The original "classic mints" were disc-shaped without a hole and sold in roll packaging similar to Life Savers and Polo.

It was discontinued in 2018, possibly due to its containing partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, an ingredient which has not been allowed in food sold in the United States since then.

[4] Within Warner-Lambert, confectionary brands, which included Certs, Chiclets, Dentyne, Halls, and Trident, were placed into its new Adams division (named after the American Chicle founder).

[4] Citing that confections is a "noncore" business,[5] Pfizer sold its Adams portfolio to Cadbury for $4.2 billion[8] in 2002, which beat Nestlé in a bidding war.

Instead, as has long been advertised, the mints contain "Retsyn," a trademarked name for a mixture of copper gluconate, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and flavoring.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Certs was heavily advertised on American television with a famous campaign featuring two attractive young people earnestly arguing over the proper classification of the mints.

Saturday Night Live lampooned the ads with a fictitious product called "Shimmer", with Gilda Radner's argument "It's a floor wax!"