Here’s the Truth About Skittles Flavors

As someone who worked as a copywriter for many years, I am deeply skeptical when it comes to ad-writing. Yet even my ashen, withered heart can’t help but have some love for the iconically weird “Taste the Rainbow” ad campaign. You know the one I’m talking about, with the singing rabbit and the Skittles pox and weird prehensile beards. While other ads of the era that tried to do the “rando” thing felt like a huge rip off of Tim & Eric, this campaign was legitimately funny, striking a balance between a silly, off the wall premise and some sort of logic that went beyond the idea that unicorns or bacon are inherently hilarious. And yet, as crazy as these ads were, they left out the craziest thing about Skittles: their flavor.

So, are Skittles all the same flavor? You may want to sit down for this, because what I’m about to tell you may blow your mind: Skittles all taste the same, at least according to some food scientists.

I know, I know. You’re thinking, “No! This can’t be!” We all know that the red Skittle flavor is strawberry, and what flavor is the green Skittle if not lime (or green apple, but that’s a whole other article). Right?

Don’t worry; if you swear that there’s a difference between the Skittles flavors, you’re not wrong. You see, while the candies may all have the same taste, each individual color has a different scent. And because our sense of smell and sense of taste are closely connected, the differing smells of Skittles gives them a different flavor—“flavor” being distinct from “taste.”

If you don’t believe that Skittles have the same taste, you can conduct a rudimentary test by plugging your nose and blind-sampling different Skittles. You might find that it’s much harder to tell them apart. But if you unplug your nose, it’ll be easier to differentiate, though still perhaps not as simple as you might think.

On the topic of Skittles flavors, did you know that there are a wide range beyond the original five? I sure didn’t until writing this article! There are two main branches Wild Berry & Tropical, and Brightside & Darkside. Let’s take a closer look at their flavor profiles.

Wild Berry Skittles flavors include Berry Punch, Melon Berry, Strawberry, Wild Cherry and Raspberry. Tropical Skittles flavors include Mango Tangelo, Banana Berry, Pineapple Passionfruit, Strawberry Starfruit, and Kiwi Lime. These sound great, but I defy even the most gustatorily-gifted taste tester to tell the difference between “Lime” and “Kiwi Lime.”

Meanwhile, Brightside Skittles flavors are Tangerine, Paradise Punch, Pink Lemonade, Watermelon, and Banana Kiwi. Darkside Skittles flavors are Dark Berry, Forbidden Fruit, Blood Orange, Midnight Lime, and Pomegranate. Don’t get me started on Midnight Lime, but the inclusion of pomegranate, the “fruit of the underworld,” in the Darkside category shows someone at the Skittles company is a Greek mythology fan, so they deserve some kudos on that.

Wherever you stand on the Skittles taste debate, there’s no argument that they’re a solid fruit candy. Just don’t mix them up with M&Ms like I did one time or you’ll be sorely disappointed.