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.

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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