Pumpkin Spice Is Everything Nice. Or Is It?

As pumpkin spice products continue to be created, consumers are left wondering whether they are a hit or a flop.

Pumpkin spice products are back for fall. Photo by Mary Kirk '27

With the leaves beginning to change and the smell of apple pie beginning to fill the air, it is clear that the beautiful Hudson Valley is starting its shift from “brat girl” summer to “Gilmore Girls” fall. 

This change means that Books & Beans and every other local coffee shop, both on-campus and off, are starting to release the highly coveted pumpkin spice lattes — better known as PSLs to coffee fanatics. 

It’s not just Starbucks aiding in our PSL cravings, but companies like McDonald’s or Tim Hortons, that have been releasing their versions of this highly-coveted, limited-time treat. With the addition of different brands producing this same product, annual sales for pumpkin-flavored products are on the rise, as mentioned in a Forbes article.

With this 'snowballing' pattern comes an increasing number of consumers, all of whom desire and crave more PSLs and additional PSL products.

When the drop of pumpkin-filled flavor occurs each fall, a slew of other pumpkin-spice-inspired products from companies everywhere drops, as brands aim to satisfy our autumn-filled cravings. 

A quick look at a local grocery store, like ShopRite, allows us to observe a pumpkin-spice-filled wonderland as endcaps are decked from top to bottom in autumn-inspired snacks. From pumpkin spice pop-tarts and pumpkin-spice popcorn to caramel-apple-flavored apple juice, consumers are presented with numerous options to snack on, as we journey into the spooky season. 

Even companies like Bath & Body Works and Yankee Candle have created luscious fall scents for years, fueling our desire to smell pumpkin pie, hot apple cider and fresh leaves from home, or even from our cars with auto plugs. With names like “pumpkin cinnamon swirl,” “autumn wreath,” “log cabin flannel” and “pumpkin maple cream caramel,” consumers are left ogling over these swoon-worthy scents. 

While many may argue that such products are overhyped or unnecessary, I, for one, argue that pumpkin spice snacks, caramel apple-inspired treats and autumn-scented products are worth every bit of praise they receive. 

Autumn-inspired products are beloved for their scent and flavor, standing tall as a fall symbol. As August comes to a close and September begins, people everywhere sit in anticipation for symbols of fall to start emerging — colorful leaves, hot cocoa, jack-o-lanterns, apple cider and of course, the flavor of pumpkin spice.

As we all wait and anticipate the transition from summer to fall, flavors like pumpkin spice symbolize the essence of autumn, enabling people to prepare for this warm and cozy season. Northeastern business professor Bruce Clark goes a step further, suggesting that purchasing the product reinforces those positive emotions, helping us feel the excitement with each PSL, bushel of apples or cozy-scent candle we purchase.

Pumpkin spice is not just an image of fall, it is an image of nostalgia. 

Growing up, we remember carving pumpkins to create the perfect, silly or scary face, going apple picking and getting ready for Halloween in our best costumes. And through it all, starting in 2003, we witnessed the emergence of the first pumpkin spice latte, leading to the growth of pumpkin spice and every other fall-inspired product.

No matter how many years continue to pass, whether we like it or not, autumn will always feel nostalgic for our childhood experiences with the season, along with the scents and flavors we have and will continue to covet.

For that reason, pumpkin spice products are, more likely than not, here to stay and will continue to rise in popularity with new confectionery creations coming out each year.

Who knows, maybe pumpkin-spice-flavored potato chips will come out next year…or maybe they already have.