Plenty of people go looking for a throat drop without menthol. Maybe the cool, minty rush isn't for you, or you'd rather have a drop that tastes like cherry or honey. Maybe you just want something mild to keep in a coat pocket or a desk drawer through the winter.
Either way, you'll run into the same problem: most drops on the shelf have menthol, and the packs don't always make that obvious.
What menthol is
Menthol is the compound that gives mint its cool feeling. It comes from mint plants such as peppermint, and it is one of the most common ingredients in throat drops and lozenges. That cold, slightly tingly sensation you get from a menthol drop is the menthol.
Plenty of people like it, and plenty don't. A drop is something you might reach for a dozen times a day in a dry office or through a long week of talking, so it should be a taste you enjoy. If the cooling sensation isn't for you, there are drops made without it.
How to spot menthol on a pack
Menthol doesn't always say "menthol" in large print on the front, so turn the pack over and check these:
- The ingredient list: look for menthol, and also for peppermint oil, spearmint oil or eucalyptus oil, which bring a similar cool, minty feel.
- The Drug Facts box: on many drops, menthol is listed as the active ingredient, with an amount per drop.
- The flavor name: "Cool", "ice", "mentho" and "eucalyptus" in a flavor name usually mean a minty drop. A fruit name on its own doesn't rule out menthol.
What goes into a Pine Brothers drop
Pine Brothers drops contain no menthol, and they are gluten free and corn syrup free. Three key ingredients make up 51% of each drop:
- 39% gum acacia: gum acacia is a tree sap from sub-Saharan Africa. It has been used in confections for thousands of years for its smooth, soft texture, and it is what gives a Pine Brothers drop its softish give. You can read more about it in the ingredients section on our home page.
- 9% honey: real honey, the same ingredient you might stir into a mug of hot tea.
- 3% plant glycerin: plant glycerin is part of the original recipe, going back to the first Pine Brothers Glycerine Tablets in 1870.
With no menthol in the recipe, each drop tastes of its flavor rather than mint.
Softish: the texture without the crunch
People also notice the texture right away. A Pine Brothers drop gives when you press it instead of cracking like a hard shell candy. Pine Brothers calls it America's first gummy throat drop, and the company has been making it that way since 1870.
Softish puts it somewhere between a hard lozenge and a gummy candy, and it lasts a while in your mouth. The texture piece has the longer version of why the feel of a drop matters as much as the flavor.
Five flavors, no menthol in any of them
Every Pine Brothers flavor is made without menthol:
- Wild Cherry: zesty and refreshing, and a long-time favorite.
- Honey: a traditional favorite. Drop one in your mouth or in your hot tea.
- Sugar Free Wild Cherry: the Wild Cherry flavor in a sugar free drop.
- Elderberry: a European-inspired flavor that people love.
- Licorice: for people who love licorice, an instant favorite.
A single bag holds about 30 drops. You can shop the packs in two, four or six bags, or get a full 24 bag case shipped from Pine Brothers.
Where to find them
Pine Brothers drops are on shelves at Target, CVS and grocery stores across the country. The store finder searches by ZIP code, city or state. It lists the stores that carry the brand but can't tell you what's on the shelf that day, so call ahead if you're making a special trip.
Quick answers
Do Pine Brothers drops have menthol? No. None of the five flavors contains menthol.
Do they taste minty? No. Each drop tastes like its flavor: cherry, honey, elderberry or licorice.
Are they gluten free? Yes. Pine Brothers drops are gluten free and corn syrup free.
Are they hard or chewy? Softish. A Pine Brothers drop gives when you press it, so it's softer than a hard lozenge but firmer than a gummy candy.
How many drops are in a bag? About 30 in a single bag, in every flavor.
Pine Brothers has been soothing America's throats for over 150 years, and you can read the story of how it started on our site. Questions about ingredients can go through the contact page.