Mars just rewired three American candy icons to run without artificial colors—and it starts online, right now.
Story Snapshot
- M&M’s, Skittles, and Starburst now have dye-free versions made with natural colors
- These are added options; classic versions remain on shelves for now
- Early M&M’s sets skip blue and brown pieces while Mars solves those colors
- Launch begins online, with Amazon as an initial channel in the United States
What Mars Changed, And When You Can Get It
Mars Wrigley North America said it would sell product options without Food, Drug and Cosmetic certified colors starting in 2026. The first four lines include M&M’s Chocolate, Skittles Original, Starburst Original, and Extra Spearmint gum.
New versions of M&M’s, Skittles, and Starburst without artificial food dyes are now live on Amazon in the United States. That gives shoppers a direct path to try them before stores fully pick them up.
Natural colors come from simple sources that sound like a grocery list. Red uses beet juice. Yellow uses turmeric. Green blends turmeric, beet juice, and spirulina. Other shades rely on beta-carotene and carotenoids.
The aim is color that looks fun and reads clean on the label. The formulas target a familiar taste profile, since the color carriers can add flavor. The company wants the candy to look different, not taste like a salad.
Some of the country's most recognizable candies are getting a makeover.
Starting Thursday, new versions of M&M's, Skittles and Starburst made without artificial food dyes are available to consumers on Amazon. https://t.co/FZfuqmNznz
— ABC News (@ABC) August 13, 2026
This Is An Option, Not A Replacement
Mars is not yanking the original bags. The company framed these as “product options,” which means consumers get a side-by-side choice in the aisle and online.
If others prefer the classic colors and price point, those stay too. Candy is a low-cost, high-loyalty category. Forcing a single formula would risk backlash and brand drift.
The choice model also keeps supply stable while Mars ramps up new color sourcing. Natural pigments depend on crops, not chemicals. Crop yields swing with weather and soil.
Running both lines lowers risk during the transition. It also gives Mars time to fine-tune color brightness, stability, and shelf life under heat and light. Those are big levers in candy that ships nationwide and sits in checkout racks.
The Blue And Brown Gap, And Why It Exists
The first dye-free M&M’s skip blue and brown. Reports tie that to the challenge of hitting those hues with natural inputs at scale and cost. That is an engineering puzzle, not a retreat. Blue often relies on spirulina or butterfly pea flower.
Both can fade or shift with heat, acidity, and fat systems like chocolate. Brown seems easy, but the exact brown that matches the classic set can be tricky in chocolate panning without changing taste or gloss.
Expect Mars to add colors as stability improves. Food makers often stage rollouts. They lead with what meets the bar today, then expand as trials clear shelf-life tests.
That path beats pushing a full rainbow that dulls in a warm delivery truck. Better to earn trust piece by piece than relive past reformulation stumbles that hurt brands when changes felt rushed.
Online-First Rollout Is A Stress Test, Not A Sidestep
Amazon gives Mars real-time data on clicks, reviews, and repeat buys. That feedback helps fix issues fast, from color fade to bag mix ratios. A source reported the dye-free versions were available to consumers on Amazon “starting Thursday,” setting a clear starting line for public access.
Another described the 2026 plan as product options across four brands, which aligns with a phased, measured scale-up that honors consumer choice.
That cadence also guards price discipline. Natural colors usually cost more than synthetic dyes. Online sales can test price elasticity without pressuring store promotions or shelf resets. Retailers dislike surprises. A clean digital readout gives Mars leverage to plan endcaps, signage, and planograms later, when the supply chain can support more traffic.
What This Signals For Big Food And For Families
This move shows how big brands respond when shoppers reward simpler labels. People want treats, not lectures. They also want to recognize ingredients. Natural-color versions let parents toss a bag in the cart and feel better about it. That is a small nudge, not a cure-all. Sugar is still sugar.
But firms that respect choice and transparency tend to win with American families. The market, not a mandate, is driving the change—and that is healthy.
Sources:
abcnews.com, facebook.com, ts2.tech, thehill.com
