Is licorice cough drops profitable to sell on Amazon United States?

The niche generates $236K/yr across 16 tracked products. 1 of 3 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -39.4%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (42/100).

How competitive is the licorice cough drops niche?

5 brands and 61 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 66% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 100% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in licorice cough drops?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Taste-Overall, Value For Money, Cough Relief. The return rate is 0.0%.

When does demand for licorice cough drops peak?

Demand peaks in Jan–Feb; the busiest month runs 3.7× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the licorice cough drops niche?

Listings span $4.34–$29.76; the average listing price is $12.03 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 2,272 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

Licorice Cough Drops

Skip it

Brand-locked demand (top 5 brands take 100% of clicks) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.

Conversion

Incredible19.7%

search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale

Returns

Incredible0.0%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Price range

Good$4.34–$29.76

cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100

Avg price

Good$12.03

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Market size

Okay$236K

$236K/yr · 100K searches

Review moat

Okay2,271.81

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Competition

Okay66%

top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse

Quality gap

Bad4.6★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Growth

Bad-39.4%

90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch

Brand share

Bad100%

top-5 brand share — brand-locked demand

Is licorice cough drops profitable on Amazon?

According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, licorice cough drops is a $236K/yr Amazon United States market (100K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 100% of demand. Demand peaks in Jan–Feb. Verdict: Skip it — 42/100.

Data updated Jul 11, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

licorice cough drops market size & sales

Units sold, revenue, conversion and listing quality across the tracked shelf.

Units sold / yr: 15K–20K; avg 1,000–1,250/product
Revenue / yr: $180K–$241K; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 19.7%
Avg BSR: #140
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 75%
Sponsored: 69%
Out of stock: 7.2%
Avg brand age: 94 months
Avg seller age: 148 days

Competition: brands, sellers & click share

The top 5 products take 66% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

5 flat

Sellers

Top-5 brand share

100%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

66%

Top 20: 100%

Open market

Luden's64%
Smith Bros.23%
Pine Bros.6%
Smith Brothers5%
Ricola3%
Open — no brand owns it (0%)

licorice cough drops demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -39.4% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Jan, Feb · busiest ÷ quietest = 3.7×

Open Trend

Top licorice cough drops search terms shoppers use

The exact queries shoppers type, with yearly volume, growth and conversion.

ludens honey licorice cough drops28K/yr -33.1%26.1% conv.
smith brothers cough drops32K/yr -48.6%6.6% conv.
licorice cough drops11K/yr -36.8%13.2% conv.
ludens licorice cough drops5K/yr -29.4%24.9% conv.
licorice lozenges4K/yr -20.9%4.5% conv.
smith brothers black licorice throat drops4K/yr -48.8%8.7% conv.
black licorice cough drops4K/yr -38.7%9.8% conv.
smith bros cough drops5K/yr -38.1%8.2% conv.
smith brothers licorice cough drops4K/yr -14.2%6.8% conv.
honey licorice cough drops3K/yr -41.5%25.4% conv.

All search terms

Top licorice cough drops products & what they sell for

Every tracked product — its share of the shelf, its review moat, and what it sells for.

Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.

Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)

All 16 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Ludens Throat Drops Honey Licorice 30 ea(pack of 3)

Luden's$9.584.8★701 rev

Ludens Sore Throat Relief Lozenges for Minor Everyday Irritation & Dry Mouth Honey Licorice Flavored Drops 30 Count

Luden's$4.724.7★11,714 rev

Ludens Honey Licorice Throat Drops | Menthol Lozenge | 30-Count per Pack | 12-Pack

Luden's$29.764.8★589 rev

Sore Throat Lozenges with Pectin by Smith Brothers Black Licorice Flavor: Vintage Candy Throat Drops - The Original American Cough Drop (Pack of 3)

Smith Bros.$15.604.6★336 rev

Smith Bros. Wild Cherry Sore Throat Drops with Pectin - Vintage Candy Throat Lozenges - The Original American Cough Drop Bag of 30ct Drops (Pack of 1)

Smith Bros.$7.634.5★251 rev

Newest

by launch date

Pine Bros. Gummy Sore Throat Softish Drops 30 Count (Approx) (Pack of 1 Licorice)

Pine Bros.$7.0067 rev

6mo ago

Sore Throat Lozenges with Pectin by Smith Brothers Black Licorice Flavor: Vintage Candy Throat Drops - The Original American Cough Drop (Pack of 1)

Smith Bros.$6.98336 rev

7mo ago

Smith Bros. Wild Cherry Sore Throat Drops with Pectin - Vintage Candy Throat Lozenges - The Original American Cough Drop Bag of 30ct Drops (Pack of 3)

Smith Bros.$15.55251 rev

7mo ago

Sore Throat Lozenges with Pectin by Smith Brothers Black Licorice Flavor: Vintage Candy Throat Drops - The Original American Cough Drop (Pack of 3)

Smith Bros.$15.60336 rev

2y ago

Sore Throat Lozenges with Pectin by Smith Brothers (Black Licorice 4 Bags): Vintage Candy Throat Drops - The Original American Cough Drop

Smith Bros.$16.3128 rev

2y ago

What reviews say buyers love and hate about licorice cough drops

What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.

What buyers love

Taste-Overall26%

“Great taste and fresh”

Cough Relief19%

“comforting cough drops”

Flavor13%

“Best flavor”

Soothing Effect7%

“start soothing right away”

Value For Money6%

“Great value”

Quality-Overall6%

“Grest. A great product for a long long time.”

Advertised Vs Actual Product3%

“These were just as described and came quickly”

Sweetness1%

“low sugar too”

Moist/Dry1%

“These are great for dry mouth especially in the evenings while I'm reading before bed”

Efficiency1%

“Works well”

What buyers complain about

Taste-Overall21%

“I would venture that they taste more like rat poison”

Value For Money12%

“way too expensive”

Cough Relief9%

“These are, by far, absolutely the WORST cough drops Ive ever tasted”

Size-Overall6%

“the Pine Brothers cough drops are even smaller absolutely tiny”

Flavor5%

“May not be for everyone as it is a black licorice flavor”

Advertised Vs Actual Product4%

“NOT THE SAME”

Artificial Sweeteners3%

“Its hard to find cough drops that dont have artificial sweeteners”

Color2%

“it was not black”

Smell2%

“Very strong licorice smell”

Heart Health2%

“potentially causing heart issues”

Top return reasons

Flavor67%

Advertised Vs Actual Product17%

Taste-Overall17%

Common licorice cough drops questions

Is licorice cough drops profitable to sell on Amazon United States?: The niche generates $236K/yr across 16 tracked products. 1 of 3 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -39.4%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (42/100).
How competitive is the licorice cough drops niche?: 5 brands and 61 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 66% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 100% of demand.
What do buyers complain about in licorice cough drops?: Top complaints mined from reviews: Taste-Overall, Value For Money, Cough Relief. The return rate is 0.0%.
When does demand for licorice cough drops peak?: Demand peaks in Jan–Feb; the busiest month runs 3.7× the quietest.
What does it cost to enter the licorice cough drops niche?: Listings span $4.34–$29.76; the average listing price is $12.03 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 2,272 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.