The Return of Certs

This will be the fourth blog post I've written about Certs in the past ten years, which is definitely too many on a forgotten mint/candy. Two of the three previous blog posts survive, and you can read them here if you'd like:

Certs

What Happened to Certs? A Mystery Solved

If you don't feel like reading old blog posts, the Cliff Notes are as follows:

• In 2016, I discovered that Certs were no longer popular and were very difficult to find.
• In 2022, I confirmed that Certs had been discontinued in 2018.

It amazes me what candies and snacks seem to be missed by the public and make a comeback. I mean, a few years ago, Cream Savers emerged from the ashes of the 90s and started off as a Big Lots exclusive before finally making their way into more stores. Meanwhile, Certs, something that I felt was way bigger than Cream Savers, seemed to not only be lost to history, but no one even mourned its passing. Ultimately, that is what has kept me writing about Certs all these years. I mean, in all actuality, I wasn't a Certs junkie or anything. It was just something a lot of folks seemed to carry around back in the day, and as a kid, it was a great substitute for candy. It amazed me that a brand that felt as big as Certs would just disappear with a whimper.

Last night, I saw someone make a post about Certs on Reddit. Buried deep in the comments was a single reply that mentioned Certs had made a comeback and were exclusive to Amazon. I immediately did a search, found Certs, and bought one bag of every flavor they had in stock: Spearmint, Peppermint, and Cinnamon. Wintergreen was sold out.

The first thing I noticed was the price. The Certs were not being sold in a roll like the olden days, but now in a bag of twenty for $3.49. That's a huge price jump from Certs' heyday and definitely not a reasonable price for a mint in comparison to Breathsavers or Lifesavers, but it's Certs! I mean, how could I not spend $10 for sixty mints!

Now for a little backstory before we get to my thoughts on the new Certs.

Certs was relaunched in December of 2025 by a company called Reboot Brands. Nature's Stance, makers of a variety of mints, is handling the production. The plan is for the Certs brand to be used for various oral care products such as toothpaste and mouthwash, according to this article: Reboot Brands, LLC Makes its Debut, Breathing Refreshing New Life into The Breath Mint Category with Certs

(In my humble opinion, the last thing we need in this world right now is more mouthwash and toothpaste brands.)

I found a listing of trademarks that Reboot Brands has filed:

It includes some popular names such as:

• Wisk
• Shark Bites
• Squeezit
• Faded Glory
• Crazy Bones
• Chiclets
• Beefsteak Charlies
• Wet Seal
• KB Toys

Personally, I'd love to see Shark Bites and KB Toys make a comeback. I also had no idea Wisk and Squeezit were no longer being made. Then again, Wisk was terrible at cleaning clothes, and Squeezit, despite the fun packaging, tasted terrible.

Okay, back to the Certs.

The Certs arrived today, a mere sixteen hours after ordering them, and I popped open the first bag to see how they looked. Sadly, I'm not a Certs expert, but if my memory serves me right, these are the correct size, shape, and texture. I popped one in my mouth and, well... I couldn't tell a difference. These tasted identical to Certs from yesteryear. I don't eat mints often, but Certs were always pleasant, and all three flavors tasted good to me. Are they worth the price difference over Breathsavers? Not at all.

I noticed Retsyn on the trademark list for Reboot Brands; it's noticeably missing from the Certs. Retsyn was the name for "a mixture of copper gluconate, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and flavoring. It is the copper gluconate in Retsyn which gave Certs its signature green flecks."

This "ingredient" was used often in the marketing of Certs and, at one point, was even printed on the actual Certs.

I took a look at the ingredients in Certs from back in 2002, which included:

Sorbitol, Maltodextrin, natural flavoring, aspartame, magnesium stearate, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, copper gluconate, and Blue 1.

While the current ingredients are listed as:

Sorbitol, Xylitol, natural flavoring, magnesium stearate, sucralose, acesulfame potassium.

This isn't too surprising since the FDA banned partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil due to high fat content. This was also a key ingredient in Retsyn. So, I'm guessing you can say these are Retsyn-free Certs, but I'd be surprised if anyone tasted the difference.

This was fun. I feel like I've gotten some closure on Certs, and it was nice to revisit them again. In a weird way, it's nice to know Certs still exist, although I'd prefer them in different packaging and at a reduced cost.

Now... maybe Reboot Brands could buy the trademark for Bonkers from Leaf Candy, who promised to bring back Bonkers back in 2011 and then teased everyone until 2018 before just up and disappearing.

And one final note on dead candies: I previously mentioned the return of Cream Savers. Well, while looking up Certs, I ran across Retro Sours, which were those little tins of sour candies I had completely forgotten about from the 90s. This led me down a rabbit hole to discover another company that was bringing back zombie candies called Iconic Candy. So far, they have brought back SqueezePop, Ouch Bubble Gum, Bubble Jug Bubble Gum, and Cream Savers, along with a few other products.

I might have to pick up some Bubble Jug so I can choke on bland powdered bubble gum for old time's sake.