Candy Kittens was created specifically for adults with a sweet tooth, following only vegetarian and vegan recipes, which include ingredients like real fruit juice, as well as natural flavors and colors. What’s also appealing about Candy Kittens is the absence of palm oil and carnauba wax — for obvious ecological reasons.
Here is a quick table showing you which Candy Kitten’s flavors are vegan, and which ones aren’t:
| Candy Kitten’s Flavors: | Status |
| Eton Mess | Vegetarian |
| Wild Strawberry | Vegan |
| Blueberry Bliss | Vegan |
| Tropical Mango | Vegan |
| Sour Watermelon | Vegan |
| Peach Fizz | Vegan |
In this article, I’ll list the ingredients for each Candy Kitten flavor, and I’m also going to explain why the Eton Mess flavor is considered vegetarian and not vegan. Additionally, I’ll explain why Candy Kitten has decided to avoid ingredients like Palm Oil and Carnauba Wax, and why that makes a difference.
Candy Kitten’s Ingredients
Candy Kitten uses more or less the same ingredients for vegan flavors, but what you’ll find is that different juice, fruit, and plant concentrates are used to achieve different flavor profiles.
For example, while the Tropical Mango flavor contains a combination of apple, radish, carrot, lemon, blackcurrant, and sweet potato, the Sour Watermelon flavor contains black carrot, pumpkin, and apple, which is about the more significant differences you’ll find between vegan flavors, apart from juice concentrate used.
Let’s look at each flavor profile and see whether or not they’re vegan by looking at the ingredients.
Candy Kitten’s Eton Mess
The Eton Mess Candy Kittens are vegetarian and not vegan because they contain an ingredient called Beeswax, which is obtained by melting a honeycomb with boiling water and then straining and cooling it.
PETA points out a few reasons why beeswax (and honey) are cruel ingredients, namely the fact that queen bee’s wings are cut off to prevent the colony from leaving the honeycomb (which would impair honey and beeswax production), and also the fact that a lot of bees die from haphazard handling.
Candy Kitten’s Wild Strawberry
The Wild Strawberry Candy Kittens is mildly sour at the start but eventually explodes into a delicious strawberry flavor that’s not overwhelmingly sweet.
No animal ingredients, no palm oil, and no carnauba wax; just a wholesome combination of ethical ingredients.
Candy Kitten’s Blueberry Bliss
The Blueberry Bliss Candy Kittens are probably the least popular choice among consumers, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious.
They’re also vegan and free from unethical ingredients.
Candy Kitten’s Tropical Mango
The Tropical Mango Candy Kittens are among the most popular flavors, at least according to the astounding 3000 reviews on Amazon UK.
Its subtle yet sweet taste is easy to get addicted to, especially if you love mango.
Candy Kitten’s Sour Watermelon
The Sour Watermelon Candy Kittens are also among the most reviewed flavors (with 4000 reviews), with people showering them with praise, and how the flavor is incredible and very addictive.
Many people also say that it tastes exactly like sour watermelon, which doesn’t always happen.
This flavor is also 100% vegan.
Candy Kitten’s Peach Fizz
Among the six different flavors, the Peach Fizz is the only flavor that doesn’t come up on Candy Kitten’s official website, and with reviews on Amazon suggesting that it tasted like soap.
I believe this product has been discontinued, but it’s still listed on some retail websites.
Why Candy Kitten Avoids Palm Oil and Carnauba Wax
Two ingredients you’ll not find in Candy Kitten’s products are palm oil and carnauba wax.
Even though they are clearly plant-based ingredients, consuming them may have unethical implications, namely the fact that animal or human suffering may occur during production.
Palm oil leads to the massive deforestation of rainforests, which causes entire habitats to be decimated, consequently leading to the death of animal species. In fact, one study by Cell.com points out that between 1999 and 2015, 100,000 Bornean orangutans died as a result of palm oil demand.
On the other hand, ethical concerns over how carnauba wax is harvested also exist, specifically because workers who gather the leaves are often ill-treated and poorly paid, and cite the working conditions as slavery-like.
For these reasons and more, I believe that Candy Kittens is the type of brand that should be supported, even if you’re not vegan, as they not only adopt vegan/vegetarian recipes but also avoid ingredients obtained from unethical/immoral acts of exploitation.
Summary
Candy Kitten has five flavors that are vegan, including:
- Wild Strawberry
- Blueberry Bliss
- Tropical Mango
- Sour Watermelon
- and Peach Fizz (which seems to have been discontinued)
Only the Eton Mess Candy Kitten is not vegan because it contains beeswax, an ingredient that is derived from honey production.
Other than that, you’re good to go!
