This is a complete, categorised reference of every sugar name you might find on a food label. Not all sugars are equal — some are obvious, some are hidden behind technical or natural-sounding names. Understanding the categories helps you assess what you're actually eating.
Names most people recognise as sugar. These are easy to spot, but they still count towards your daily intake.
sugar
White or refined sugar from cane or beet
cane sugar
Sugar derived from sugar cane
brown sugar
Refined sugar with molasses added
raw sugar
Partially refined sugar retaining some molasses
demerara sugar
Large-grained raw cane sugar
muscovado sugar
Unrefined sugar with strong molasses flavour
coconut sugar
Sugar from coconut palm sap
honey
Natural sweetener produced by bees
maple syrup
Natural sweetener from maple tree sap
molasses
Dark syrup by-product of sugar refining
treacle
Uncrystallised syrup from sugar refining
golden syrup
Light treacle used in baking
icing sugar
Finely powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar
caster sugar
Fine-grained white sugar
Liquid sweeteners commonly used in processed foods to improve texture, shelf life, and mouthfeel. Often the largest hidden source of sugar.
glucose syrup
Liquid sweetener made from starch
glucose-fructose syrup
Blend of glucose and fructose syrups
fructose-glucose syrup
Blend of fructose and glucose syrups
high fructose corn syrup
Corn-derived syrup high in fructose
corn syrup
Sweetener made from corn starch
corn syrup solids
Dehydrated corn syrup
rice syrup
Sweetener made from brown rice starch
brown rice syrup
Sweetener from enzymatically treated brown rice
agave syrup
Sweetener from the agave plant
date syrup
Sweetener made from dates
malt syrup
Sweetener from malted barley
barley malt syrup
Dark sweetener from sprouted barley
invert sugar
Liquid sugar that prevents crystallisation
invert sugar syrup
Syrup form of invert sugar
caramelised sugar syrup
Heated sugar used for colour and flavour
refiner's syrup
By-product of sugar refining
carob syrup
Sweetener from carob pods
tapioca syrup
Sweetener from cassava starch
sorghum syrup
Sweetener from sorghum cane juice
Basic sugar molecules. Any ingredient ending in '-ose' is a sugar. These are the building blocks of all sweeteners.
glucose
Simple sugar (blood sugar)
fructose
Fruit sugar — sweeter than glucose
dextrose
Another name for glucose, from corn
maltose
Sugar from starch breakdown (malt sugar)
sucrose
Chemical name for table sugar
lactose
Milk sugar
galactose
Simple sugar found in dairy
levulose
Old name for fructose
crystalline fructose
Purified fructose in crystal form
Sweeteners made by breaking down starch into sugar. Maltodextrin is especially common — it has a higher glycaemic index than table sugar.
malt syrup
Sweetener from malted barley
barley malt syrup
Dark sweetener from sprouted barley
maltose
Sugar from starch breakdown (malt sugar)
maltodextrin
Starch-derived filler with high glycaemic impact
dextrin
Partially broken-down starch used as a sweetener
barley malt
Sweetener from sprouted barley
barley malt extract
Concentrated malt sweetener
malt extract
Sweet syrup from malted grain
rice malt
Sweetener from cultured rice
diastatic malt
Malt containing active enzymes that convert starch to sugar
ethyl maltol
Synthetic sweetness enhancer
Fruit juices stripped of fibre and concentrated into pure sugar. Often used in products marketed as 'no added sugar' or 'naturally sweetened'.
cane juice
Juice pressed from sugar cane
evaporated cane juice
Dehydrated sugar cane juice
fruit juice concentrate
Concentrated fruit sugars used as sweetener
grape juice concentrate
Concentrated grape sugars
apple juice concentrate
Concentrated apple sugars
pear juice concentrate
Concentrated pear sugars
Unrefined cane or palm sugars from different cultures. Marketed as 'natural' alternatives, but nutritionally they are still sugar.
panela
Unrefined whole cane sugar (Latin American)
jaggery
Unrefined cane or palm sugar (South Asian)
rapadura
Unrefined Brazilian cane sugar
sucanat
Unrefined evaporated cane juice
turbinado sugar
Partially refined sugar with light molasses
Miscellaneous sugar-derived ingredients used as flavourings, colourings, or sweetness enhancers.
caramel
Heated sugar used for colour and flavour
caramel colour
Sugar-derived colouring additive
ethyl maltol
Synthetic sweetness enhancer
crystalline fructose
Purified fructose in crystal form
florida crystals
Brand of organic cane sugar
blackstrap molasses
Concentrated molasses from sugar processing
A small amount of honey in a recipe is different from a product loaded with glucose syrup, dextrose, and maltodextrin. The total sugar content, the number of different sugar ingredients, and their position in the ingredient list all matter.
The biggest concern isn't any single sugar — it's the pattern of multiple hidden sugars in a product designed to look healthier than it is. That pattern is one of the strongest signals of ultra-processed food.
Found these on a label?
Paste any ingredient list and our tool will find every sugar alias — obvious and hidden.
SpikeSaver scans every product for hidden sugars — no label reading needed.
Plus NOVA classification, glucose impact, and keto suitability — all while you browse.
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