Watsons Mouthwashes -Fresh Mint and Herbal Mint Green Tea

I was checking my facebook feeds sometime ago when I came upon an article posted by Jam88.3, a local radio station. It mentioned flossing. So I googled and there is this article on the ABSCBN website wherein the Philippine Dental Health Association dished out some dental care pointers and mentioned that “studies show that flossing is more important than brushing.” They sure left this out in school. I don’t think our school dentist even made us use dental floss.

My dentist outside school did though and she also recommended using mouthwash. I mentioned somewhere online that I may have tried every single mouthwash available in the local market. Listerine, Astring-O-Sol, Swish, Oracare, Colgate Plax, even not so mainstream ones like Pyodontyl. And there’s the Watsons Mouthwashes which are under the house brand’s Switch and Save campaign.

Watsons Fresh Mint Mouthwash contains fluoride to help prevent cavities – more effective than brushing alone. The mint flavor leaves your mouth feeling cool and clean and eliminates bad breath.

The thing is, Watsons Fresh Mint Mouthwash creates a burning sensation while being swished around one’s mouth. I wanted to spit it out immediately. It also has a bitter aftertaste. It left my mouth and throat dry. At least it also leaves behind a fresh cool feeling. Well, it has a strong minty taste (Judging from the flavor that hit my tongue. No, not yet crazy to swallow it.) and smell. My breath remained minty fresh until the next time I ate or drank something and I didn’t get morning breath after I used this at night. I don’t like this mouthwash and have stopped using it but some peeps in the family like it.

It lists the following ingredients:  aqua, alcohol denat, polysorbate 20, poloxamer 407, mentha piperita oil, benzoic acid, eucalyptol, sodium saccharin, sodium fluoride, thymol, menthol, ci 19140, ci 42090.

Yes, Watsons Fresh Mint Mouthwash has alcohol and alcohol in mouthwashes has been getting a bad rap. So I guess the next mouthwash is a step up.

Watsons Mint Green Tea Herbal Mouthwash contains natural plant extracts, combining thyme, green tea, mint and myrrh, which help remove the bacteria that cause bad breath. This gentle formula is enriched with aloe vera to help soothe gums and sodium fluoride to aid in the prevention of cavities.

Alcohol-free, Watsons Mint Green Tea Herbal Mouthwash has a couple of plant extracts, thus the herbal label, in its list of ingredients:  aqua, glycerin, polysorbate 20, poloxamer 407, flavour, propylene glycol, mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract,  thymus vulgaris (thymel) flower/leaf extract, commiphora myrrha resin extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, citric acid, menthol, mentha piperita oil, sodium fluoride, cetylpridinium chloride, aloe barbodensis leaf,  ci 47005, ci 42090.

I am able to gargle with Watsons Mint Green Tea Herbal Mouthwash for 30 seconds without my eyes watering. There’s still a stinging sensation but it’s tolerable. However, the minty cool feeling is not that strong nor does it last long. Probably because of the tea flavor. For me, it does not taste  nor smell like green tea. I think it’s more of a slightly minty sampaguita so it’s closer to jasmine tea. Granted, jasmine tea is comprised of green tea and jasmine buds.  Those who want their mouthwashes to be extra minty will be disappointed. My mom was. There’s also a bitter aftertaste and my throat feels dry hours later after using it. Still, it was able to keep my breath from going stale until the next time I ate or drank something, even until the moment I woke up after using it at night.

Instructions on the label indicate that 20ml or 3/4 of the cap is to be used, 30 seconds, twice a day. If one is to adhere to this, a 500 ml bottle should only last for 12 1/2 days.

I’ve been tempted to dilute strong mouthwashes with water since over time I am unable to tolerate the burning sensation.  In the end, I tend to stick to the instructions on the bottle since I’m concerned that using less would make the mouthwash pretty much useless. Which is why I prefer ones that have a mild flavor and formula.

Watsons Mouthwash is also available in Cool Mint and in Herbal Mint Lemongrass which has the same ingredients as the Herbal Mint Green Tea except for the coloring and flavor. They seem to be forever on BOGO mode. I have noticed however a 25% increase in the pricing of these mouthwashes in a span of 3 years. They were about P199 in 2010, now they’re P249. Both amount for BOGO 500ml bottles.