Tic Tac is one of the few sweets where the packaging is arguably as famous as the mint inside it. That small, flip-top plastic box with the precisely angled dispensing slot wasn't an afterthought — it was deliberately engineered, and it's a large part of why the brand has stayed recognisable for decades.
A box designed around portion control
Ferrero launched Tic Tac in Europe in 1969. The box's hinged flap and internal slot are shaped so that tilting it releases roughly one mint at a time, which was a deliberate design choice — it turned a small mint into a controllable, low-commitment habit rather than a handful-at-once sweet, and made the box reusable and pocket-friendly in a way that wrapped mints weren't.
Why the mints themselves are so small
Tic Tac mints are unusually small and hard compared to many other mints, largely so they fit the dispensing mechanism and dissolve quickly rather than needing to be chewed. That small size is also part of why calorie counts per mint are often quoted as near-zero on packaging — the actual sugar content per piece is tiny, even though the box holds dozens of them.
What we actually stock right now
We don't currently stock Tic Tac directly. Ferrero is a brand we do carry, though — we have Ferrero Collection Gift Box of Chocolates 15 Pieces 172g and Ferrero Collection Box of Chocolate 48 Pieces 518g in stock now (141 and 14 units respectively), both special-order lines with a roughly two-week lead time at the usual price. If it's specifically a small mint you're after rather than Ferrero chocolate, we also stock Polo Original Mint Tube 34g, currently in stock (8 units, special order).
FAQ
Why does the Tic Tac box only release one mint at a time?
The hinged flap and internal slot are shaped so that tilting the box releases roughly a single mint per tilt — a deliberate design choice to make it a controllable, reusable dispenser rather than a wrapped multi-mint pack.
When did Tic Tac launch?
Ferrero launched Tic Tac in Europe in 1969.
Why are Tic Tacs so small compared to other mints?
Their small, hard shape is designed to fit the box's dispensing mechanism and to dissolve quickly rather than needing to be chewed, which also keeps the sugar content per mint very low.
Do you stock Tic Tac at Supreme Sweets?
No, we don't currently carry Tic Tac directly. We do stock Ferrero Collection gift boxes and Polo mint tubes, which are in stock now as the closest options from a similar brand and format respectively.