We asked Mars Wrigley’s “Chief Halloween Officer” about this year’s hottest candy trends – here’s what he had to say

October is here, which means primetime baseball and Halloween, the “Super Bowl” of candy sales.

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to spend more than $13 billion celebrating Halloween this year, including nearly $4 billion on candy. That makes it extremely important for confectioners like Mars Wrigley, one of the largest candy, chocolate and chewing gum makers in the world, which spent more than two years developing its 2025 lineup.

Timothy LeBel, president of sales at Mars Wrigley North America – also holds the title of “director of Halloween,” he said Investopedia the company will offer more than 90 products this fall as it looks to capitalize on a busy season in an industry valued at more than $50 billion.

In developing its menu, the company known for products such as Snickers, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way bars takes into account changing trends in consumer tastes and preferences, generational differences in the way people enjoy treats and emerging factors such as the impact of GLP-1 drugs on purchases of sweets and other snacks.

Sometimes trends leading to a pullback in one direction create an opportunity in another. For example, GLP-1 can suppress appetite, but some users may also experience dry mouth or bad breath, experts say. “Our rubber business has benefited,” LeBel said.

Here are some trends that Mars Wrigley and others are seeing in the candy industry right now.

Chocolate still dominates, but the number of fruit-flavored sweets is growing

Four-fifths of people who buy Halloween candy plan to buy chocolate, LeBel said, but not just chocolate.

“Chocolate is still a Halloween staple,” he said. “But I would say that whether it’s Millennials, Gen Z or Gen Alpha, we’re also seeing a shift in preference towards fruitier-flavored sweets.”

According to Miriam Aniel Oved, head of integrated marketing at the research company Tastewise, younger consumers are eager to use their taste buds, and fruit candies are easy to experiment with.

Dubai’s chocolate mania continues

The so-called “Dubai chocolate” – chocolate bars with creamy pistachio filling that have become widely known a rapidly growing niche confectionery market in the USA – remains at a stable level.

Interest in Middle Eastern flavors like saffron, rosewater and cardamom over the past 12 months is part of the reason for the continued interest, Oved said. This means that pistachios have moved from bars to lattes and other uses. Mars Wrigley offers Dubai-style products through its Galaxy brand.

Pistachio, Oved said, is “having a big moment.”

The chewy texture and sour taste are a winning combination

Chewy, sticky, soft and sour, these candies are perfect for tweens, teens and young adults who want a fun candy experience. “There’s a lot of hype around ‘contrast confections’ or a mix of different textures and flavors,” Oved said.

LeBel says there is a strong demand for multi-textured candies. “When the palate bites into a gummy candy, there may be a crunchy texture or a liquid center waiting inside, or it may be a ‘pop’ experience,” he said.

According to LeBel, sour is the fastest growing flavor in the chewy fruit flavor category, LeBel said. Shapes can also affect texture; Mars Wrigley has introduced “Life Savers Gummies X and O,” which change the shape of traditionally round candies and resemble a game of tic-tac-toe.

Sweet and spicy continues to gain popularity

“Świcy,” a sweet and spicy flavor trend, hit snack and beverage shelves across the country last year. It doesn’t go away.

Consumer interest in “swicy” is growing, Oved said, adding that swicy is finding its way into both non-chocolate candies and chocolate products. Recently, food brands have been experimenting with specific flavors of swica, such as mango chili and gochujang, she said.

You’ll see soon [swicy] everywhere,” said LeBel, who said some of the company’s retail partners, when presented with the Skittles Fuego version, asked for it to be even spicier. “For about a year before we launched the product, we played with the flavor to get it the right balance of spicy and sweet,” he said.