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What Are Tic Tacs Made Of? Let’s Find Out!

  • Mike 

Can I Have Tic Tacs On A Vegan Diet? – Our Guide!

Tic Tacs are one of the most popular mint-style sweets in the UK, but as with all mints, it’s very important to check the ingredients in these mint brands to make sure they are vegan-friendly.

Tic Tacs are vegan in some flavours and not vegan in others due to the presence of ingredients such as food colourings and flavours, some tic-tac flavors also differ according to the country they are produced in.

Down below, we’ve dug in further as to which main ingredients in Tic Tacs are not vegan, why food colourings are not vegan, and a list of vegan and non-vegan Tic Tacs and vegan-friendly alternative mints!

What Are The Non-Vegan Ingredients In Tic-Tacs? 

After analyzing different Tic Tacs flavours and country’s brands, there are some animal-derived ingredients which make these mints non-vegan. 

We’ve listed the main ones we found below.

  • Shellac – Shellac is what is used on some tic-tacs to create the shiny shell, this comes from a female lac beetle, on vegan tic tacs you will find this is replaced by an ingredient called carnauba wax.
  • Milk – Milk is dairy and comes from mammal breast milk which is therefore not vegan, some varieties such as their candy cane mints contain milk.  
  • Carmine – Carmine can be found in many notable mints when colouring is used, it is a red food colouring which is made by boiling certain insects to extract the colour.
  • Carminic acid – The same as carmin except is used as the term for the coloring agent.

Why Are Some Tic-Tacs Vegan In Different Countries? 

When looking at the UK, US, Canadian or Australian tic tacs you might have noticed some of the same flavours can be vegan and not vegan depending on the country they are produced in. 

This mainly comes down to the fact some countries have different bans on where food colourings come from, for example, some countries use carmine made from bugs or Red 40 which comes from coal products.

Newer flavors of tic tacs in some countries now produce the iconic mint with natural flavours which come from beet or carotene.

One example is tic tacs in Canada which remain white without food colouring and just have tinted orange container instead.

List Of Vegan & Non-Vegan Tic Tacs 

If you’re vegan and a lover of tic tacs, don’t be disheartened that some of their flavors are not vegan, it just means you have to be extra careful about checking the ingredients list on the back of these mints. 

To help you out, we’ve made the ultimate list of vegan and non-vegan tic tac flavors below.

Vegan Tic Tacs 

  • UK Apple Burst Tic Tacs.
  • USA Apple Mix Tic Tacs.
  • Canada Arctic Rush Tic Tacs.
  • USA Berry Tic Tacs.
  • France – Duo de Fraises Tic Tacs.
  • USA Berry Cherry Tic Tacs.
  • Green Apple Halloween Tic Tacs.
  • USA (Other Countries might not be) – Cherry Cola Mixers Tic Tacs. 
  • UK, US & Australia – Coconut Pineapple Mixers Tic Tacs.
  • Canada & UK – Fresh Mint Tic Tacs.
  • USA Frosty Mint Tic Tacs.
  • USA – Mint Evolution Tic Tacs.
  • UK Mint Rush Tic Tacs.
  • USA, Canada – Orange Tic Tacs.
  • Canada – Peach Lemonade Tic Tacs.
  • Australia & US – Peppermint Tic Tacs.
  • UK & USA – Strawberry Fields Tic Tacs.
  • Strawberry Fusion – Canada

Non-Vegan Tic Tacs

  • Be Mine Mix Tic Tacs – Contains shellac from insects.
  • Candy Cane Mints – Dairy inside.
  • Australia Berries Tic Tacs – Contains carmine from insects.
  • France Cerise Cola – Has Carmine inside.
  • Emotics Orange Tic Tacs – Shellac.
  • UK, Canada and Australian – Cherry Cola Tic Tacs – Can contain carminic acid although US version is vegan!
  • UK Cherry Passion Tic Tacs – Has carminic acid inside.
  • Despicable Me Banana and Mandarin – Shellac from insects.
  • Emotics Peppermint Tic Tacs – Shellac. 
  • Grape Tic Tacs – Contains carmine in ingredients.
  • UK Lime and Orange Tic Tacs – Contains carminic acid inside for the food colouring.

Vegan Alternatives To Tic Tacs

It can be difficult to distinguish which kinds of tic tacs are and are not vegan, since the same flavors can contain animal-derived ingredients depending on the country they are produced in. 

If you are a lover of mints, we’ve got some great vegan alternatives for you to check out below. 

  • Smints – Most Smints mints are vegan, some of their notable mints are their spearmint, peppermint and mint flavored options. Strawberry flavors should be avoided since they contain carmine which comes from insects.
  • Fox Glacier mints – These mints have been managed by different companies over the years but have remained vegan throughout, making them an excellent dinner mint in place of an imperial mint.
  • Mint imperials – Mint imperials are mostly vegan friendly, but some might contain animal-derived ingredients, it’s best to avoid having these mints after dinner if you cannot check the ingredients. 
  • Mentos – Most Mentos spearmints are vegan, however, a lot of their harder mints and intense mint options are not vegan since they contain beeswax.
  • Polos – Polos range is all vegan, always check for ingredients in any special flavours however since they might not be vegan.
  • Benedicks mints – These dark chocolate mints are also vegan mints since they contain no dairy and are mainly mint sugar on the inside.
  • Peppersmith mints – All mint sweets and gums from Peppersmith are vegan mints, their mint flavors are sweetened with a plant-based sweetener rather than sugar which reduces the risk of cross-contamination from bone char in sugar

Find out whether Olivia Rodrigo is vegan or not.

Last Words 

To conclude, Tic Tacs are sometimes vegan and sometimes not vegan depending on the country they are produced in, the flavor and if they use food colouring.

The main problem ingredients in these well-known mints are carmine and shellac which comes from insects, some also contain dairy.

To be on the safe side when choosing vegan tic tacs we always suggest double checking the product label or checking out our mint vegan candy alternatives.

Mike Halladay

Mike Halladay

Hey! Mike Here! I love all things vegan. I am a Dad of 2 youngs boys and a food lover and amateur Chef. I transitioned to being a Vegan 9 years and it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. My health and lifestyle improved beyond belief! This is why I started VeganTab.com to spread the word!

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