Sen-Sen Candy (History, Pictures & Marketing)
Everyone alive knows about breath fresheners that are actually real candy. There are so many of these products on the market, as well as gum products that are intended to help you to have kissable and close-up friendly breath. The candy market makes new breath refreshing products almost every day, all with some new twist on a classic theme. Many of them are mint-flavored, but fruit flavors are sometimes added to the mix.
Sen-Sen candy is a mostly forgotten product that was intended to serve the same function back before these kinds of products were sold in rows near the grocery store checkout line. Sen-Sen candy is actually the original breath freshener, and you can argue that this product was the first one to be sold with this goal in mind. Many people will tell you that this was a product that was associated with men who smoked or drank and wanted to hide their bad breath. Before dental hygiene was commonplace, these powerful breath fresheners had a large following, mostly among men.
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If you are ready to learn some more about this candy that nearly everyone has forgotten about, you need to keep reading!
History
This candy was originally sold with the descriptor “breath perfume”. It’s easy to see just how foreign the concept of a breath freshener was in the days when tooth brushing was not really all that common. The original maker, T.B. Dunn Company, created this product in the late 19th century, and it was sold all the way up until July of 2013. F&F foods have made the product for most of its long lifespan, and they kept the same process and the same packaging system up for most of that time as well. There are few candies that have changed so little over a long lifespan, and Sen-Sen candy was much the same when it was pulled off shelves as it had been at its birth.
This product was a lot like Vigroids, which were a licorice product that was made at the same time by Ernest Jackson & Company Ltd. The difference between the products was that Sen-Sen tried to walk the line between sweet and breath freshener, which is a prevalent concept even today. This was an era of medicinal candy, where candy drops were used to help deliver noxious medicines and to help kids to take the remedies that their parents wanted them to partake of when they were sick.
Sen-Sen candy came in small packets that were sold in cardboard boxes in the early days. The packaging actually looked like a matchbox which made this product easy to carry and access as needed. The interior box would slide out of the larger box, and there was a small hole that allowed the Sen-Sens to come out when the box was shaken.
These were always licorice-flavored, and the product was shaped like small square lumps of candy. You could easily fit lots of these little treats into the palm of your hand because they were so small. This candy was actually marketed initially as a cosmetic due to the connection with mouth or breath perfume that was used for advertising it. This might seem a bit odd to candy consumers now, but at the time, lots of items that we categorize as foods today were not treated in this manner.
The ingredients of the original product were brought in from places like Bulgaria, France, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. The cost would have been such that selling this product outside of a fancy store that sold perfumes might not even have been possible. In Japan, the word Sen-Sen means to glisten or to shine, and this was likely a carefully chosen product name to be in keeping with the market that Sen-Sens were being sold in.
Until the candy was discontinued, it was still being made by the same company and on the same equipment. The company did not change the packaging of the product much over time either. This was initially meant to be a product marketed to men who were prone to smoking and drinking and who might want to hide their bad breath from their lady friends.
Sen-Sen candy were sold in gold, red, and black packaging that hinted at a masculine overtone quite clearly. The product never once looked like candy and was never marketed as candy in any sense either. This was something that looked like it belonged in a shaving kit all the up until it was discontinued.
The original recipe was held close to the manufacturer’s chest, rendering the Sen-Sen product something of a secret that was held in high regard for its robust flavor and effect. In contrast, the ingredients would not be considered exotic now, but at the time, some of them had to be sourced from quite far away. The recipe for the flavor and the creation of these unique little lumps of licorice breath freshener was probably a secret for a good reason in the early years of this product’s life.
Today, the ingredients of licorice, anise, gum Arabic, maltodextrin, sugar, and some natural and artificial flavors seem really mundane. Back in the late 19th century, they were still connected with the East and the sensual nature of this faraway place of decadence.
This is not a product that you would blindly pop into your mouth. From all accounts, each Sen-Sen candy was quite powerful, and you would certainly have been unhappy at yourself for enjoying more than a couple of these little powerhouses at one time. Breath perfume was a very good description, and the recipients of kisses flavored by this little breath mint might have been quite shocked at the strength of the Sen-Sen’s scent.
Sen-Sens likely survived for so long due to the nostalgia of those who loved it when it was still a rarified item. Most people would have told you that the taste was far too aggressive to be pleasant, and some people reported that the Sen-Sen flavor was mostly like soap rather than being like licorice candy. The demise of this candy product was evident long before it finally took place. In a world where there are pleasant breath fresheners to enjoy, why make your breath smell better with something that tastes like soap?
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How Were Sen-Sen Candy Made?
The machines that made Sen-Sen candy were vat-like mixers. These mixed the original product, which was then sent through an extruder. The mixture was then heated for ten hours, making hard and shiny sheets of Sen-Sen mix. This is one of the really interesting features of these little breath perfume squares. They are very shiny and look super hard, almost like tiny and shiny lumps of coal.
The sheets were scored and then broken up into tiny little squares. The bulk product was collected and sent to another facility for packaging to be done. The original machinery was used to make this product from the day of its inception to the day it went off the market. The company stated that the product was not popular enough to warrant modernizing the way it was made.
The company also reports that there is no generalized clamor to bring Sen-Sens back. The day of this kind of “candy” is likely long over, and there is no need to try to keep making people want to buy a perfume that you eat rather than wear on your body.
What is the Future of F&F Foods With Regard to Candy?
F&F, who manufactured Sen-Sen candy for all of its long life, has stated that they are thinking about making peppermint and cinnamon-flavored breath fresheners instead. They want to sell these products in traditional rolls. They have also thought about making Sen-Sen candy with a sugar-free base. This product would have less strength to the flavor in keeping with customer complaints during the last years of the life of the original Sen-Sen product.
The reality that the company will need to face is that this market is highly saturated, and there is no shortage of other options on the market that are not powerful enough to make other people smell you a mile away. This is a product style that is well past its prime. Hopefully, F&F will be aware of this as they develop their new products and keep in mind that there are so many other breath fresheners out there to compete against.
Pictures
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There are no good examples of video ads for this candy. The product was well past its prime when this would have become an option, and the company likely thought there was not much need. There are some taste tests and other videos out there that are more generally focused on whether or not licorice is a good candy flavor.
The Sen-Sen candy seems to have slipped from the public consciousness by now, which means that checking out old packaging and looking into old magazine and print ads is your best bet to really get a feel for the advertising of this product.
My name is Brianna and I love writing on all topics. Candy history fascinates me and I am passionate about sharing my love of this topic with everyone else!
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love sen sen candy. a drug store in vegas called the Huntridge drugs, one of vegas’ oldest drug store carried it at their counter. i would buy and eat it even today if available.
they should venture in multiple flavors as well. and different sweetners.
the market is saturated but nastagia still carries wieght.
I worked in a Drug Store 1946 thru 1949. I bought a lot of these. I also sold a lot of them. I really liked them.
What is the Sen-Sen recipe? How many ingredients to make it?
Please Please bring Sen-Sen back. I really enjoyed the product for many years. If anyone has a box for sale please let me know.
Ed from Chicago.
7/27/2022
I loved these. Used to buy them as a child. The powerful flavour really gave a kick. I’d love it if they brought it back.
Today while waiting in a doctors office, I finally took some time to Google a distributor for my beloved Sen-Sen.
My grandma used to use these delectable little treats to bribe me into doing her bidding.
I had stocked up on them ten or so years ago and am down to my last couple of packets.
(In my locale they were only available in small mom & pop drug stores so when I found a motherlode in a liquidation outlet I loaded up)
I was horrified to learn today that they have been out of production since 2013.
Please bring them back at any cost!!!
So sad to hear these are no longer available! I have been a fan for eons and used to buy them at my local health food store. They always had a display box on the counter. I loved their spicy, unusual flavor and smell. Now it has been around 20 years since I had them and I am craving them! Perhaps some of the local specialty candy stores might carry them … I am on the hunt!
As my son shared judisome hard little candies I was reminded of the licorice sen sen. My dad used to freshen his breath with these as he was a smoker and occasionally gave me a few. This was in the 1950,s. Thanks for the memory 😘
In 1968 I bought Sen-Sen in a cardboard matchbox at the drugstore.
I never tasted or smelled anything close to this breath candy. I never thought of licorice but a very strong SOAP taste.
They looked like extremely dark purple squares. So strong, in fact, one tiny pillow was sufficient.
They were cheap but I can’t recall the price.
Kirk
Raleigh, NC
I use to use this breath mint when I was dating during my teen years 1967,1970’s. I felt after brushing my teeth this was a great option as I never wanted to offend. Sen sen only brings back good mmemories. 👍
Correct me if I’m wrong. The Sen Sen candy I remember were much larger than the little square ones mentioned that came in small packets. In fact I used to buy these by the pound and the looked more like after dinner mints in size and blackesh gray in color. I think they sold another variation in a violet color and taste too.
Those are the ones I remember. Sold at the “corner store” 1960’s near my grammar school. They had a penny candy counter and bought them 4/ for a penny. Loved them so much and for a dime you would have a nice little sack.
I bought them also at the corner store 6/for a penny in the 60 ‘s near my grammar school. St. Patrick’s perhaps?
When I started looking online for Sen Sen, i remember seeing bigger ones like what you mentioned. I only ever had the tiny ones.
You are absolutely right. Square powdery gray in color, shape of after dinner mint. They were 6 for 1 penny when I was a kid . I found some maybe 30 years ago but then they said some ingredient was sketchy I don t know how true it is but I cannot find a picture of this type but you have described it exactly,
My sister has been looking for these gray “pillow” mints. Did you ever find out the name and if they are still available?
I’m looking for the recipe for sen sen. I’m running out of them and cannot find them anywhere in the United States.
Thank you.
I loved Sen Sen as a kid in the 80s, and used to sneak them from my dads stash. As an adult, I would buy them any time I saw them and push them on friends and coworkers. For most of them, it was their first time trying them which blew me away. My own kids started enjoying them as toddlers. If I had known they would be discontinued, I would have bought every single packet I could get my hands on. I still have a couple of packets that are 20+ years old and still taste amazing, I treat myself with one very rarely.
Please, PLEASE bring these back!
Just another ditto – I just found a packet in my old travel kit. Years ago I tried to buy more, couldn’t find them. Had I known they were still being manufactured, I’d have stocked up. Love them. Someone find a recipe!!! With the option of the internet, I’m sure a thriving business could be made.
one of the fond memories of my childhood in the 60’s and then even as a young man . I have found partial packs in my fathers old suits as I go thru them …… I have one in my mouth as I sit writing this. Funny how such a small- square -speck of a “candy ” can pack such a punch after 30 years (MEMORIES and TASTE) !
I bought sen sen as a child in the corner store. Lovely memories. Please bring back.
I live in Rochester, NY where sen-sen was started. There was a dept store called Edwards that sold this candy by the pound. I loved it although I would get a stomach ache from eating too many. Wish they were still available.
I remembered Sen Sen last not, I don’t know why, just old I guess. It was so interesting to me then, so tiny in a tiny package and the mint so tiny. I didn’t think of it as candy, but a mint. thanks for the memories…
Loved these in the 50’s to 80’s. My father got these and we would have some when we went hunting for deer. Cheap boost of flavor but very strong and aromatic. Thinking about them brings back pleasant memories. I would certainly buy and have these around just for the memories!
I have been trying unsuccessfully for the past two years to try to find out who would be the correct contact person to discuss obtaining the rights and processing methods and formula etc. to return Sen Sen to the market, As my family and myself would very seriously consider investing in this wonderful, long proven, historic product! If anyone could help provide me with any specific, solid information please contact me. Thank you! [email protected]
Let me know I’ll go in with you on this venture
It’s a pretty different product, but Kaol breath freshener from Japan (which can be purchased online in the U.S. from smallflower.com) scratches somewhat of the same itch as Sen-Sen regarding a strong, compact, unique, non-sugary breath freshener.
Yep! Old Sen-Sen was something else. As a kid I’d sometimes gobble a whole pack at once, on a dare. That was hard to get through. Surely there must be some product somewhere similar to Sen-Sen.
Will you @ least share the recipe for smaller batch & directions so we could make our selfs,
Would love to have a recipe for the original Sen-Sen. Been eating them my whole life. My grandfather got us started on them in the early 60’s. Been hooked ever since. Love, love, love Sen-Sen. I can’t believe they no longer make them. So sad. I know they were probably not the most popular of candies, it is an acquired taste, but for those of us who really like them – they are fabulous! Very addictive. I would buy a whole box at a time – 10-12 packs at a time. They wouldn’t even last a week. I could easily eat one to two packages a day. I stocked up on them once I realized they were being discontinued, but they didn’t last long. I saved one lone package for about ten years. I finally broke down and finished it off. I tried not to eat it all at once, but I only managed to dole it out over 2 days. Really sad I can no longer get Sen-Sen. If they ever bring it back I will definitely buy a case of them. Please do not alter the recipe. The original is the best. (They had a sugar free version once – it was terrible).
The big, gray ones were called Ben Hurs, or Giant Sen-Sens. They were sold at AM&A’s, a big department store, in Buffalo, New York, at their candy counter, by the pound. This was in the early sixties, or a little earlier, when I was a kid. I still think about how delicious they were, and how much I loved going downtown and buying a little bag of these wonderful confections. I also loved, and still do, C.Howards Violet mint candies, which are still available.
I still have a packet which I am trying hard not to eat. I always loved them and hide them from my grands. My sister’s boyfriend back in the 50s used to keep me and brothers quiet by giving us each a little square, good memories. I wish they would bring it back.