On January 17, 2026, based on overseas holiday season consumption monitoring data, the global confectionery market showed a clear divergence. Traditional confectionery sales growth slowed, while sugar-free confectionery became the core driver of category growth. Data showed that in major global markets, holiday season confectionery sales increased by only 5.2% year-on-year, far lower than the 32% year-on-year increase in nut gift boxes. However, among the growth in the confectionery category, products labeled "0 sugar" accounted for as much as 50%, with mid-to-high-end sugar-free confectionery priced at $5-8 accounting for over 62% of sales, significantly higher than the 38% for traditional confectionery. This gap was even more pronounced in North America and Europe.
This trend was also significant in the offline retail market. Euromonitor's Q4 2025 Global Offline Retail Report showed that traditional confectionery sales in major European and American markets declined by 11.3% year-on-year. Traditional hard candy and fruit candy saw declines of 19.2% in Europe and 16.7% in North America, becoming the categories with the largest declines in the casual snack market. Nielsen's Global Consumer Trends report indicates that over 78% of consumers in Europe and America consider "low-sugar/sugar-free" as a core indicator when choosing snacks, 75% of Generation Z globally actively pay attention to food ingredient lists, and 62% are willing to pay a 10%-20% premium for healthy candies with natural ingredients and sugar-free properties. This health-conscious consumption trend is driving the global candy market to accelerate its transformation towards "health-oriented" products.
According to industry reports, the global market size for sugar substitutes reached $22.1 billion in 2024, with natural sugar substitutes penetrating nearly 40%. Sugar-free candies achieved penetration rates of 28.6% and 23.3% in North America and Europe, respectively. The global sugar-free food market is steadily expanding, with revenue reaching RMB 134.79 billion (approximately $18.8 billion) in 2025. The projected CAGR from 2025 to 2032 is 3.78%, with the market size exceeding RMB 174.7 billion in 2032. Among them, functional sugar-free gummies have seen the most rapid growth, with global sales reaching US$1.519 billion in 2024 and projected to increase to US$2.685 billion by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate of 8.6%. North America is the largest market, accounting for 40% of the market share. Products with added probiotics, vitamins, melatonin, and other ingredients have a repurchase rate that is more than 40% higher than that of traditional candies, and the repurchase rate among Generation Z can reach 65%.