Eclipse is a brand of chewing gum and breath mint, first introduced in the U.S. by the Wrigley Company in 1999 as its first entrant into the pellet gum segment. However, it was modeled after Excel in Canada, which was launched in 1991, eight years before Eclipse was launched. Eclipse is a brand that promises to give users "powerful fresh breath". It comes in blister packs of 12, the Big-E-Pak - 60 count plastic container of candy-coated pellets, and the recently added split packs that include 18 pellets. Eclipse gum is available in the U.S, Australia and Latvia, but are also sold in Canada under the name Excel. Mints, in metal and paper containers, are also sold by Wrigley under the Eclipse brand, as is Eclipse Ice gum. In late 2007, the American Dental Association awarded its seal of approval to Eclipse sugarfree gum. Orbit and Extra, two other chewing gum products from the same company, also bear the ADA seal.
Mints
An Eclipse mint is an oval prism rounded at top and bottom, with the top and bottom halves varying in colour, depending on the flavor. Spearmint, peppermint and Black Chill, and Winterfrost are available, as well as cinnamon, orange and blackcurrant. The ingredients in the Australian and New Zealand cinnamon product are sorbitol, flavor, anticaking agent, sweeteners and colours ; while the orange product contains food acid, sweetener , and colours . The orange product advises that it contains Phenylalanine. Though classified as breath mints, it is unknown if the mints contain active antibacterial ingredients. The new packaging now claims to have a 'natural ingredient' that is scientifically proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath. Such ingredient is not specified but the label points to a pending patent for this ingredient. Wrigley's product website for Eclipse describes the ingredient as Magnolia bark extract, which has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine. In lab tests, MBE is said to have killed almost all oral bacteria, including the types that cause bad breath and cavities. Eclipse is the first product in the US to contain MBE. Eclipse mints are packaged in a recyclable steel box. The top of the box is attached with metal hinge. The top may be opened and pushed back on the hinge to gain access to the mints. On opening the box the tagline "powerful fresh breath" is revealed, printed on a raised metal plate on the inner surface of the lid. 50 mints are contained in each package, with a net weight of 1.2 oz. The Canadian version only has 49 mints. In Australia the packaging has changed to 17 g, but the price has remained at $2 that the original packaging was at when on special at Woolworths.
Availability
Eclipse mints are sold in Canada under the name Excel. They are sold in the United States, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Latvia, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong under the name Eclipse mints; in Australia, they were previously sold under the name Airwaves. In Bulgaria they are still sold as Airwaves. The Australian and New Zealand products contains a French translation on the outer wrapper, even though it is not an official language of either country. The winterfrost variety is not sold in Australia. Cinnamon has been discontinued due to very low sales, but are still available in many stores. In early 2009, the "Black Chill" variety was introduced. This variety comes in a black tin, and the mints are the same colour as the Peppermint variety. The taste is comparable to Wintergreen Tic Tacs. In late 2009 a new flavor was introduced, Cool Breeze. They are a less intense peppermint flavor and appear in a silver tin. In Canada, Excel Mints are sold with both French and English on the box, as required by law. In Taiwan, Eclipse mints are sold with Chinese name "Yi Koh Shu" printed on the tin box. Two collections, Original Mint and Fruity Mint, with three flavors each are available in the market. These flavors are Spearmint, Peppermint, Winterfrost, Peach Mint, Apple Mint and Lemon Mint. In Hong Kong, Eclipse mints are sold in tin with Spearmint, Peppermint, Winterfrost, Orange, Blackcurrant Flavor and Lime Flavor, and Eclipse sugarfree gum are sold in resealable bag with Spearmint, Peppermint, Polar Ice, and Lemon Ice Flavors.
