September 3, 2026 – Despite the fact that Latin American consumers are looking to reduce their sugar intake, the sugar confectionery category is growing. Demand for sugar confectionery also remains strong due to cultural affinity, affordability, and accessibility. Yet, due to the pressure sugar faces, winning from now onwards will mean that brands need to combine indulgence with functional benefits. This can create more experiential and versatile consumption occasions, so consumers continue to choose confectionery even when they moderate sugar overall. Innova’s Sugar Confectionery, Mints & Gum in Latin America report dives deeper into the trends influencing the category and what brands will need to know in order to succeed moving forward in the category.
How is the Sugar Confectionery Faring in Latin America?
In the Latin American confectionery market, innovation is growing. Launches in the category are outpacing both the chocolate confectionery category and overall food and beverage market. This is largely driven by a response to cost pressures, reformulation, and the growth of versatile formats like gummies. Other factors like the fluctuating price of cocoa and health regulations are also contributing to innovation in sugar confectionery to respond to evolving consumer trends.
What Tension is Driving Confectionery Innovation?
Although the sugar confectionery market is strongly linked to emotions, celebrations, and childhood memories in Latin America, moderation is now influencing how consumers engage with the category. 74% of Latin American consumers say they are actively reducing sugar in their diets, with artificial ingredients acting as another component consumers are looking to avoid. This means the very ingredient that grounds the category at odds with consumer preferences. Therefore, sweetener-driven reformulations will not suffice. The path forward for brands will involve clean reformulation with natural ingredients and functional add ons.
How are Function and Indulgence Colliding in the Latin American Sugar Confectionery Market?
Confectionery trends indicate that indulgence in Latin America is being redefined as a layered experience for consumers, delivering guilt-free enjoyment. This can be demonstrated by the fact that nearly the same percentage of consumers (42% vs 41%) look for healthier enjoyment and rich sensory enjoyment in an indulgent food or beverage experience. This dual demand shifts growth in the confectionery market away from high sugar and single-note formats toward sensory exploration that heightens the experience for users, without relying solely on sugar.
When it comes to functionality, Latin American confectionery consumers are divided with what influences a purchase. Few features resonate with more than one-quarter of consumers in the category, with product safety, flavor, origin, reduced sugar, and no artificial flavors or colors among the top claims. Brands should therefore stack cues that lead to trust and good taste. Mints also lead innovation through their functional role.
Which Consumers and Generations are Driving Category Growth?
Confectionery market trends highlight that younger consumers are the key to future category growth. They are pulled to softer, chewable formats that contrast with the preferences of older consumers. For instance, roughly one-third of Gen Z and Millennial consumers have eaten chewing gum, gummies and jellies in the past year, while only reaching 16-20% of Boomers. Older consumers lead toward harder, traditional formats like toffee and fudge, suggesting that innovation pipelines should focus more on soft textures and modern formats aimed at the preferences of younger generations.
Households with and without kids buy into different segments of the confectionery category, highlighting an important distinction. To target those with children, Innova’s trends research indicates that family-friendly chewables, with fun flavors, formats, and kid-friendly sizes will resonate. In contrast, elevated gummies premium textures, sour or layered flavors, and adult positioning can capture the child-free segment and young parents looking for a treat.
How is Flavor Redefining the Category?
As consumers are looking for lower sugar options, flavor is now the primary tool to reignite the category and deliver the reward that consumers are looking for in a sweet treat. Latin American consumers are searching for more complex profiles, with 17% looking for sweet and sour and fresh and spicy combinations, respectively. This turns flavor into the innovation opportunity that brands can use as the most direct strategy to defend indulgence and unlock growth, through more layered experiences. At the same time, classics, such as milk chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla remain core to the category, indicating to brands that staples will continue to be an important base alongside bolder innovations.
Which Consumption Occasions are Driving Innovation?
As consumers lean more into moderation, wins in the sugar confectionery category will be found in moments where indulgence can still be justified. Me-time occasions and emotional moments of self-reward are thus driving innovation. It is during these solo and craving-driven moments that consumers feel like treating themselves is deserved.
The strongest emotional triggers outside of cravings are happiness and calmness, with the former being a driver of confectionery consumption for 33% of Latin American consumers. These all highlight the importance of formats, innovations, and messaging around rituals and mood-led moments over generic snacking. Lower-sugar credentials can drive product choice, but do not necessarily inspire occasions.
What’s Next for Confectionery Trends in the Latin American Market?
In the Latin American confectionery market, flavor, functionality, and moderation will continue to drive the future of innovation. Brands will continue to compete with sensorial experiences, which means that brands can expect more textures, liquid fillings, traditional flavors, and unique flavor blends. Alongside consumer interest in health, the blending of indulgence and functionality will be key especially surrounding gut health and relaxation. Finally, the decline in sugar consumption will be offset by innovations in portion control, affordability, health concerns, and convenience. Mini, resealable, and multipack formats will be opportunities in the market.
This article is based on Innova’s Sugar Confectionery, Mints & Gum in Latin America report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to learn more