Xylitol vs Stevia: What’s the Difference?

Xylitol and stevia are both used as alternatives to sugar, but they are quite different substances. They belong to different groups of sweeteners and have different properties, uses and characteristics.

Understanding these differences can help explain why one sweetener may be more suitable than another for a particular product.

What are xylitol and stevia?

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol (polyol). It occurs naturally in small amounts in some fruits and vegetables and can also be produced from plant-based raw materials.

Stevia, on the other hand, comes from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The sweet taste comes from compounds called steviol glycosides, which are extracted and purified for use as sweeteners.

One of the most noticeable differences is their sweetness. Xylitol has a level of sweetness very similar to table sugar, while purified steviol glycosides are much sweeter than sugar, meaning that only a very small amount is needed to provide sweetness.

How do they taste?

Xylitol has a clean, sugar-like sweetness and produces a characteristic cooling sensation in the mouth. This makes it particularly suitable for products such as chewing gum and sweets.

Stevia can also provide a strong sweet taste, but its flavour profile is different. Some people notice a slightly bitter or liquorice-like aftertaste, particularly at higher concentrations. For this reason, stevia is often combined with other sweeteners or ingredients to create a more balanced flavour.

Xylitol and oral health

Another important difference is the amount of research specifically investigating these sweeteners in the context of oral health.

Xylitol has been studied in dentistry for several decades, particularly in chewing gum, sweets and lozenges. Research has examined its relationship with oral bacteria, dental plaque, saliva and dental caries.

Stevia and its steviol glycosides have also been investigated in oral-health research, including laboratory and clinical studies. However, the research base is different, and stevia has not been studied in oral-care products to the same extent or over the same period as xylitol.

This doesn’t mean that xylitol is universally better for dental health. Rather, xylitol has a particularly well-established history of research in this specific area.

Why does Minttu use xylitol?

At Minttu, we chose xylitol because its characteristics fit particularly well with a sugar-free sweet designed to be enjoyed in the mouth.

Its sweetness is close to that of sugar, its cooling sensation works naturally with our mint, lemon and orange flavours, and it has a long history of research in the context of oral health.

Stevia can be a useful sweetener for many applications, particularly where a very high level of sweetness is needed with a small amount of the ingredient. But for Minttu, xylitol is a better fit for the type of sweet we wanted to make.

As with any sweetener, excessive consumption of xylitol can cause digestive discomfort or have a laxative effect.

In short, xylitol and stevia are very different approaches to replacing sugar. Stevia provides intense sweetness from steviol glycosides, while xylitol provides a more sugar-like sweetness, a distinctive cooling sensation and a long history of research specifically related to oral health.