Mentos, a popular brand known for its chewy mint and fruity flavors, is enjoyed worldwide. But for vegans, the question remains: “Are Mentos vegan?” While some Mentos products may seem harmless, certain ingredients can make them unsuitable for a vegan diet. Common non-vegan components include animal-derived additives like beeswax, carmine, or gelatin.

In this guide, we’ll break down which Mentos varieties, such as Fruit Mentos or Strawberry Mentos, are suitable for vegans, and which ones contain non-vegan ingredients. We’ll also explore vegan-friendly alternatives and share what you need to look for when selecting Mentos. Stay tuned as we uncover the facts to help you make informed choices!

What is Mentos?

Mentos are chewable mints available in many flavors. The first production of Mentos was in 1932 by Perfetti Van Melle, an Italian corporation. In America, mint and cinnamon flavors were introduced in 1973. Fruit-flavored mints were introduced in Europe in 1974.

Mentos’ slogan was “The Freshmaker” in the 1990s. The slogan became “Stay fresh” over the years. Mentos has been sold in more than 100 countries so far. These mint rolls and rubbers are round, with a slightly tough outer layer and a soft, delicate inside. These mints are also anti-inflammatory and antibacterial and help to maintain healthy gums and teeth.

Why aren’t all Mentos Vegan?

Mint is usually sweetened with sugar and has natural flavors. Most sugar is processed with bone charcoal which makes it non-vegan. Natural flavors can also be obtained from animal and plant sources. Vegans should not be concerned about the uncertain origins of natural flavors.

Mentos products that are not vegan include Pure Fresh, Fresh Mint, and Bubble Fresh. Non-vegan Mentos Mint includes Mentos Mint, Mentos Fruit, Chewy Mint, Grape Mentos, Strawberry Mentos, Cinnamon Mentos, and Mint Rolls.

Beeswax is one of the main ingredients in Mentos. It is a natural wax made by bees. Although you don’t have to kill them, beeswax can cause harm and even death.

Lipstick is another major concern. It is a form of red food coloring from the cochineal insect species. This insect produces carminic acid. This acid is obtained from the eggs and body of the insect. It can then be mixed with calcium salts or aluminum to create lipstick color. This color is found in Mentos Mint Rolls coating. It can also be used for dyeing and in the textile industry.

Gelatin is a substance of animal origin that is used in the production of mint and rubber. These substances were obtained from animals like pigs, chickens, and cows. It’s used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals as a gelling agent.

Mentos ingredients

You will see that different types of Menthos can be made vegan, depending on the ingredients. There are more than a dozen Mentos flavors. The four categories below are the main types of Mentos. The only differences in ingredients are for flavor.

Mentos Mints, for example, have the same ingredients but can be made with different flavors.

Original Mentos Mints

Mentos are often enjoyed as a simple mint rather than as chewing fruit or fluff. Original Mentos is made in the USA from these ingredients:

  • Sugar
  • Gluten glucose syrup
  • Coconut oil hydrogenated
  • Rice starch
  • Natural aromas
  • Rubber Arabic
  • Sucrose fatty acids esters
  • Gelan rubber
  • Carnauba wax
  • Bee wax

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10 Cal
  • 3g carbohydrates or 1% DV
  • 2 g sugar, 4% DV

Due to its critical ingredients, plain Mentos mint is not vegan in the US. Beeswax is one example of an animal byproduct that is not vegan. Bees make beeswax from honey collected from the hives. In the long term, this can cause damage to the hives.

Basic Mentos also contain a lot of sugar. Although sugar is vegan, it can be made using other processes, such as bone charcoal, a material made from charred meat bones.

Mentos mints may not contain beeswax. Some flavors contain the exact ingredients listed above. These ingredients could be suitable for vegan mints:

  • Mentos Fruit
  • Mint grapes for a tasty snack
  • Mentos strawberry
  • Mint mint
  • Cinnamon mint

There is no evidence that Mentos sugar filters with or without bone coal. We cannot, therefore, claim that Mentos mints contain 100% vegan ingredients.

Mentos Fruit

Mentos Fruits, a fruit chew similar to Starburst, has many people enjoying it as a sweet snack. Mentos Fruit Chews aren’t vegan-friendly, but they taste just like Starburst.

  • Bee wax
  • Sugar
  • Citric acid
  • Concentrated fruit juices, including strawberry juice, lemon juice, and orange juice
  • Rice starch
  • Rubber Arabic
  • Natural aromas
  • Coconut oil hydrogenated
  • Gluten glucose syrup
  • Sucrose fatty acids esters
  • Gelan rubber
  • Carnauba wax
  • Red beets, beta-carotene and other colors

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10 Cal
  • 3g carbohydrates or 1% DV
  • 2 g sugar, 4% DV

Beeswax is, as we have already stated, not vegan by default. Mentos does not offer any Mentos fruit flavors that can be adapted for vegans. Sugar can be made vegan or vegetarian depending on how Mentos prepares it for consumption. We recommend that you stay clear of sugar and try the vegan-friendly options listed below.

Are Mentos Vegan?

Mentos Rainbow

Chewy Mentos Rainbows is not suitable for vegans because of its ingredients.

  • Sugar
  • Coconut oil hydrogenated
  • Citric acid
  • Cassava starch
  • Artificial and natural flavors
  • Glucose syrup
  • Rubber Arabic
  • Carnauba wax
  • Sucrose fatty acids esters
  • Gelan rubber
  • Many colors are available, including red beets, vegetable juice, and lipsticks.

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10 Cal
  • 3g carbohydrates or 1% DV
  • 2 g sugar, 4% DV

It’s not beeswax so what’s the problem? It was lipstick.

Carmine is not a vegan ingredient, as it is made from crushed beetle shells in Mexico and Central America. Because it causes harm to animals, this is not vegan. This also raises concerns about sugar and the possibility of filtering bone charcoal. Vegans cannot eat Mentos Rainbows.

Mentos Pure Fresh Mint rubber

What about Mentos rubber? Mentos gum comes in various flavors, but all contain the same basic ingredients. These ingredients are:

  • Xylitol
  • Rubber Arabic
  • Paint with titanium dioxide
  • Gelatin
  • Soy lecithin
  • Aspartame
  • Acesulfame K
  • Green tea extract
  • The base for chewing gum
  • Sorbitol
  • Glycerol
  • Mannitol
  • Maltitol syrup
  • Artificial and natural flavors
  • Carnauba wax
  • Sucralose
  • Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose
  • Sucralose
  • Sucrose fatty acids esters
  • Blue 1
  • Phenylketonurics

Information about Mentos nutrition

  • Serving Size: 5 Cal
  • 5g carbohydrates or 1% DV
  • 5g sugar

Some ingredients can be dangerous, just like Mentos mint. Gelatin is one of these ingredients. It comes from animals and can’t be adapted for vegans. This chewing gum may also contain other non-vegan ingredients.

Glycerol, Blue 1, natural and artificial flavors, and chewing gum base can be made from animal byproducts. Mentos does not know if its glycerol is from animal or plant sources. Glycerol may sometimes be vegan.

Mentos gum, which contains gelatin and possibly other non-vegan ingredients, is unsafe for vegans.

Mentos Hard Mints

You might be concerned that vegans cannot eat any type of Mentos. Mentos hard mints can be made vegan-friendly due to their ingredients which include:

  • Xylitol
  • Artificial and natural flavors
  • Paint with titanium dioxide
  • Maltodextrin
  • Magnesium salts for fatty acids
  • Coconut oil
  • Aspartame
  • Sodium carboxymethylcellulose
  • Cornstarch
  • Acesulfame K
  • Rubber Arabic

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 5 Calories
  • 1 g carbohydrates

Natural and artificial flavors are possible non-vegan ingredients. No evidence exists that these flavors were created with non-vegan ingredients or processes. Mentos Hard Mints can be eaten vegan-friendly.

What Mentos flavors can you make vegan?

Mentos packages can be either vegan or not, depending on whether they contain specific ingredients from animals, like gelatin or beeswax. It can be challenging to determine which Mentos are suitable for vegans. Here is a list of safe Mentos that vegans can use.

  • Mentos gum is pure fresh mint, white sweet mint, watermelon, and red lime fruits.
  • Mentos Mints – Mentos green apple
  • Mentos Hard Mints Cleanbreath peppermint, and Wintergreen

There are a few options. You can still look at the back and inspect the ingredients by yourself. Ensure you check for gelatin, beeswax, and lipstick for color. You’ll likely see These excellent non-vegan ingredients in this mint/gum brand.

Mentos: Healthy vegan alternatives

Tic-Tacs

Tic-Tacs mints are a popular choice. They come in many flavors and are vegan-friendly due to the ingredients. Tic-Tacs doesn’t contain any animal products in its ingredient lists. These include fructose and rice starch, peppermint essential oils, and carnauba wax to glaze the product. All Tic-Tacs have sugar, and, as with Mentos, we don’t know how the bone charring process filters the sugar.

According to some, there isn’t much. Although there is no evidence that Tic-Tacs do not eat vegan food, they have not been certified vegan.

Ingredients:

  • Sugar
  • Maltodextrin
  • Fructose
  • Rubber Arabic
  • Rice starch
  • Anticoagulant
  • Aromas
  • Peppermint essential oil
  • Carnauba wax

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10 Cal
  • 5 grams carbohydrates
  • 5g sugar

Polo Mints

Polo Mints, the UK’s leading mint brand, is an excellent alternative to Mentos. They are vegan-friendly and a great choice if you want something vegetarian. The ingredients include sugar, starch modified by glucose syrup, peppermint oil, and stearic acids. There are no concerns about gelatin, beeswax, or other potentially harmful ingredients. They can also be delivered in the US at a higher cost, so they might not be the best option if you live in Europe or the UK.

Ingredients:

  • Sugar
  • Modified starch with glucose syrup
  • Peppermint oil
  • Stearic acid

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 7 Calories
  • 1 g fat
  • 9 mg sodium
  • 60 mg potassium
  • 1 g carbohydrates
  • 9g of dietary fiber
  • 4 g protein

Peppersmith Mints

Peppersmith Mints also contains xylitol and gum arabic as well as calcium stearate, menthol, peppermint oil, and eucalyptus oils. It is not derived from animals, so vegans should be able to enjoy it. These mints aren’t as well-known as the brands mentioned above, so it might be worth trying them!

Ingredients:

  • Xylitol
  • Rubber Arabic
  • Calcium Stearate
  • Peppermint oil
  • Menthol
  • Eucalyptus oil
  • Carnauba wax

Information about nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10 Cal
  • 3 g of fat
  • 94g carbohydrates

See Also: Are Doritos Vegan? (Vegan-Friendly Doritos Guide)

FAQs

Are Mentos Gluten-Free?

Yes, Mentos is gluten-free. This is true for all Mentos products.

Are Mentos Halal?

They are almost all. However, it is impossible to determine if certain Mentos products are made from gelatin derived from pigs. If you are concerned about whether the chewing gum or mint is halal, we advise that you stay clear of Menthos with Gelatin.

Is Mentos Milk Free?

Mentos does not contain dairy ingredients.

Conclusion

Most Mentos products are not vegan due to ingredients like beeswax or carmine, but there are still some vegan-friendly options available. If you’re looking for vegan Mentos, try varieties like Mentos Gum or select Mentos Mints that don’t contain animal-derived ingredients. With a few careful choices, you can still enjoy the refreshing taste of Mentos while sticking to your plant-based lifestyle. Remember to always check the ingredients list to ensure you’re picking a truly vegan option.

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