Cotton candy

Cotton candy is a spun sugar confection that creates a light, airy texture.

It is known by many names depending on where you live. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, it is called candy floss. In Australia, people call it fairy floss. While it is a global treat, it shares similarities with other confections like the Chinese longxusu or various Korean and Iranian versions. People often enjoy this snack at festivals, circuses, or carnivals. It is typically served on a stick, a paper cone, or inside a plastic bag.

The production of cotton candy relies on a specific mechanical process.

A maker starts by pouring granulated, colored sugar into a small sugar reserve bowl. This bowl is located inside a spinning head. Heaters near the rim of the head melt the sugar into a liquid state. As the head spins, centrifugal force—the force that pushes objects outward during rotation—squeezes the molten sugar through tiny holes. Once the liquid sugar hits the air, it cools rapidly and re-solidifies into extremely fine, sweet strands. These strands form a web-like structure that is caught in a larger surrounding bowl. An operator then twirls a stick or cone around the rim to gather the sugar into a portion.

To make the process work, the type of sugar used is very important. Makers often use specially milled sugar optimized for the heating process. The crystal size must be just right for the heated holes. If the crystals are too fine, like some baking sugars, they might spin out before melting. If the crystals are too large, such as rock sugar, they cannot contact the heater properly. This can slow down the entire production. Because the final product is very sensitive to humidity, the process can become messy and sticky in humid summer weather.

Spun sugar has a long history that has evolved from a luxury to a mass-produced treat.

Some sources suggest spun sugar originated in Italy as early as the 15th century. By the 19th century, it was a common form of spun sugar found in Europe. However, it was very expensive and required much labor to make. This meant it was not available to most average people. The modern era of cotton candy began in 1897. Dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton invented a machine-spun version. They introduced it at the 1904 World's Fair as "Fairy Floss." It was an immediate success, with 68,655 boxes sold at 25 cents each.

Technological improvements have changed how the candy is made and sold.

In 1905, Albert D. Robinson patented an electric machine with a motor-driven bowl. He later transferred these rights to the General Electric Company in 1907. In 1921, Joseph Lascaux, a dentist from New Orleans, patented a similar machine. His patent used the specific name "cotton candy," which eventually became more popular than "fairy floss" in the United States. By the 1970s, automatic machines were created to produce and package the candy. This made it much easier to sell at portable stalls. Today, some large commercial machines can spin at 3,450 revolutions per minute.

Flavor and color are central to the identity of the confection.

While sugar is naturally white, food coloring is added to create bright varieties. Two major flavor-color blends are pink vanilla and blue raspberry. The blue raspberry flavor became so famous in the 1950s that it became a "compound flavor." This means other foods, like ice cream or gum, now use "cotton candy flavor" to create a sense of nostalgia. In the United States, people celebrate National Cotton Candy Day every year on December 7.

Safety and regulation are also important parts of the industry. In February 2024, officials in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry implemented a ban on certain samples. This happened after lab tests found rhodamine-B, a cancer-causing substance, in the candy. Similar testing and pushes for bans occurred in Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. Because the chemical can increase cancer risks, its use as a food dye is already illegal in Europe and California.