# Can you make cotton candy out of artificial sweeteners? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753 "2011-07-03T22:01:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/1 "2011-07-03T22:01:12Z")
Is it possible to make cotton candy out of any of the artificial sweeteners out there? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/2 "2011-07-03T22:34:14Z")
I do not know the answer for a fact, but I doubt it. Surely cotton candy depends as much if not more on the, as it were, mechanical properties of sugar as on its sweetness. You would need a substance with the right sort of stickiness, viscosity, etc., and current artificial sweeteners are not formulated with that sort of thing in mind. Also, artificial sweeteners are generally a lot sweeter per unit volume than sugar (that is sort of the point, so you don’t need to use nearly as much of them to get the same sweetness - few if any are actually non-caloric), so even if you could spin them into cotton candy they would almost certainly be far too sweet to be palatable. I suppose it might be possible, in principle, to come up with some sort of mixture of a sweetener with something flavorless (and perhaps low in calories) that would also provide the right sort of mechanical properties, but I do not think that that is what you are asking (and I have not heard of it being even attempted). ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/3 "2011-07-03T22:37:21Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I do not know the answer for a fact, but I doubt it. Surely cotton candy depends as much if not more on the, as it were, mechanical properties of sugar as on its sweetness. You would need a substance with the right sort of stickiness, viscosity, etc., and current artificial sweeteners are not formulated with that sort of thing in mind. > > Also, artificial sweeteners are generally a lot sweeter per unit volume than sugar (that is sort of the point, so you don’t need to use nearly as much of them to get the same sweetness - few if any are actually non-caloric), so even if you could spin them into cotton candy they would almost certainly be far too sweet to be palatable. I suppose it might be possible, in principle, to come up with some sort of mixture of a sweetener with something flavorless (and perhaps low in calories) that would also provide the right sort of mechanical properties, but I do not think that that is what you are asking (and I have not heard of it being even attempted). Actually, I believe you can. I didn’t bother looking for a link but I’ve heard of a type of cotton candy-maker that one can buy that can be used with any type of sweetener. I’ll get a link and post it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/4 "2011-07-03T22:51:34Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Actually, I believe you can. I didn’t bother looking for a link but I’ve heard of a type of cotton candy-maker that one can buy that can be used with any type of sweetener. I’ll get a link and post it. > **[Redirect Notice](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CE0QFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prweb.com%2Freleases%2Fsugar-free_hard_candy%2Fcotton_candy_machine%2Fprweb3970464.htm&ei=ivEQTttsxb22B_nfhf0N&usg=AFQjCNEhIs-C1uAhICsDQC066P3A_EXdMA)** Well I was kinda right. It’s a home machine that uses sugar-free hard candy to turn into sugar-free cotton candy. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/5 "2011-07-04T05:22:43Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > [Redirect Notice](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CE0QFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prweb.com%2Freleases%2Fsugar-free_hard_candy%2Fcotton_candy_machine%2Fprweb3970464.htm&ei=ivEQTttsxb22B_nfhf0N&usg=AFQjCNEhIs-C1uAhICsDQC066P3A_EXdMA) > > Well I was kinda right. It’s a home machine that uses sugar-free hard candy to turn into sugar-free cotton candy. :dubious: To any spouse of mine that might happen to see this…wouldn’t this make a great birthday gift for someone you know? ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/6 "2011-07-04T13:29:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > To any spouse of mine that might happen to see this…wouldn’t this make a great birthday gift for someone you know? Now what happens if they ALL get you the same thing? You really should make an online registry and let them check things off. Unless you really want that many sets of cotton candy.. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/7 "2011-07-04T13:42:11Z")
As a diabetic, I got all worked up when I saw this. How cool! ---
**Author:** ![n3pla2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/2bfe46/32.png) [@n3pla2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/n3pla2000)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/8 "2014-06-22T17:53:14Z")
there is a company that sells premixed packages of artificial sweeteners blended together to create a blend that has the same consistancy as suger. They also add flavors and colors to create a variety of suger free cotton candy. Cotton candy was known as fairy floss in the USA, until 1920, when the name was changed. It is still known as fairy floss else where, or by candy cotton or candy fluff/floss in others. [http://sugarfreecandyman.com/](http://sugarfreecandyman.com/) Enjoy diabetics, enjoy… ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-cotton-candy-out-of-artificial-sweeteners/587753/9 "2014-06-22T18:10:38Z")
sweetness reported.