2024 Candy Market Trends

With the upgrade of consumption, traditional foods are increasingly associated with health attributes, and candies are also beginning to upgrade towards a healthier direction. Currently, the entire candy industry is trying to find new breakthroughs in creativity related to functionality, vegetarian nutrition, and reduced sugar, which has become a key part of the innovation trend in the candy industry.

Functional candy

In the candy category, functionality is a very promising development direction. Although the market share of functional candies is currently small, their health benefits are still an undeniable point of profit growth.
According to data from the China Business Industry Research Institute, the sales market for functional candies in China has shown significant growth, and it is expected that the functional sugar market will exceed 8.6 billion yuan in 2022. According to NBJ data, the global sales of functional candies doubled in just four years (2014-2018).
Among functional candies, gummy candies are particularly favored. Consumption data from Tmall shows that in 2020, functional gummy candies became a rapidly growing health product consumption form among young groups such as post-90s and Generation Z. Currently, there are products on the market such as gummy candies that supplement vitamins and minerals, DHA gummy candies, yeast zinc gummy candies, probiotic gummy candies, melatonin gummy candies, and collagen gummy candies.
The emergence of functional candies is an extension of traditional candy brands into high-end product categories, reflecting consumers' higher-level and multi-layered demands for candy products.

Sugar-free candy

As people's health needs continue to grow, the trend of "low sugar, no sugar" has emerged, leading consumers to demand that candy products not only be nutritious and healthy but also contain less sugar.
Against the backdrop of reduced sugar becoming a global trend, the daily demand for traditional candies is gradually decreasing. The "2019-2023 Candy Industry In-Depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Recommendation Report" shows that in 2017, China's candy production was 3.31 million tons, a decrease of 6.0% from 3.52 million tons in 2016; in 2018, China's candy production dropped to 2.88 million tons, with a year-on-year decline of 13.0%, further increasing the decline.
As a result, many companies have launched sugar-free lollipops, such as Xu Fu Ji's Dr. Bear sugar-free lollipops, Three Squirrels' Little Deer Blue sugar-free lollipops, and Tang Cube's sugar-free lollipops. The development of sugar-free candies is worth looking forward to.

Vegan candy

The advocacy for plant-based products is another important consumer trend in the candy market. Data shows that from 2016 to 2020, the compound annual growth rate of candy products claiming to be vegan was 17%, while the compound annual growth rate of candy products claiming to be plant-based more than doubled last year.
Candy manufacturers are removing ingredients such as dairy, gelatin, and cochineal to meet the growing demand for plant-based products, which are not only seen as healthier but also more ethical and sustainable. For example, the Canadian candy brand Yumy Bear launched low-sugar vegan gummy candies made with plant ingredients instead of gelatin.

In recent years, with the diversification of consumer health demands, many candy manufacturers have prioritized the research and development of new products that meet consumer needs, continuously injecting new vitality into the candy market. Riding the "health" train, the candy industry is slowly moving forward.