Why Is Mint The Default Toothpaste Flavour Anyway?

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In all my years, I've never thought twice about why mint is the default flavour of choice for toothpaste. Looking back now, I can remember brushing with a sickly-sweet bubblegum flavour as a kid, but never wondered where that fun option went when I graduated to mint.

So, let's look into how mint became the stock-standard flavour and whether it actually needs to be our go-to.

In short: no. To understand why, we need to briefly run through what normally goes into toothpaste. Today, formulas often contain fluoride (to prevent tooth decay), colouring agents, flavouring agents, sweeteners and ingredients that make the paste smooth, foamy or moist.

Swapping out that mint flavouring agent for a more fun flavouring agent won't actually interfere with the ingredients that do the cleaning. Brands like Marvis, HiSmile and Universale Buly make heaps of non-mint toothpastes that still tick all the boxes for oral care.

Before formulations of toothpaste ramped up in the 18th century, some countries experimented with tooth powders and pastes. In China, ginseng, herbal mints and salt were all added to improve the taste.

During the early 1900s, Pepsodent, a new toothpaste that used mint to mask the taste of the other ingredients, really changed the game. It came onto the scene with ads promising the formula would help users avoid a filmy feeling on their teeth and from there, it took off in the United States.

At the time Pepsodent was released, brushing your teeth wasn't the twice-daily habit it is now. In Charles Duhigg's book, The Power of Habit, he explores how some companies have altered our habits. Pepsodent was one of them.

It all came back to the clean and tingling feeling that mint left in your mouth. When people forget to brush their teeth, they miss that cooling sensation on their gums and tongue which often triggers them to go and brush.

Naturally, once Pepsodent's competitors figured that out, they followed suit — and mint toothpaste was everywhere.