But food and candy maker Lotte is looking to shatter that stereotype by producing a gum target directly at women over the age of 50. Oddly enough their strategy seemed to be making it taste like a woman in her fifties.
The gum, called Kaoru Toiki (Fragrant Breath), was pre-released on 18 June only at Family Mart convenience stores for 130 yen (US$1.30) a pack. According to Lotte, it’s sugarless and made to be extra soft for elderly chewers.
Our Japanese reporter offered some gum to a friend’s mother who was a 59 year-old widow to get her opinion on it.
“In recent years my jaw and teeth are becoming weaker, so I’m glad this gum doesn’t stick too much to my teeth. It also seems to remove that old age odor well.”
For a comparative analysis we also let a man and a woman in their 30’s (outside of Kaoru Toiki gum’s demographic) try it to see what they thought.
“It tasted kind of like roses and strawberries, definitely like the kind of perfume a woman in her fifties might wear. It was immediately soft too and didn’t require extra chews. The taste was pretty good but because it had a more pasty texture bubble blowing was impossible.” (Male 30’s)
“It was good. At first I tasted strawberries and it filled my mouth, but it’s also minty. It kind of tasted hard, but I usually don’t chew gum.” (Female 30’s)
Lotte describes the flavor of Kaoru Toiki: Elegant Mint as “a combination of green apple and grapefruit with a hint of peony.” While our younger testers were a little off the mark with the tastes everyone seemed to enjoy the gum.
Another flavor, Kaoru Toiki: Air Mint, is also available at Family Mart for the same price. This writer decided to try some out. Aside from being minty, it was really hard to pin down what the flavor was. But I got a hint of the type of flowery perfume that an older woman might wear.
So for all you women in your fifties, sixties, and up out there on the prowl, Kaoru Toiki tastes good and is apparently attractive to younger men.
Source: PRTimes (Japanese)
Images: RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]
