If it doesn't photograph well, it might not sell.

That, in essence, is what the latest trends data from I.T.S flavours suggests is now shaping product development in UK sweet bakery.

Using Tastewise analysis of social media mentions, the independent flavour house has tracked which flavours are gaining traction and a clear pattern emerges. The fastest-growing profiles tend to share two qualities: visual distinctiveness and platform appeal.

Pink guava leads the field, up 137.34%. Its trajectory follows a familiar path, first beverages, then confectionery, now bakery. Its vibrant colour making it as much a formulation decision as a flavour one for doughnuts, icings and patisserie fillings. Not far behind is mango habanero, up 119.33%, which I.T.S had flagged as one to watch last year. The 'swicy' trend, it turns out, had legs.

Matcha was supposed to have peaked. Matcha pistachio, up 131.91%, suggests otherwise. The combination has extended the relevance of both ingredients by pairing them, and ube, café drink turned bakery staple, has followed a similar arc, up 42.68%.

The picture in premium bakery is more nuanced. Fig and honey (up 124.16%) and date syrup (up 10.78%) point to a quieter shift: less about drama, more about depth. Provenance, natural sweetness, a sense of craft. These are flavours doing the heavy lifting for premium positioning without relying on colour.

Not everything in the data is a departure from the familiar. Cookie butter is up 86.65%. Banana caramel (73.12%) and cinnamon brown sugar (71.84%) are all performing strongly. Heritage British fruit profiles like damson up 60.31%, strawberry and rhubarb up 59.84%, still remain commercially relevant alongside the more globally inspired entries.

White miso (up 70.26%) rounds out what is increasingly a serious sweet-savoury category, pairing readily with caramel, brown butter and maple. Black sesame (35.88%) and cardamom (15.15%) continue to reflect broader interest in Middle Eastern and East Asian-influenced bakery.

Liz Gabriel, bakery specialist at I.T.S, said that visual appeal, premium ingredients and café and global cuisine influences are now central to where sweet bakery development is heading.