breath spray breath spray breath spray is a product sprayed into the mouth for the purpose of temporarily eliminating or at least covering up bad breath. the masking effect is short-term and reported to last for 4-6 hours. breath sprays are occasionally advertised as being for smokers or those who dip tobacco, and occasionally to cover up the smell of cigarette/cigar smoking. common flavours include cinnamon, spearmint and peppermint, as well as company-specific flavors, such as "ice mint", "cool mint" or "supermint". some breath sprays are purported by their manufacturers to have antibacterial or anti-plaque properties, containing ingredients, such as chlorine dioxide, chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, essential oils, hinokitiol, and zinc ions. as alcohol is frequently a prime ingredient of breath sprays, some brands advertise their products as alcohol-free. alcohol is thought to be responsible for causing dry mouth when alcohol-containing breath sprays or mouthwashes are used too frequently. some brands also advocate for using sugar-free formulations considering the disadvantageous consequences of sugar of causing caries.