Certs
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| Certs | |
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| Formal name | Certs Classic Mints |
| Classification | Breath mint |
| Description | Breath mint |
| Form | Modified disc |
| Volume | 1.3cm³ (approx.) |
| Mass | 1.7g (approx.) |
| Density | 1.3g/cm³ (approx.) |
| Ingredients | Sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil†, flavor (with soy lecithin)†, magnesium stearate, copper gluconate†, color. († = ingredient of Retsyn) |
| Nutrition Information | Per mint: Calories 5, Fat 0g, Sodium 0g, Carbohydrates 2g, Sugars 2g, Protein 0g. |
| Active Ingredients | None |
| Flavors | Cinnamon, Mixed Fruit, Peppermint, Spearmint, Wintergreen |
| Sugar Free? | No |
| Manufacturer | Cadbury-Schweppes |
| Year introduced | 1956 |
| Slogans / Taglines | The Right Amount Of Mint |
| Related products | Certs Cool Mint Drops, Certs Powerful Mints |
| Hazards | food coloring |
Certs is a breath mint (or, according to some, a candy mint) manufactured by the Cadbury-Adams Division of the Cadbury-Schweppes Corporation. Long one of America’s most popular mints, Certs was the first breath mint to be nationally marketed in the United States, and has been a fixture at American drug stores and convenience stores since its debut on the market in 1956.
[edit] Description
Though classified as mints, Certs contain no mint oil. Instead, as has long been advertised, the mints contain Retsyn, a mixture of copper gluconate, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and flavoring. It is the copper gluconate in Retsyn which gives Certs its signature green flecks.
Not a true disk, a Certs exhibits a pronounced bulge emerging from the edge, subsiding to form a depression at the center. Certs were not always this shape. Prior to the current form, they were more regular discs with beveled edges. Each Certs is counterembossed on one side with the legend "CERTS RETSYN" in letters about 3 mm tall, approximately midway between center and edge, each letter oriented away from the center.
Certs are packaged in rolls of 12.
[edit] Nomenclature
Like Mentos, but unlike Tic-Tacs, Certs, in standard American usage, takes the plural form for both plural and singular references. (e.g.: "Would you like some Certs?" and "Would you like a Certs?" both represent the most common use.)
[edit] Variations
Cadbury-Adams also manufactures Certs Powerful Mints, available in peppermint and spearmint. Certs Powerful Mints are small, Tic-Tac-like mints. They are described by the manufacturer as a "breath-freshening mint" rather than simply a "breath mint," the description used for standard Certs.
Cadbury-Adams also offers Certs Cool Mint Drops, described as a "breath drop." These medium sized oval-shaped mints are available in flavors named Cinnamint, Freshmint, and Peppermint. Certs Cool Mint Drops are packaged in slide top paper boxes and feature a liquid center which is claimed to be "intensely flavorful."
[edit] Certs Advertising
In the 1960s and 1970s, Certs was heavily advertised on American television with a famous campaign featuring two attractive young people earnestly arguing over the proper classification of the mints. One participant would assert that "It’s a breath mint!" while the other would assay a rebuttal by stating that "It’s a candy mint!" This taxonomic dilemma would finally be cleared up by the unseen announcer, who would achieve synthesis by explaining that Certs is "Two, two, two mints in one!"
Widely held to be one of the most inane advertising campaigns of all time, the ads were commonly referenced in American pop culture. The tagline "It’s a BREATH MINT, BITCH!" satirized, by taking to ridiculous lengths, the intensity of the debate -- seen as more than slightly absurd in light of the apparent unimportance of the issue in question. Saturday Night Live lampooned the ads ("It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping! It’s two, two, two products in one!'), and indeed the phrase "Two, two, two [insert almost any word here] in one" remains an American idiomatic expression into the 21st Century.
The debate over whether Certs is in fact a breath mint or a candy mint may finally be over. In 1999, the United States Customs Service classified Certs as a candy mint for tariff purposes (candy is taxed differently from oral hygiene products). In the ensuing suit before the United States Court of International Trade, Cadbury introduced expert testimony that Certs stimulate the flow of saliva, thus flushing bad odors from the mouth, and that its flavors and oils mask bad breath. But the court ruled that, since Certs do not contain antibacterial ingredients, they are, indeed, just a candy mint. On appeal, however, the ruling was overturned, fixing Certs’s status, at least as far as the United States Government is concerned, as a breath mint.
