies are gluten-free and come in a wide range of flavors. However, you might want something other than Mentos, which are so similar to Ice Breakers that many people use the two candy names interchangeably.
Let’s take a look at some of these options now.
Life Savers Mints Wint O Green
Life Savers, the classic mint candy, are actually gluten-free as well. Fortunate, you can pick up big packages of many of their best flavors like Wint O Green whenever you need to freshen your breath in between work meetings or right before a date. These hard candies also tend to last a little while, so they are great for maintaining fresh breath for hours after you first pop them in your mouth.
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Corn syrup
- Artificial flavor
- Stearic acid
Nutrition Facts:
- 15 cal per serving
- 3 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- 3 g sugar
Tic Tac Mints
Tic Tacs – at least the Mint flavor – are also gluten-free, though you should stay away from many other Tic Tac branded candies. Several of their fruit-flavored candies are not as appropriate for folks with gluten sensitivity. Regardless, these mints are great if you need fresher breath but don’t want to have to suck on a large candy for several minutes before it dissolves.
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Maltodextrin
- Rice starch
- Gum Arabic
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Magnesium stearate
- Carnauba wax
- Yellow 5 and Blue 1
Nutrition Facts:
- 9 cal per serving
Orbit Sugar-Free Wintergreen Gum
If you want a gluten-free gum alternative compared to Ice Breakers gum, Orbit’s Sugar-Free Gum has you covered. Its Wintergreen flavor in particular is excellent for freshening the breath and there’s no going to worry about accidentally ingesting gluten.
Ingredients:
- Sorbitol
- Gum base
- Glycerol
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Hydrogenated starch hydrolysate
- Soy lecithin
- Aspartame
- Mannitol
- Acesulfame
- Xylitol
- BHT
- Artificial coloring
Nutrition Facts:
- 5 cal per serving
- 1 g carbohydrate or 1% DV
- 1 g sugar alcohol
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, most Ice Breakers mints and chewing gum flavors are totally gluten-free, so you don’t have to worry about this brand when selecting a pack at the checkout line at your grocery store. We recommend staying away from most of Ice Breakers’ fruit-flavored candies or gum to lower the likelihood of accidentally ingesting some gluten, however.
Related Questions
Does cornstarch normally have gluten?
Actually, corn is a 100% gluten-free ingredient. Therefore, you normally don’t have to worry about gluten being in cornstarch. In the above Ice Breakers mints and chewing gum varieties, the cornstarch is also gluten-free. This is actually the same reason why corn nuts are also (usually) good choices for folks with gluten sensitivity or vegans.
How long do Ice Breakers mints usually last?
It depends on how quickly you suck on them, but they usually last for between 5 and 20 minutes. Some of this brand’s mints also last for longer.
Are Ice Breakers halal?
No, none of the Ice Breaker mints or gum flavors are certified halal.
Do Ice Breakers have alcohol in them?
Technically, all Ice Breakers with xylitol have a bit of alcohol sugar. But this alcohol byproduct will not affect you in any notable way.