Product type | Breath spray, dental floss |
---|---|
Owner | Ranir, LLC |
Country | United States |
Website | www |
Binaca is an American brand of breath spray distributed by Ranir, LLC, a subsidiary of Perrigo. The sprays contain ethyl alcohol[1] and isobutane, the latter used as a propellant.
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]
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.