Are Ring Pops Vegan?

Ring Pops, the lollipop you wear on your finger, are one of the easier candies for vegans. The classic hard candy "jewel" contains nothing from an animal. The one to avoid is Ring Pop Gummies, which are made with gelatin.

Which Ring Pops are vegan?

Ring Pop ingredients explained

All classic US Ring Pop flavors share the same base: sugar, corn syrup, lactic acid and sodium lactate, plus flavorings and colors that vary by flavor. Cherry, for example, adds natural and artificial flavor and Red 40; Watermelon adds artificial flavor, turmeric and Blue 1.

There's no carmine, gelatin, shellac or beeswax in the classic Ring Pop.

Ring Pops in the UK and Ireland

Ring Pops sold here use a slightly different recipe from the US one. UK packs list sugar, glucose syrup, lactic acid, flavouring and colours. The colours vary by flavour:

E163 comes from the natural pigments in fruit and vegetables such as purple carrots and grape skins, so it's plant-based. If a red or pink UK flavour ever lists E120, that's carmine from insects and isn't vegan.

Why Ring Pop Gummies aren't vegan

Ring Pop Gummies, launched in 2013, are a wearable gummy ring rather than hard candy. Like most gummy candy, they're set with gelatin, which is made from the skin and bones of pigs or cattle. That makes them unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Is the "lactic acid" dairy?

This is the question we get most often about Ring Pops. Lactic acid was first discovered in sour milk, which is where the name comes from, but the lactic acid used in food today is made by fermenting plant carbohydrates, usually corn starch or beet sugar. It contains no milk and is safe for people avoiding dairy. The same goes for sodium lactate. (Lactose, by contrast, is milk sugar, so don't confuse the two.)

A short history of Ring Pops

Ring Pops were invented in 1977 by Frank Richards, a product engineer at Topps, reportedly to help his daughter stop sucking her thumb. Topps made them for decades before its candy business, now Bazooka Candy Brands, was sold. The brand has been owned by Apax Partners since 2023, and a new factory in Moosic, Pennsylvania, opened in 2025 to make 1.5 million Ring Pops a day.

Ring Pops vs Blow Pops

Both are vegan. Blow Pops are a lollipop with a bubble gum center, made by Tootsie; Ring Pops are a hard candy jewel on a plastic ring, made by Bazooka. Neither contains gelatin or dairy in its classic form. For more vegan lollipops and hard candy, Jolly Rancher hard candy and lollipops are vegan too.

How to check any Ring Pop

Ring Pop releases new flavors and holiday packs every year. Before you buy one you haven't tried, check the ingredients for:

• Gelatin: in gummies and some chewy toppers.
• Milk, cream or whey: in "creamy" or "ice cream" flavors.
• Carmine, cochineal or E120: an insect-based red.
• Shellac or confectioner's glaze: on shiny candy toppers.

The bottom line

Classic Ring Pops are vegan in the US, UK and Ireland. Skip Ring Pop Gummies, and check creamy flavors and holiday packs on their own labels. For more, see the full vegan candy list.