Binaca (breath spray)

Binaca is an American brand of breath spray distributed by Ranir, LLC, a subsidiary of Perrigo. The sprays contain denatured alcohol[1] and isobutane, the latter used as a propellant.

For the Indian brand, see Binaca (Indian brand).
Binaca
Product typeBreath spray, dental floss
OwnerRanir, LLC
CountryUnited States
Websitewww.binaca.com

History

In 1971, Binaca promoted its breath freshener products by selling a recipe booklet titled The Antisocial Cookbook for $1, which contains 150 recipes "extolling the virtues of garlic, onions, cheese [...]" and other ingredients known to cause breath odors; the reasoning for this was that Binaca's breath products would "make you socially acceptable" after eating such dishes.[2]

In 1974, Binaca was estimated to be worth $5 million.[3] That year, Air Wick was acquired by Ciba-Geigy, and Binaca was moved into Air Wick's consumer products unit.[3]

Safety

Alcohol misuse

In October 1993, articles in The Boston Globe and The Tribune reported that children and teenagers were supposedly inhaling Binaca in order to induce intoxication.[4][5] The administration of Los Osos Middle School in Los Osos, California, prohibited students from possessing Binaca, citing safety concerns.[5] Then-principal Greg Pruitt stated, "The kids were misusing it, spraying other kids and just horsing around. [...] Some years it's frogs and butterflies. One year it was Silly String. This year it was Binaca."[5] Some stores and pharmacies in the Los Osos and Boston areas began storing Binaca products behind the counter and refusing to sell them to minors.[5]

In the season 4 episode 'The Opera' of television sitcom Seinfeld, Elaine sprays 'Crazy' Joe Davola’s face with Binaca.

References
  1. Taylor, Lawrence; Oberman, Steven (2005). Drunk Driving Defense (Sixth ed.). Aspen Publishers. p. 428. ISBN 978-0735554290.
  2. Moskowitz, Milton (April 16, 1971). "Inside Marketing". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 18A. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Lazarus, George (June 18, 1981). "Freshen up: New products planned under Binaca label". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. D12. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Hayes, Karen (October 10, 1993). "Binaca blast: Breath-spray sniffing by pupils in Pembroke scares parents, officials". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. South 1, South 6. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Dykstra Coy, Danna (October 13, 1993). "Campus outlaws Binaca". The Tribune. San Luis Obispo, California. Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.


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