It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool and re-solidify into fine strands.

[3][4][5] It is made and sold globally, as candy floss in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, New Zealand,[6] Sri Lanka and South Africa, as fairy floss in Australia, as barbe à papa "daddy's beard" in France, as شعر البنات "girl's hair" in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as غزل البنات "girl’s yarn" in Egypt.

[citation needed] On September 6, 1905, Albert D. Robinson of Lynn, Massachusetts submitted his patent for an electric candy-spinning machine, a combination of an electronic starter and motor-driven rotatable bowl that maintained heating efficiently.

Tootsie Roll Industries, the world's largest cotton candy manufacturer, produces a bagged, fruit-flavored version called Fluffy Stuff.

Left to operate for a period, the cotton-like product builds up on the inside walls of the larger bowl, at which point machine operators twirl a stick or cone around the rim of the large catching bowl, gathering the sugar strands into portions which are served on stick or cone, or in plastic bags.

In the US, cotton candy is available in a wide variety of flavors, but two flavor-blend colors predominate—blue raspberry and pink vanilla,[18] both originally formulated by the Gold Medal brand (which uses the names "Boo Blue" and "Silly Nilly").

Modern machines for commercial use can hold up to 3 pounds (1.4 kg) of sugar, have storage for extra flavors, and have bowls that spin at 3,450 revolutions per minute.

[22] Andhra Pradesh reportedly started testing samples of the candy while food safety officials in Delhi were pushing for a ban.