BUBS Flavors Explained: What Every Skull, Oval and Rhomb Actually Tastes Like

You've seen the bags. Skulls in pink and blue, little ovals in about fifteen colors, diamond shapes in a sour coating. You know you like them. You have no idea what any of them are actually called or which flavor is which.

This is the guide for that. Every shape, every flavor, what it tastes like, and which ones to buy first.

If you want the background on the brand itself — who BUBS are, why the candy went viral, what makes it different — that's covered in our complete BUBS guide. This page is purely about flavor.

First: the shapes mean something

BUBS name their products by shape, not flavor, which is exactly why everyone is confused. Once you know the four shapes, the whole range makes sense.

Skulls (skalle) — the famous one. Usually the sour end of the range, and usually the ones you've seen on TikTok. The classic skull is two-tone.

Ovals — smooth, rounded, generally sweeter and softer than the skulls. This is where the dessert-leaning flavors live.

Rhombs and Diamonds — angular, firmer, with a coarser sour coating. The most intense texture in the range.

Bites — smaller versions of the above, introduced more recently. Same flavors, more pieces per bag, easier to share.

Cutting across all four: some BUBS are foam (skum) — light, aerated, marshmallow-adjacent — and some are firm wine gums. The foam ones are softer and melt faster. Both are gelatin-free, which matters more than most people realize; we'll come back to that.

The flavors, one by one

Tutti Frutti — the most-asked question in Swedish candy

Genuinely the single most searched BUBS question, so let's answer it properly: tutti frutti is not one fruit. The name is Italian for "all fruits," and in Nordic candy it means a blended fruit-punch flavor — a mix of berry and tropical notes that lands somewhere between fruit punch and a very good sweet-shop bubblegum, without actually being bubblegum.

If you're trying to pin it down: think mixed berry with a citrus lift and a slightly floral, almost pear-like finish. It's the flavor most people can't identify and can't stop eating.

Where to find it: Tutti Frutti Rhombs for the firm, sour-coated version, or Sour Diamond Tutti Frutti for the most intense one in the range.

Strawberry Vanilla — the crowd-pleaser

Sweet strawberry against soft vanilla cream. This is the least challenging flavor BUBS make and the one most likely to convert a skeptic. It's dessert-like rather than sour.

Strawberry Vanilla Ovals Mini for the soft version, Sour Diamond Strawberry Vanilla if you want the same flavor with a sour edge, or Strawberry Vanilla Diamond Bites for smaller pieces.

Banana Toffee — the one people don't expect to love

Banana candy has a bad reputation in the US, largely because American banana flavoring is aggressive. This isn't that. BUBS banana is mellow and creamy, and pairing it with toffee turns it into something closer to banoffee pie than a banana Runt.

Try Banana/Toffee Ovals, the sweeter Goody Banana Toffee Ovals, Banana and Caramel Mini Ovals, or Banana Toffee Oval Bites.

Sour Raspberry — the foam classic

Cool Hallonskalle. A foam skull with a sour raspberry coating — light, fizzy on the tongue, and the flavor most Swedes name first when you say BUBS. The foam texture is what distinguishes it from every American gummy.

Sour Raspberry Skull is the original.

Sour Fruit Skulls — the ones from the videos

Sur Skalle. Mixed fruit flavors in the classic two-tone skull, firm rather than foam, with a proper sour coating that actually bites. If someone showed you a BUBS video, this is probably what was in it.

Sour Skull, or the scaled-up Big Sour Skull if you want more chew per piece.

Cool Cola — sharper than you think

  Cola flavor with a sour coating. Less syrupy than American cola candy and noticeably more bitter-edged, in a good way. Sour Cool Cola Skull or Cool Cola Skull Bites.  

Dizzy Skulls — bubblegum, properly done

Dizzy Skull is the bubblegum-flavored skull, and it's the flavor that divides rooms. Sweet, unmistakably bubblegum, and completely unlike chewing gum in texture.  

Pear — the underrated one

Fruity Pear Ovals are quietly one of the best things BUBS make. Pear is a much more common candy flavor in Scandinavia than in the US, and it's soft, floral and clean — the flavor people buy again after buying it by accident.  

Raspberry Licorice — where it gets Swedish

Here's where BUBS stops being a universally-liked fruit candy and becomes properly Scandinavian. Raspberry paired with salty licorice sounds wrong and tastes right — the salt sharpens the fruit rather than competing with it.

Raspberry Licorice Skulls for the firm version, Foam Raspberry & Licorice Skull for the lighter one, Raspberry Salty Licorice Skulls for the saltiest, and a sugar-free version if you want the flavor without the sugar.

Salty Toffee & Licorice — the adult end

Salty Toffee & Licorice Ovals are the most grown-up thing in the range: salt, licorice and caramel together. Not a beginner flavor. Excellent once you're in.  

Raspberry & Blueberry — the sour berry pick

Goody Sour Raspberry and Blueberry Ovals deliver straightforward berry sourness without any licorice complication. A safe choice that still has bite.  

Lemon Raspberry — the newest bite

Lemon Raspberry Skull Bites are sharp and citrus-forward, the most refreshing thing in the lineup.  

Which should you actually buy first?

If you want the definitive BUBS experience: Sour Raspberry foam skulls. This is the flavor Sweden thinks of as BUBS.

If you're buying for someone cautious: Strawberry Vanilla. Nothing to object to.

If you want the sourest thing available: Sour Diamond Tutti Frutti, then the Big Sour Skulls.

If you want to taste what makes Swedish candy actually different from American candy: Raspberry Licorice. It won't be like anything you've had.

If you can't decide: the BUBS Pick-N-Mix lets you build a pound across the whole range, which is by far the most sensible way to find your flavor. There's a half-pound version to test the water and a 10-pound version for when you've stopped testing.

For sharing, the Create Your Own BUBS Platter arranges a selection as a proper board.

Frequently asked questions

What flavor is BUBS tutti frutti? A blended fruit-punch flavor, not a single fruit — mixed berry with citrus and a soft, almost pear-like finish. "Tutti frutti" is Italian for "all fruits," and Nordic candy uses it to mean a fruit blend rather than one specific taste.

Are BUBS vegan? Many are, but not all — it varies by product, and it's the sort of thing that changes with reformulation. The dietary information on each product page is the authority; check the specific bag you're buying rather than assuming across the range.

Do BUBS contain gelatin? BUBS wine gums are made gelatin-free, which is unusual for gummy candy and one of the main reasons they have a following among people avoiding pork gelatin. Individual products still vary, so confirm on the product page for the specific item.

What's the difference between skulls and ovals? Shape and, generally, intensity. Skulls tend toward sour and are the sharper end of the range; ovals are smoother and sweeter, with the dessert-style flavors. Rhombs and diamonds are firmer with a coarser sour coating.

What does "foam" or "skum" mean? A lighter, aerated texture — closer to marshmallow than gummy. Foam BUBS melt faster and feel softer. Firm wine gums have more chew. Both are worth trying; most people end up preferring one strongly.

Which BUBS are the sourest? The Sour Diamonds, followed by the Big Sour Skulls. The sour coating on the diamond-shaped pieces is coarser and there's more of it.

How long do they keep? Stored cool and dry in a sealed bag, several months without noticeable change. Foam varieties dry out faster than firm wine gums once opened, so reseal them properly.