Does Swedish Candy Have Gelatin?
Some Swedish candy is gelatin-free, some is not. A line-by-line breakdown of which imported Swedish candy brands contain gelatin and which do not.
Some does, some does not. Swedish candy is not one recipe. Across the range we import, BUBS, Matthijs, S-Marke, Frisia and several other lines are labeled gelatin-free, while marshmallow and foam styles such as the Bulgari and Franssons foam lines contain gelatin. Always check the flag on the individual product.
We import Swedish and European candy direct and ship it from our Santa Fe Springs, California warehouse, so we read these ingredient panels every week. Below is the product-by-product answer, using the dietary flags exactly as they are published. For wider category background, start with our guide to what Swedish candy is.
Why one Swedish candy has gelatin and the next does not
Gelatin is a protein made from animal collagen, and in candy it does a specific job. It gives a gummy its bounce and its slow, chewy melt, and it gives foam candy that light, springy aeration. Plenty of European makers still use it because nothing else behaves in quite the same way.
But a large part of the Swedish and Dutch candy world has moved to plant-based setting agents instead, typically starch, pectin, or gum arabic depending on the texture the maker wants. That is why a Swedish pick-and-mix wall can hold two gummies that look almost identical, where one is gelatin-free and the other is not. The shape tells you nothing. The label tells you everything.
The lines we import that are labeled gelatin-free
BUBS is the clearest case. Almost the entire BUBS range we carry is labeled gelatin-free and vegan, including BUBS Banana, BUBS Cola Skulls, Bubs Lemon/Raspberry Skulls, BUBS Bubbelgum Skulls, BUBS Cool Fruity Pear, Bubs Tutti Frutti, BUBS Wild Strawberry Pomegranate, and the single-bag formats like Bubs Strawberry Vanilla, BUBS Forest Berries ovals, BUBS Goody Banana/Toffee, and BUBS Raspberry/Cool Hallonskalle skum.
Matthijs is gelatin-free across the lines we stock, including Matthijs Swedish Skulls, Matthijs Cola Skulls, Matthijs Danish Skulls, Matthijs Fizzy Skulls, Matthijs Melon Skulls, and Matthijs Veggie Sour Cola Bottles. These lines are also flagged gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian.
S-Marke is gelatin-free right across the sour range: S Marke Sour Strawberry, S Marke Sour Apple, S Marke Sour Blue Raspberry, S Marke Watermelon, and S Mark Sour Blackckurrant. These are also flagged as containing wheat and gluten, which is a good reminder that gelatin-free does not mean allergen-free.
Frisia is the one that surprises people, because both Frisia Cola Foam Skulls Vegan and Frisia Bubbelgum Foam Skulls Vegan are foam candy and still labeled gelatin-free.
A handful of other lines are labeled gelatin-free too: Grahns Rasberry Twins from Grahns, Franssons Fizzy Rings from Franssons, Lonka Soft Bites Strawberry Bon Bon from Lonka, and the Happy Chews and Happy Chews Cola/Fizzy Beans from Haribo.
The fish answer matters to a lot of people searching this question, so here it is plainly: our Sour Swedish Fish and our Pastel Fish are both labeled gelatin-free. So are Sour Pinapple and Sour Foamy Zoo Monkey. The Sura Colanappar Sour Cola Pacifiers, Sura Melonnappar Sour Melon Pacifiers, Rainbow Rolls, Blue Raspberry Licorice Slices, Watermelon Licorice Slices, and Vidal Passion fruit slices are gelatin-free as well, and all of them are flagged as containing wheat and gluten.
Gelatin-free picks
The lines we import that do contain gelatin
We would rather say this clearly than let a shopper find out at home. The following lines are flagged as containing gelatin and are not vegan.
From Bulgari, the marshmallow range: Bulgari Marshmallow Mushrooms, Bulgari Marshmallow Ice Cream Cones, Bulgari Marshmallow Sour Strawberries, and Bulgari Fruits.
From Franssons, the foam side of the range: Franssons Foam Mushrooms, Franssons Foam Strawberries/Skumjordgubbar, and Franssons Fizzy Mushrooms. Note the split inside one brand: the Fizzy Rings above are gelatin-free, these are not.
From Vidal, the XL range: Vidal XL Sour Cola, Vidal XL Sour Mango Passion Fruit, and Vidal XL Strawberry Cream, all of which also contain wheat and gluten.
Others that contain gelatin: Aroma Sour Strawberry Banana from Aroma, Candy People Super sour from Candy People, Hallonshots Grahns Raspberry sour Shots from Hallonshots, Mormor Lisa Badge Sour Fizzy from Mormor Lisas, Swedish Candy-Happy Flower from Happy Flower, MAOAM Bubbelgum Happy Chews, Sour Watermelon Bombs, Strawberry Dream, Strawberry Dreams, Strawberry Sugar Cubes/Sockerbitar Jordgubb, and XL Raspberry Rockets.
Why foam and marshmallow candy usually contains gelatin
Foam candy, called skum in Swedish, is the style most likely to contain gelatin. The texture depends on whipping air into a sugar syrup and then holding those bubbles in place while the piece sets. Gelatin is very good at that, which is why the classic foam mushrooms, foam strawberries and marshmallow shapes in a Swedish pick-and-mix wall are usually gelatin-based. Our Swedish foam candy guide goes deeper into how skum is made and why it behaves the way it does.
The exception in our range is Frisia. Their cola and bubblegum foam skulls deliver the foam texture and are still labeled gelatin-free, which makes them the line we point people to when they want skum without gelatin.
Chewy gummies are the other side of the coin. Many Swedish and Dutch gummy makers have reformulated to starch or pectin bases, which is why so much of the Swedish gummy candy category is now gelatin-free even though the American equivalent usually is not.
Four products where we do not publish a gelatin claim
Honesty is more useful than a guess. For four items we hold no ingredient list, so we will not tell you either way on gelatin. Those are Bubs Sour Skull 90g, Matthijs Pinky Skulls, Lonka Caramel Soft bites Bon Bon, and Vidal XL Sour Watermelon. Pinky Skulls is the partial case in that group: it carries the same gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian flags as the rest of the Matthijs range, but with no ingredient list on file we do not add a gelatin-free claim to it. For all four, check the printed pack, or contact us and we will pull the manufacturer spec sheet for the production run you are buying.
Gelatin-free is not automatically vegan
This trips people up. The BUBS lines carry both a gelatin-free and a vegan label, while several other lines are labeled gelatin-free only. Gelatin-free means one specific animal ingredient is absent. A vegan claim is broader, and we only make it where the product carries it, so shop strictly plant-based from our vegan Swedish candy list.
Buying gelatin-free by the case
If you run a store and want a gelatin-free set, the assortment is there. We import direct, so case prices come in under most US distributors, and orders ship DDP with US labels and duties already paid. You order by the case, mix and match, with no order minimum. Accounts approve automatically when you apply, everyone buys at public Tier 1 list pricing, and Tier 2 and Tier 3 are available to approved volume and strategic buyers. Our wholesale Swedish candy guide covers the rest.
Want the gelatin-free set on your shelf?
Browse the gelatin-free lines in our store, size a mixed pallet with the bulk order tool, or contact us and we will send the manufacturer spec sheets for any line you are considering. We import it, we store it in California, and we ship it to you with the paperwork already done.
Frequently asked questions
Does Swedish candy have gelatin?+
It depends on the product. Across the range we import, BUBS, Matthijs, S-Marke, Frisia, Grahns and several other lines are labeled gelatin-free, while the Bulgari marshmallow range, the Franssons foam range, the Vidal XL range and a number of individual lines contain gelatin.
Do Swedish fish have pork gelatin?+
Our Sour Swedish Fish and our Pastel Fish are both labeled gelatin-free, so gelatin of any source is not an ingredient in them. Other brands of fish-shaped candy vary, so always read the pack in front of you rather than assuming the shape tells you the recipe.
Is Swedish foam candy gelatin-free?+
Usually not. Foam candy sets its aerated texture with gelatin in most classic recipes, which is why the Bulgari marshmallow shapes and the Franssons foam mushrooms and foam strawberries contain gelatin. The Frisia cola and bubblegum foam skulls are the gelatin-free foam option in our range.
Is BUBS candy gelatin-free?+
The BUBS lines we carry are labeled gelatin-free and vegan. The one exception in our catalog is the Bubs Sour Skull 90g, where we do not publish an ingredient claim, so check the printed pack for that item.
Does gelatin-free mean gluten-free?+
No. Several gelatin-free lines, including the S-Marke range, the Sura pacifiers and the licorice slice lines, are flagged as containing wheat and gluten. Others, such as the Matthijs range, are flagged both gelatin-free and gluten-free. The two flags are separate, so read them separately, and if gluten is the concern start from our gluten-free Swedish candy guide.
Keep reading
Gustav Lindqvist · Candy Master
Gustav grew up in Sweden on a strict Saturday-candy schedule, mixing his lördagsgodis bag at the lösgodis wall before he could spell salmiak. He has spent years tasting his way across Scandinavian candy, and now curates the range at TheSweetsTruck, from BUBS sour skulls to the saltiest licorice most people cannot finish.
Last updated 8/10/2026