The Tin
The original. Pop one, swish it around for a minute, walk into the meeting like a hero.
Mint covers it up. Zinc shuts it down. ABS mints, gum and chews go after the actual gas that makes your mouth smell like a gym bag, and they do it in about 60 seconds.
The technical term is volatile sulfur compounds, or VSCs. In plain English: tiny stink clouds. Bacteria living in the grooves at the back of your tongue chew up leftover food, dead cells and gunk, and burp these out. Here are the three headliners.
The lead singer. Most of morning breath is this guy.
The nastiest one per molecule. Hangs around gum problems.
The backup dancer. Often rides in from your gut and lungs.
Zinc shows up in your spit as a metal ion, which is a charged little piece of zinc floating around looking for a fight. It does three things to the stink, and none of them are "smell nice."
Zinc grabs the sulfur in those gases and locks it into a form that can't float out of your mouth. Think of a magnet snatching loose nails before they scatter. This is the 60-second part.
Enzymes are the tiny tools bacteria use to cook up stink. Zinc jams those tools. Fewer working tools, less gas coming off the line.
Zinc makes life harder for the bacteria themselves, so fewer stink factories set up shop. Less crew, less smell, longer fresh.
Real talk: the bacteria rebuild, so fresh lasts hours, not forever. That's why ABS comes in packs you keep in your pocket. If bad breath never quits no matter what, see a dentist. That can be gum disease, dry mouth, or something zinc can't punch.
We put a reason next to every single thing on the label, because you deserve to know what's going in the hole you talk out of.
The slayer. Does all three moves above. Gluconate is a form your mouth and body handle well, and it's what most breath studies use. We keep it at a sane dose: six mints is about 12 mg, well under the 40 mg daily upper limit for adults.
Tastes like sugar, but the bad bacteria can't eat it. So they starve a little while you get sweet. It also makes you spit more, and spit is your mouth's built-in rinse cycle.
We'll be honest: mint alone is a liar. It covers smell, it doesn't kill it. We use it because zinc tastes like a penny, and nobody wants a penny mint.
A tiny bit of salt messes with bacteria by pulling water out of them (scientists call this osmotic stress, which just means "drying them out"). Mostly it helps you make spit and cuts the metal taste.
The chewy part. Chewing keeps the zinc in contact with your tongue longer, and longer contact means more stink gets headlocked.
Not in stores yet. Reserve your pack and you are first in line when the slaying begins. Every serious mouth needs a six pack. Some mouths need twelve.
The original. Pop one, swish it around for a minute, walk into the meeting like a hero.
Zero crunches required. The easiest six pack you will ever get.
Anatomically ambitious. For the car, the desk, the gym bag, and the other car.
For people who think gum is a commitment. Chew, swallow, done, fresh.
Can't wait? Respect. Here's how to make zinc mints in your own kitchen with stuff from the store.
Can't wait for the real thing? Join the slay list and the DIY recipe unlocks instantly. You'll also be first to know when ABS drops.
Read your bottle for "elemental zinc" or "zinc (as zinc gluconate)". That number is the one to type in. Aim for about 2 mg per mint. Use zinc gluconate or zinc citrate. Skip zinc oxide, it doesn't dissolve well, so it barely works in your mouth.
Regular gum is mostly mint, and mint is cologne for your mouth. It covers the smell for a few minutes. Zinc goes after the gas itself, so it works longer.
Because it's got a real metal in it. That penny taste is proof the zinc is there. The salt and peppermint knock most of it down.
At six a day you're getting about 12 mg of zinc, which is under the daily upper limit for adults. Don't go full raccoon on the tin. If you already take a zinc supplement, count that too.
Because "Halitosis Mitigation Lozenge" didn't test well with anyone, including our moms.
Soon. It's still in the lab getting angrier. Join the slay list and you're first in line the second the slaying begins.
ABS is still in the lab, getting angrier. Join the slay list and you'll be the first to know when it drops.
Early bonus: join now and we unlock the DIY zinc mint recipe instantly, so you can start slaying before the real stuff ships.