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Conventional gum brands mask a long list of synthetic ingredients in the catch-all term "Gum Base", but their main ingredients include polyisobutylene (a petroleum based rubber used to make the inner tubes of tires) and polyvinyl acetate - more commonly known as “white glue”. To this inorganic plastic goo they add artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and a cocktail of sweeteners - often including the infamous Aspartame. Even if you don’t swallow gum, these potential toxins still make their way into your bloodstream through the mucous membranes of your mouth.

― Chicza

Why does gum have plastic in it and what really is in gum? I spill all the details below. Click here to take you there.

Looking for natural alternatives to gum?

Mints (try True Gum Mints or SIMPLY Mints)
Ginger chews (antinausea, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiobesity, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, antiemetic and protects cardiovascular and respiratory health. My husband and I’s favorite brand is The Ginger People. They are Non-GMO.)
Parsley (natural cure for halitosis) or Fresh mint (stop at your local farmers’ market and buy your own plant for a mini fresh breath garden!
Licorice (personally not a fan, but my mom loves it! antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, prevents cavities, protects respiratory health, helps sore throat)

1. True Gum

Scandinavian brand
Vegan certified
Plastic-free, eco-friendly packaging
Free from sugar, with plant-based xylitol, good for your teeth
Chicle gum base (from tree sap)

They sell gum, mints and cough drops.

What we love:

2. SIMPLY

Made in Brooklyn, NY
Woman-owned
AAPI-owned
Vegan certified
Kosher certified
Non-GMO certified
About 1 gram of sugar in a piece of gum
With plant-based xylitol, good for your teeth
Chicle gum base (from tree sap)

Their “natural flavors”: Previous versions of our packaging listed “natural flavors” as an ingredient and we heard from many of you that sometimes that term is used to hide nasty ingredients. We definitely do not, so we’re in the process of updating all packaging to share the exact ingredients used in each flavor. The full ingredient list is up to date for each flavor on our website. Check the product page of the flavor you’re interested in to see!

Each of our ingredients is sourced from the highest quality suppliers across the globe. We take a lot of care in finding the most pure and premium form of each ingredient because we believe that you get out what you put in.

What we love: Each pack of Simply Gum comes with Post Chew Wraps to help you avoid any sticky situations when you're done chewing! They are perfect for when you need to dispose of your gum on the go.

They sell gum, mints, fruit gummies and candy bars.

3. The Humble Co

Swedish company
Developed by dentists
Vegan certified
Cruelty-free certified
Chicle gum base (from tree sap)
With plant-based xylitol, good for your teeth

They sell gum, tooth brushes, toothpaste, floss and cotton swabs.

What we love: The Humble Smile Foundation manages oral health outreach projects to help keep smiles on the faces of kids that live in the most vulnerable areas around the world. Volunteer teams work together with local school staff to promote specific behavior-based preventive oral health initiatives that include dietary interventions, monitored toothbrushing and clinical procedures.

Ingredients: sweetener (xylitol) (73,5%), natural gum base, natural flavours, humectant (glycerol), anticaking agent (magnesium stearate) thickening agent (arabic gum), glazing agent (carnauba wax).

4. Glee Gum

Non-GMO Project Verified
Vegan certified
Gluten-free
Recyclable and compostable packaging
Chicle gum base (from tree sap)

Classic Glee Gum is sweetened with Non-GMO cane sugar and brown rice syrup. Sugar -Free Glee Gum is sweetened with 100% xylitol from American birch and beech trees for added dental benefits.

They sell gum, gum pops, tarts and candy kits.

What we love: They sell the world’s first and only 100% natural gum pops. Brings back so many childhood memories!

5. Chicza

Vegan
Organic
Gluten-free
Kosher
Biodegradable
Sustainable
Chicle gum base (from tree sap)

Chicza is the only 100% certified Organic, biodegradable, and sustainable chewing gum.

What we love: When you chew Chicza, you are supporting the livelihood of a Chiclero and his family. In return, the Chiclero continues to preserve the forest where he and his family live.

As members of native rainforest communities, Chicleros sustainably manage these ancient ecosystems as they harvest chicle for their livelihood.

There are 56 cooperatives made up of roughly 2,000 Chicleros and their families (more than 10,000 native people) working in an area of 3.2 million acres of rainforest.

Ingredients: organic evaporated cane juice, organic gum base (%100 chicle), organic glucose, organic agave syrup & organic flavor

Why does gum have plastic in it?

Because gum is unregulated and it’s all about the profit. Shocker.

It makes you think about all the gum stuck to the sidewalks and the little or whole bits of gum you accidentally swallowed and how they say gum lasts in your stomach for 7 years. All because of a flavored, colored piece of plastic.

Don’t feel bad for not knowing. These companies didn’t want you to know.

Until WWII, gum was made from chicle (tree sap). However, companies sought to find a cheaper and easier to source alternative. *Enter plastic*

Regular gum is made with a synthetic petroleum-derived rubber base,

which contains the same plastic ingredients also found in plastic bottles, white glue and car tires.

Plastic, talc and latex – what a nightmare!

That means the gum can’t biodegrade, so it sticks to our streets forever.

Gum is the second most common form of litter in the world and generates around 100,000 tons of global waste a year.

The microplastics from waste gum can reach the oceans, where sealife can consume it making its way into our food chain.

The ingredient is called “gum base”. The exact ingredients of which are usually a trade secret. However they generally contain:

Fillers: Calcium carbonate or magnesium silicate (talc) provide texture and bulk. If the gum has acidic flavours, then talc is used. This is because calcium carbonate would react and produce carbon dioxide gas.

Elastomers: These are long polymer molecules with elastic properties. Until WWII, chewing gums used a natural latex derived from sapodilla trees, but since then synthetic elastomers, such as polyvinyl acetate, are preferred.

Emulsifiers: These help to keep other ingredients, including flavours and colourings, nicely mixed and also impart some anti-stick properties.

Softeners: Compounds such as vegetable oil and lecithin are added to the gum base to keep everything soft and chewy. Masticate for too long and these can get washed away, leaving you with an overly stiff piece of gum.

The list of ingredients the FDA allows in gum base includes the following, which are plastics, rubbers and waxes.

Butadiene-styrene rubber
Isobutylene-isoprene copolymer (butyl rubber)
Petroleum wax, Petroleum wax synthetic
Polyethylene (found in plastic wrap, grocery bags, drainage pipes & bulletproof vests)
Polyvinyl acetate (found in school & wood glue)

Did you know you’ve been chewing plastic?

Post a comment or question below and don’t hesitate to share this post and help create a cycle of plastic-free brands 😘

& remember to allow your authentic self to empower the women around you