Extra (gum)

Extra is a brand of sugarfree chewing gum produced by the Wrigley Company in North America, Europe, Australia and some parts of Africa and Asia.^[1]

UK packets of Wrigley's Extra - 2020 (left) and 2021 (right)

Extra Dessert Delights sticks

Brand history

Extra was launched in 1984 in the US and became one of the most popular brands of chewing gum there within a few years.^[2] It was also the first sugarfree gum not to use saccharin, instead using the NutraSweet brand, a sweetener developed by G.D. Searle & Co. that had less bitterness and was believed to be safer in humans and laboratory animals; it was later reformulated with aspartame in 1997.

The brand identity of Extra gum varies considerably in different markets, often having completely different flavours, logos and slogans for each country. Extra is currently the sponsor of the Mexico national football team.^[3]

In the UK, an earlier sugar free chewing gum brand owned by Wrigley's; Orbit was renamed Extra in 2015, with the same 14-piece package.^[4]

A TV ad for Extra chewing gum, seen in September 2017, featured a young woman stood in a football kit on a football pitch whilst chewing, appearing to be preparing to take a penalty kick. A complaint to the ASA was upheld with the ad being described as 'dangerous'.^[5][6]

Flavors

Flavor	Canada and South Africa[2]	United Kingdom and Ireland[7]	Australia and New Zealand[8]
Spearmint	Yes	Yes	Yes
Peppermint	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cool Breeze	Yes	Yes	Yes
Winterfresh	Yes	No	No
Ice	Yes	Yes	No
Polar Ice	Yes	No	No
Classic Bubble	Yes	No	No
Bubblegum	No	Yes	Yes
Bubblemint	No	Yes	Yes
Active	Discontinued	No	Yes
Smooth Mint	Yes	Discontinued	Discontinued
Strawberry	Yes	Yes	Yes
Watermelon	Yes	Yes (2024–present)	Yes
Tropical	Yes	Yes	Yes
Berry	Discontinued	Discontinued	Discontinued
Berry Burst	Yes	No	No
White	Yes	Yes	Yes
Liquorice	No	No	Discontinued
Blueberry	No	Yes (2022–present)[9]	No
Apple	No	Yes (2022–present)[9]	Yes