Key findings
- 1The five artificial colors are listed by name on the label; titanium dioxide, a whitening agent, was banned as a food additive in the EU in 2022
- 2In our analysis, the ingredient list contains no whole-food components; each ingredient is refined, extracted, or synthesized
What goes into Skittles products?
Skittles are manufactured through a panning process; liquid sugar and corn syrup are layered onto a core, then coated with hydrogenated palm kernel oil (partially solidified through hydrogen gas injection), modified corn starch, and artificial colors. Each color corresponds to a synthetic dye: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2. The "S" is printed with food-grade ink. Check the label for titanium dioxide, a whitening agent; the EU banned it as a food additive in 2022.
How 72 skittles products break down
Share of products at each processing level, in our analysis.
Skittles brand comparison
From least to most processed in our database.
How to read a skittles label
- 1
Five artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2) are petroleum-derived dyes; each corresponds to a specific candy color
- 2
Hydrogenated palm kernel oil means the oil was chemically modified by injecting hydrogen gas to solidify it for the candy shell coating
- 3
Modified corn starch is chemically or physically altered starch used as a binding agent in the candy matrix
- 4
Sugar appears as both "sugar" and "corn syrup", two separate refined sweetener sources in a single product
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Frequently asked questions
What artificial colors are in Skittles?
In our analysis, Skittles contain five artificial colors: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2. All are petroleum-derived synthetic dyes. These dyes are restricted or require warning labels in the European Union but remain approved in the United States.
Did Skittles contain titanium dioxide?
Check the ingredient list on the bag you are holding: titanium dioxide, a whitening agent, is listed by name when it is present. The EU banned titanium dioxide as a food additive in 2022.
Are there less processed candy alternatives?
Fruit-based candies made with real fruit juice, natural colorants (beet juice, turmeric), and without hydrogenated oils score lower in our analysis. Dark chocolate with a short ingredient list (cacao, sugar, cocoa butter) is also far less processed.
Why do Skittles have such high processing scores?
Of the 72 Skittles products we score, 70 are Level 4 (ultra-processed) and 2 are Level 3. Every ingredient is industrially processed: refined sugars, hydrogenated oil, modified starch, and synthetic dyes. There are no whole-food components to offset the processing indicators.