Can I Eat Mentos Sweets & Gums If I’m Vegan?

If you’re a lover of Mentos sweets and mints, you might be curious as to if these snacks are vegan or do they contain dairy?

Mentos gum and sweets are typically not vegan, although some varieties are, this is because the gum can contain gelatin which is derived from animals and the sweets can contain beeswax.

We’ve discussed in further detail below what ingredients are in Mentos mints and what ingredients are in Mentos gum, other flavours and ingredients and some vegan alternatives to these snacks.

What Ingredients Are In Mentos Mints?

So as we can understand why Mentos mints are not vegan, let’s discuss what ingredients are inside these mints so you can know what to watch out for.

Ingredients

• Beeswax.
• Sugar.
• Wheat glucose syrup.
• Hydrogenated coconut oil.
• Natural flavours.
• Gum Arabic.
• Rice starch.
• Sucrose of fatty acids.
• Gellan gum.
• Carnauba wax.

Nutritional Information

• 2g of sugar.
• 10 calories.
• 3g of carbs.

Are Mentos Mints Vegan?

There are two main ingredients in Mentos hard mints which can make them not vegan friendly. The first ingredient is beeswax which is not vegan since it is an animal byproduct.

The sugar inside of mint mentos can also not be vegan since it can be potentially filtered with bone char.

We’ve listed the main types of mentos mint sweets which do not contain beeswax and could be considered vegan below.

• Chewy mint grape.
• Mentos strawberry.
• Mentos cinnamon.
• Mentos spearmint.
• Mentos fruit.

What Ingredients Are In Mentos Gum?

Mentos mints and sweets contain animal products due to the beeswax in them, but what about Mentos gum, is it vegan?

Ingredients

• Xylitol.
• Sorbitol.
• Maltitol syrup.
• Glycerol.
• Mannitol
• Natural flavors.
• Gum Arabic
• Gelatine
• Titanium dioxide for color
• Soy lecithin
• Aspartame
• Acesulfame K
• Green tea extract
• Carnauba wax
• Sucralose
• Sodium Carboxymethyl cellulose
• Sucralose
• Sucrose esters of fatty acids
• Blue 1
• Phenylketonuric

Nutritional Information

• Less than 5 calories a serving.
• 5g of carbs.
• 5g of sugar.

Are Mentos Gums Vegan?

There are two ingredients in Mentos gums which could be ingredients of concern if you are vegan. Mentos gum contains glycerol which can sometimes be considered vegan but can also come from an animal-derived ingredient.

This gum also contains gelatin which is a big non-vegan ingredient and never is vegan friendly.

Other Vegan/Not Vegan Mentos Sweets/Gums

Mentos have a large range of flavored sweets and gums with different potential non-vegan ingredients, so you must check the label properly when purchasing.

We’ve listed some of their range below along with their ingredients to help you out.

Mentos Fruit

Mentos fruit contains similar key ingredients in both the US and UK, the US however puts beeswax in their Mentos ingredients making them 100% not vegan.

UK mentos contains sugar, carmines and flavorings which can also be problematic ingredients since carmines are extracted from red food colouring from red insects.

Mentos Rainbow

Mentos Rainbow has carmine, flavourings and sugar in their sweets making them not vegan friendly, this is because once again, it contains insect-derived carmine.

Chewy Mentos

US chewy mentos hard mints have beeswax meaning they are not vegan, the following mints these flavors are not vegan; grape, green apple, cinnamon and strawberry.

Although UK chewy mentos sweets do not contain beeswax some of their flavours such as their choco & caramel sweets contain dairy, milk and whey which is not vegan.

Other Gum Flavors

Mentos gums have many different flavors which are vegan and not vegan, we’ve listed the UK and US versions down below to help you out.

US

• Pure white sweet mint – Vegan.
• Red fruit and lime – Not vegan.
• Tropical – Vegan.
• Ice Flurry – Vegan.
• Bubble fresh cotton candy – Not vegan.
• Fresh watermelon – Not vegan.

UK

• White peppermint – Vegan.
• Air action – Vegan.
• Bubble fresh – Vegan.
• White spearmint – Vegan.
• White bubble fresh – Vegan.

Other Hard Mentos Flavors

US

• Clean breath peppermint – Vegan.
• Nowmints peppermint – Vegan.
• Nowmints Wintergreen – Vegan.
• Clean breather wintergreen – Vegan.

UK

• Stay free Mentos Eucalyptus – Vegan.
• Stay free mint – Vegan.
• Mint chews – Could be vegan.
• Mint crumbles – Could be vegan.

Vegan Alternatives To Mentos Sweets & Gums

If you find Mentos mint sweets and Mentos gums to be too risky when it comes to their ingredients then we’ve got plenty of other vegan alternatives for you to check out below.

Tic-Tacs

Tic-Tacs have been produced since 1968, most of their range is vegan friendly since they switched out one of their key ingredients shellac which used to come from insect shells, they now use carnauba wax instead.

It should be noted that some of the tic-tacs flavours such as lime and orange contain carminic acid which is derived from insects.

Polo Mints

Polo mints have been made by Rowntrees since 1948, and the good news, all of their core ingredients are vegan! We would however double-check any special edition flavors that come out.

Peppersmith Mints

Peppersmith makes both mints and gum, all of their basic ingredients are vegan friendly such as xylitol which is a sweetener.

Bendicks Mints

Bendicks mints are vegan even though they contain chocolate! This is because the type of mints is covered in dark chocolate.

Kendal Mint Cake

Kendal mint cake is a vegan-friendly product, we class this as tasty mint and the core ingredients are just; sugar, water and peppermint.

Waitrose Mint Crumbles

These mint crumbles are excellent for people who don’t want to break their teeth and are vegan-friendly since the mint flavors are just 98% sugar!

Smints

Smints are a very popular breath refreshing mint and their flavors mint, spearmint and peppermint are vegan. Their strawberry flavor however contains carmine which is not vegan since it is derived from insects.

Trebor Soft Mints

Trebor soft mints are similar to mentos fruit’s chewy texture and are perfect for people who want to avoid hard mints. They contain carnauba wax in them which makes them vegan-friendly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Vegan Mentos Mints

What are the most common ingredients in non-vegan mints?

In non-vegan mints, one of the most common ingredients is carmine and gelatin which is found more in ingredient lists for gum.

Some fruit flavors can also be non-vegan if they use dye in the sweets from insect shells.

What are some popular UK mints which are vegan?

Some popular UK mints which are vegan are; Polos, Fox glacier mints, Waitrose crumble mints, Bendick mints and Tic-Tacs.

Are mint imperials vegan?

Mint imperials are mainly vegan since they just contain mint and sugar, we would however check the ingredients lists to see the exact ingredients to make sure they are vegan. Avoid them in a restaurant if you can’t check the ingredients.

Why do some mints contain beeswax?

The shine and shell in a package of mints tend to come from beeswax which is a non-vegan ingredient.

What is carmine?

Carmine is a red food colouring which is derived from insects to make artificial colours, this comes from an insect called cochineal insects. No food which contains carmine is vegan friendly.

Are Peppersmith mints vegan?

Peppersmith mints are mainly vegan, their sweetener comes from xylitol which is a plant-based sweetener instead of sugar.

Find out whether Olivia Rodrigo is vegan or not.

Final Words

Overall, Mentos sweets can be vegan and not vegan, some of their sweets can contain beeswax for a shiny shell which makes the mint discs not vegan friendly. Mentos gums might also not be vegan if they contain gelatin in their fruit chews since this is derived from animals.