Are Skittles Vegan? (Original, Sour, Tropical, etc.)

Some people say that Skittles are vegan.

I’d argue that they’re not.

While there’s no obvious animal products like gelatin, there’s a handful of questionable ingredients in them.

I’ll walk you through them, and then you can decide for yourself whether or not you think they’re vegan.

Is There Gelatin in Skittles?

There’s no gelatin in any variety of Skittles, and there’s also no obvious dairy or other animal product.

However, that doesn’t mean they are vegan.

Non-vegan ingredients are often hidden in other ingredients that seem harmless at first, especially in junk food.

Are Original Skittles Vegan?

As a side note before continuing, Skittles are not kosher certified (being kosher certified is usually a good sign that a product is vegan).

Now onto the ingredients of Skittles:

Sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil; less than 2% of: Citric Acid, Tapioca Dextrin, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 6, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 1, Blue 1 Lake), Sodium Citrate, Carnauba Wax.

None of the ingredients I’ve highlighted are clearly non-vegan.

However, they are controversial at the very least. Let me explain why:

• Sugar – Some sugar in the United States is filtered using bone char (not vegan). Big companies that make popular candy like Skittles usually have multiple sugar suppliers, and the odds that at least one uses bone char is pretty high.
• Palm kernel oil – Palm oil is from a tree, but the palm oil industry is rife with animal abuse and unethical work practices. Many vegans don’t think palm oil is vegan.
• Natural flavors – This is an umbrella term that can include both plant and animal ingredients, only the makers of Skittles knows for sure if these natural flavors are vegan or not. These are probably vegan here, but we can’t know for sure.
• Artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, etc.) – I’ve written a detailed post about whether or not artificial colors are vegan. It’s a grey area for vegans, as a lot of animal testing surround them.

Some vegans are okay with eating these, others are not.

I don’t think there’s a clear answer of whether or not Original Skittles are vegan. However, I think most strict vegans would pass.

Are Tropical Skittles Vegan?

Not surprisingly, all types of Skittles have similar ingredients.

I won’t go over the full list here, but Tropical Skittles have all the same ingredients of concern to a vegan as the original version:

• Sugar
• Palm kernel oil
• Natural flavors
• Yellow 5 (tartrazine)

Again, some vegans will eat these, while others won’t. Decide for yourself.

Are Sour Skittles Vegan?

Sour Skittles have an identical ingredient list to Tropical Skittles.

So again, we’re dealing with the same 4 potential issues:

• Sugar
• Palm kernel oil
• Natural flavors
• Yellow 5 (tartrazine)

You’ll have to choose where you stand on these controversial ingredients.

Are Skittles Chewies Vegan?

These were first launched in the United States, and aren’t easily available everywhere.

Skittles Chewies are still just like Original Skittles, just without the traditional shell.

They have most of the same ingredients, with slight differences. Vegans really only might care about:

• Sugar
• Palm fat
• Artificial colors
• Flavorings

I feel like I’m repeating myself at this point, but again you’ll need to decide how you feel about these grey areas of veganism.

Refer to the explanations near the start if needed.

Why Are Skittles Not Vegan?

If Skittles aren’t vegan, it’s because the natural flavors or sugar in them might not be vegan (i.e. may be processed with bone char).

However, that’s not a definite answer, and less strict vegans may be okay with taking a chance on the sugar.

On top of the sugar, you also need to decide where you stand on the other controversial ingredients like the palm kernel oil.

It’s pretty important to think about these issues, since they come up time and time again. You’ll find that candy like Twizzlers and Sour Patch Kids have similar ingredients.

Personally, I can live without Skittles, there’s plenty of other candy that is vegan for sure.