Sen-Sen

Sen-Sen is a brand of small, black, licorice-flavored breath fresheners originally marketed as a "breath perfume" in the late 19th century.^[1] Developed by the T.B. Dunn Company, a perfume dealer in Rochester, New York, it was created to mask odors from smoking and drinking, featuring a strong anise and licorice taste derived from ingredients sourced from countries including Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy.^[1] The product was packaged in distinctive matchbox-style cardboard envelopes with a dispensing hole, allowing users to shake out individual pellets.^[1] Introduced around the 1890s, Sen-Sen quickly became America's first commercial breath freshener^[1] and dominated the market for over a century, appealing particularly to men as a "masculine" alternative to sweeter mints.^[2] Its popularity peaked in the early to mid-20th century, with nostalgic revivals in the 1980s boosted by cultural references, such as Billy Joel's song "Keeping the Faith," which mentioned the mint as a symbol of 1950s Americana.^[3] The brand changed hands multiple times, from T.B. Dunn to Warner-Lambert and finally to F&F Foods in Chicago in 1977, where it was produced in small batches until its discontinuation in July 2013 due to declining demand amid competition from modern alternatives like Tic Tacs.^[1]^[2] Despite its discontinuation, Sen-Sen retains a cult following for its unique, pungent flavor—often described as soapy or intensely aromatic—and vintage packaging remains collectible as of 2025, available through specialty sellers.^[3] Key ingredients included licorice extract, anise, gum arabic, sugar, and maltodextrin, baked into tiny squares that provided long-lasting breath freshening without the cooling sensation of peppermint-based products.^[1] Culturally, it represented an era of straightforward, no-frills confections, influencing perceptions of breath care before the rise of gum and sprays in the late 20th century.^[2]

History

Origins and Invention

Sen-Sen was developed in the late 1890s by the T.B. Dunn Company, a perfume dealership based in Rochester, New York.^[4] The product emerged from the company's efforts to create an effective breath freshener, initially marketed as a "breath perfume" targeted at professionals such as singers and speakers to ease hoarseness and provide throat relief.^[5] This positioning aligned with the era's limited dental hygiene practices and the need to mask odors from tobacco use or social habits.^[4] Ingredients were imported from regions including Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy, which were blended with proprietary aromatic ingredients sourced from these areas and parts of Asia to formulate a unique, secretive recipe.^[4]^[6] These pastilles, known for their medicinal properties in soothing the throat and freshening breath, provided the foundational concept for Sen-Sen as a compact, portable alternative suited to American consumers. Production began with mixing the imported ingredients in large vats, followed by rolling the mixture thin and baking it for approximately 10 hours to form hard, glossy sheets that were then scored and broken into tiny black licorice squares, each about 1/8 inch in size.^[4] This labor-intensive process ensured the product's distinctive texture and intense flavor, setting it apart from looser confections of the time. Sen-Sen launched commercially in the mid-1890s, marking it as one of the earliest dedicated breath freshener products in the United States and quickly gaining popularity as a novel "cosmetic" aid for personal hygiene.^[4]^[6]

Production Timeline and Ownership Changes

Sen-Sen was initially produced by the T.B. Dunn Company in Rochester, New York, starting in the late 1890s as a breath perfume developed by company superintendent Kerschner using imported ingredients from Europe and Asia.^[2] The product gained widespread popularity during the early 20th century, achieving peak production and market dominance from the 1920s through the 1950s, with manufacturing centered in Rochester and leveraging original vat mixers and extruders for batches of licorice-flavored lozenges.^[1]^[2] In the mid-20th century, ownership shifted to Warner-Lambert, which continued production until selling the brand in 1977 to F&F Laboratories (later known as F&F Foods) in Chicago, enabling nationwide distribution through the buyer's established candy and lozenge network.^[3]^[2] Under F&F, production expanded to a facility at 3501 W. 48th Place in Chicago, where the original machinery and secret formula were maintained, yielding about 2,000 pounds every two to three weeks to meet steady demand from nostalgic consumers.^[2] In 2010, F&F Foods was acquired by the private equity firm GemCap, but operations remained focused on Sen-Sen without significant changes.^[3] Under F&F, production continued in small batches to meet steady demand from nostalgic consumers, though sales had declined post-World War II due to competition from sweeter mint alternatives.^[2] Mass production ended in July 2013 after 123 years, attributed to waning interest in the product's strong, soapy licorice taste amid evolving consumer preferences for modern breath fresheners, with only limited archival runs possible thereafter using the preserved formula.^[3]^[1]

Product Characteristics

Composition and Ingredients

Sen-Sen consists primarily of licorice root extract, anise, sugar, gum arabic, maltodextrin, and a blend of natural and artificial flavors, creating its distinctive composition as a breath freshener.^[1]^[7] The licorice root extract provides the base for its intense flavor, while anise contributes to the aromatic profile, and gum arabic serves as a binding agent to form the solid pieces.^[8] The formula emphasizes natural aromatic essences without alcohol or mint, relying instead on the potent combination of licorice and anise to deliver a strong, lasting black licorice taste that masks odors effectively.^[1] This taste profile is often described as powerful and aggressive, evoking a bold, non-sweet sensory experience rather than a typical candy.^[3] Physically, Sen-Sen takes the form of tiny black squares, each approximately 1/8 inch (3 mm) on a side—roughly the size of a crushed tomato seed—engineered for rapid dissolution upon placement on the tongue, ensuring quick release of the flavor compounds for breath freshening.^[3] Over its production history, the core recipe saw only minor tweaks in the 20th century to maintain consistency in flavor and texture, with no major alterations to the original formulation introduced in the late 19th century.^[1]

Packaging and Format

Sen-Sen was originally packaged in small, envelope-style cardboard packets resembling matchboxes, designed for easy portability, allowing users to carry the breath freshener discreetly in pockets or purses. These packets, introduced in the 1890s by the T.B. Dunn Company, featured a simple yet distinctive design with bold black typography spelling out "Sen-Sen" on a yellow or gold background accented by red elements, evoking a sense of masculinity and reliability.^[1]^[7] Each individual packet typically contained 1 to 3 grams of the tiny licorice-based squares, sufficient for multiple uses, and was sold in retail boxes containing 12 packets to facilitate bulk purchase and display in stores. This format emphasized convenience and economy, with the paper material providing lightweight protection while the envelope's seal preserved the aromatic contents. The design saw minimal evolution from its inception through the mid-20th century, maintaining the iconic aesthetic that became synonymous with the brand until the 1970s.^[2]^[9] In later iterations, particularly under F&F Laboratories' ownership starting in 1977 and during brief revivals, Sen-Sen shifted to more modern plastic pouches and dispensers to improve preservation and dispensing. These included plastic bubble packs and vial-style containers with flip-top lids, allowing for better moisture resistance and controlled portioning compared to the original paper envelopes. This change reflected broader industry trends toward durable, user-friendly packaging while attempting to appeal to contemporary consumers.^[2]^[10]

Marketing and Cultural Impact

Advertising Strategies

Sen-Sen's advertising in the late 1890s and early 1910s centered on its dual role as a throat soother and breath freshener, promoted under the slogan "Throat Ease and Breath Perfume" to appeal to performers, singers, and public speakers who needed reliable vocal clarity and odor control during engagements.^[2] These print ads, often appearing in periodicals, highlighted the product's licorice-based formula derived from a perfume company's expertise, positioning it as an essential accessory for professional and social poise in an era before widespread oral hygiene products.^[2] Promotional tactics during this period included celebrity endorsements and tie-ins with entertainment figures, exemplified by the 1900 "Sen-Sen March," an existing march by Sousa originally composed in 1881 as the "Yorktown Centennial March," which was rebranded and promoted for the Sen-Sen brand.^[11] This linked Sen-Sen to the vibrant world of live performances.^[12] From the 1920s through the 1950s, newspaper and magazine campaigns shifted emphasis to themes of discretion, masculinity, and romance, portraying Sen-Sen as a discreet aid for concealing tobacco or alcohol scents in social settings. A notable slogan, "When men were men, the choice was Sen-Sen," underscored its robust, non-sweet profile as a "macho" alternative to milder breath fresheners, targeting adult men navigating courtship and professional interactions.^[2] Mid-century radio and television spots extended this messaging to everyday freshness, leveraging residual vaudeville connections to evoke reliability amid growing competition from modern mints.^[2] In the 1970s, as breath freshener options proliferated with products like Tic Tac entering the U.S. market in 1969, Sen-Sen marketing efforts focused on revival through new flavors such as peppermint, cinnamon rolls, and sugar-free variants, aiming to appeal to younger audiences while leveraging its longstanding heritage.^[2]

References in Popular Culture

Sen-Sen frequently appeared in 1920s and 1930s American literature as a subtle emblem of urban sophistication and social maneuvering, often tied to masking odors associated with smoking or drinking. In Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the character Joe Starks chews Sen-Sen to feign a liquor breath, impressing young peers and projecting an air of worldly maturity in an all-Black town in Florida. This detail underscores the product's role in everyday performances of adulthood and social status during the era. The breath freshener also became emblematic of the Prohibition era (1920–1933), when it was commonly used to conceal the smell of illicit alcohol consumed in speakeasies and hidden gatherings. Its strong licorice flavor effectively covered "liquor breath," allowing patrons to navigate social interactions without detection, as recalled in historical accounts of the period's clandestine drinking culture.^[2] Nostalgic revivals of Sen-Sen in 1980s media evoked its vintage charm and cultural resonance. Billy Joel's 1983 song "Keeping the Faith" from the album An Innocent Man references taking "a fresh pack of Luckies and a mint called Sen-Sen" as part of 1950s adolescent rebellion, blending smoking and breath freshening into a symbol of youthful defiance. Similarly, a 1985 Chicago Tribune article reminisced about Sen-Sen's macho, licorice intensity, noting its popularity for hiding alcohol consumption and its enduring appeal as a relic of bygone masculinity.^[13]^[2]

Legacy

Discontinuation and Revivals

Sen-Sen production came to an end in July 2013 when F&F Foods, its manufacturer since 1977, ceased operations for the product due to persistently low sales amid shifting consumer tastes toward less intense breath fresheners.^[1] The strong licorice-based formula, while iconic, struggled to compete with sweeter, more accessible options that dominated the market by the late 20th and early 21st centuries.^[3] Post-discontinuation, F&F Foods considered reviving Sen-Sen with sugar-free versions and new flavors such as peppermint and cinnamon in traditional rolls, but no such reproductions were produced.^[1] These considerations were hampered by challenges in sourcing ingredients and appealing to modern consumers accustomed to synthetic alternatives.^[1]

Current Availability and Collectibility

As of November 2025, Sen-Sen breath fresheners are no longer in active production, having been permanently discontinued by the manufacturer in 2013, with limited remaining stock available primarily through online marketplaces.^[14] They can be obtained via specialty retailers like eBay, often as imported remnants or reproductions of original packets.^[15] Pricing for current offerings on secondary markets typically ranges from $40 to $100 per individual packet, reflecting their scarcity; the product lacks widespread availability in supermarkets or general retail outlets.^[16]^[1] Among collectors, vintage Sen-Sen packets from the 1900s to 1970s hold notable appeal due to their distinctive packaging and historical significance as early breath fresheners. Unopened items from this era are valued between $20 and $100, depending on condition, completeness, and rarity of designs such as the classic paper envelopes or cardboard boxes.^[16]^[17] Modern adaptations include sugar-free versions introduced in prior decades, which aimed to appeal to health-conscious consumers but failed to achieve commercial success and are now equally scarce.^[18] These variants, featuring the same licorice flavor in roll format, occasionally appear in vintage sales but do not represent an ongoing revival.^[19]