Airwaves is a brand of sugarfree

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its t ...

produced by the

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley Company, is an American multinational chewing gum (Wrigley's gum) company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley's is wholly owned by Mars, In ...

, and sold primarily in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. The brand is marketed for its intense flavor similar to the effect one would get from the consumption of

cough drops A throat lozenge (also known as a cough drop, sore throat sweet, troche, cachou, pastille or cough sweet) is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs, lubricate, and soothe irri ...

(which are also sold by Wrigley's). This intensity of flavor is obtained by including

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

and Menthol in the candy coating of the tablets of gum. This menthol and

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

combination is widely used in medicated sweets to clear the head and nasal passages and to reduce the symptoms of nasal congestions and

colds The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after exposu ...

. Airwaves comes in six flavors:

and Menthol (the blue packets), Blackcurrant and Vitamin C (the purple packets), Cherry (the red packets), Grapefruit and Menthol (the pink packets), Herbal (the light green packets) and the newly added Black Mint (Black Packet). The honey and lemon flavor has been discontinued (but is still sold in many Asian countries) along with the spicy cocktail flavor. One time, Airwaves Active was produced, containing guaraná. Airwaves has often been seen to rapidly relieve cold symptoms (By clearing the nasal and throat passages) for short periods of time. Most people consume two pieces of gum every 30 to 60 minutes in order to maintain the relief. However excessive consumption can lead to a laxative effect.

In popular culture

The chewing gum was featured in '' Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory'' several times, with Sam Fisher, the game's protagonist, eating from a clearly displayed pack in the first mission cutscene, and clearly visible next to a radio in another cutscene, suggesting that Fisher may be a fan of the gum. A blimp marketing the gum was also seen in a third cutscene in the game featuring the gum's logo. Wrigley's Airwaves announced in March 2009 that it is to sponsor leading

British Touring Car Championship The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as ...

team

Motorbase Performance Motorbase Performance is a British motor racing team, founded in 2004 by former Production Saloon racer David Bartrum. They are best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship. Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain The team starte ...

, running under the name Airwaves BMW. They are also the title sponsors of the Airwaves Plymouth Raiders, a professional basketball team, located in the company's base city of Plymouth, who compete in the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

. Late in 2008, Airwaves became the official chewing gum of the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

Notes

Wrigley Company brands Chewing gum {{confection-stub