Xylitol gum: the sweet science behind sugar-free gum

Xylitol is the sweetener in our gum, and it's listed first on the pouch, which means there's more of it by weight than anything else. It's also one of the most interesting ingredients in the sugar-free aisle: it tastes like sugar, isn't sugar, and comes from a tree (or, sometimes, a corn cob).

Here's the sweet science.

What xylitol is

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol. Despite the name, there's no booze involved: "sugar alcohol" is a chemistry category. The FDA's guide to sugar alcohols lists xylitol alongside sorbitol, erythritol and others used in sugar-free foods, and puts it plainly: sugar alcohols don't contain the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.¹

It's about as sweet as table sugar, with a slightly cool feel in the mouth. That coolness happens to be a perfect match for mint, which is one reason you'll find xylitol in so many peppermint gums.

Where xylitol comes from

Xylitol occurs naturally in small amounts in some fruits and vegetables. The xylitol in food is made from plant fiber, usually birch wood or corn cobs, and both routes end with the same molecule.² So yes, the sweetener in your gum may well have started out as a birch tree. We haven't yet published which source our supplier uses, so we don't call ours "birch xylitol." When we have the documentation, we'll share it.

Why gum makers love it

• It tastes like sugar without being sugar, so the gum can be sugar free and still taste like a treat.
• That cool finish makes mint taste even fresher.

We picked it for SMILE because we wanted a gum with no sugar and no aspartame that still tastes properly sweet under a big, bright peppermint. Xylitol does exactly that.

Good to know

A few friendly notes that come with any xylitol gum.

Keep it away from dogs. Contains xylitol. Xylitol is toxic to dogs. Keep the pouch sealed and out of reach of pets, and call your vet or an animal poison control center right away if a dog eats any. The FDA has a short, plain-language page on this that's worth two minutes.³ Xylitol turns up in other foods too, including some peanut butters, so it's worth a glance at labels if you share snacks with your dog. Our rule of thumb: the pouch lives in a zipped bag pocket or a high drawer.

Go easy on the count. Contains xylitol. Excess consumption may have a laxative effect. A piece of gum is a small amount, but piece after piece adds up, so our directions top out at six a day: chew 1–2 pieces after meals, up to 3 times a day, for about 20 minutes.

It's for grown-ups. Gum is a choking risk for small children, and we make YAWANA for adults.

About the 2024 study. You may have seen headlines about a 2024 Cleveland Clinic-led study in the European Heart Journal.⁴ It found that people with the highest levels of xylitol in their blood had a higher three-year risk of heart attack or stroke. That's an association, which shows a link rather than a cause. In a smaller part of the study, 10 healthy volunteers drank 30 grams of xylitol, and the researchers saw short-term changes in their blood platelets. The team called for more research.⁵ For scale, 30 grams is more than the total weight of ten pieces of SMILE, and xylitol is only part of each piece. We're confirming the exact amount per piece with our manufacturer and will add it here. If you have a heart or clotting condition, your doctor is the best person to ask about xylitol.

Where it sits on our label

Here's the complete YAWANA SMILE ingredient list, as printed:

Xylitol, Chicle Base, Gum Arabic, Hydroxyapatite, Rice Flour, Flavor, Spruce Gum, Coconut Oil, Calcium Bentonite Clay, Myrrh Gum, Spirulina, Carnauba Wax.

Xylitol is the only sweetener: no aspartame, no sucralose, no sorbitol, and no sugar. The panel shows 0 g total sugars and 10 calories per piece.

Questions people ask

Is xylitol safe? Xylitol is a common, permitted sweetener used in sugar-free foods. Keep it away from dogs, go easy if your stomach is sensitive, and if you have a heart or clotting condition, check with your doctor.

How much xylitol is too much? It varies from person to person. Start with the directions on your gum and see how you feel. We'll add our per-piece amount here once it's confirmed.

Is xylitol natural? It occurs in some fruits and vegetables, and the xylitol in food is made from plant fiber like birch or corn cobs. We describe it as "sweetened with xylitol" and leave it there.

My dog ate a piece of gum. What do I do? Call your vet or an animal poison control center now. Don't wait for symptoms.

Sweet, minty, sugar free

That's xylitol: a sweetener that tastes like sugar, came from a plant and makes peppermint taste even brighter. It's the first ingredient in SMILE, our sugar-free gum in extra fresh peppermint, with 60 pieces to a resealable pouch.

If you'd like to taste it for yourself, come take a look. Your first order comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Questions about xylitol or anything else on our label? Write to hello@yawana.shop.

Keep reading: Every ingredient in our gum, explained · Is chewing gum bad for you? The good news

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