At one point, flavors were simple: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, etc. However, today’s consumers are hungry for food and beverage experiences that are far more complex – and immersive.
These cravings have given way to an influx of products offering cooling, warming, tingling, and numbing sensations, which are known as trigeminal effects.
In the beverage space, these “feelable” flavors have begun to show up in functional drinks, as well as alcohol-free cocktails and spirits.
Arkay Beverages, for example, infuses its non-alcoholic gin, rum, vodka, whisky, and tequila alternatives with capsaicin, the active compound that gives chili peppers their characteristic heat, to help mimic the kick of traditional alcohol and also add a tingling sensation to the mix.
“One day, I had back pain, so I put a patch on my back, and then, I put my hand on my mouth, and it burned,” Arkay founder Reynald Grattagliano told FI.
Grattagliano had been working on his first NA liquor for quite some time but had struggled to replicate the burn at the finish.
“So, I looked at formula and saw capsaicin. Then, I put a little bit of it inside the drink. And boom, I created Arkay Beverages.”
And the trend extends well beyond the beverage space.
Fragrance and taste company dsm-firmenich recently announced it had selected Frosted Star Anise as its 2026 Flavor of the Year, highlighting the rising consumer interest in descriptors like “icy” and “frosted” that speak to a cooling effect.
Why Trigeminal Sensations Hit Differently
In contrast with attributes like taste and aroma, which target receptors on the tongue and in the nose, trigeminal sensations activate the trigeminal nerve – a major pathway that’s responsible for perceiving temperature, irritation, and other tactile cues.
These sensations create a multi-layered experience that has the capacity to enhance flavor perceptions while also triggering emotional responses.
“These sensations activate the trigeminal nerve, adding a physical dimension beyond taste and aroma. This creates a ‘flavor kick’ – a sensory response you don’t just taste but feel,” said Christina Wessel, product innovation lead at Plexus Worldwide.
“Cooling notes can make the tongue perceive cold and even make a product seem chilled, while warming spices create a gentle heat that feels cozy and comforting. These trigeminal cues are powerful tools, capable of triggering emotions, memories, and a deeper overall experience,” Wessel told FI.
This deeper experience aligns with rising consumer interest in novelty, mood enhancement, and wellness.
Flavors You Can “Feel”
Though trigeminal cues are trending, they’re nothing new, as they’ve been integral elements of products like mint gum and chili-spiced snacks.
However, their expansion into new categories reflects several cultural shifts of late.
According to Wessel, “Social media culture and the rapid growth of functional beverages are pushing brands to deliver more multisensory experiences. ‘Feelable flavor’ stands out on shelves and creates moments consumers want to remember and share.”
That aligns with broader consumer behavior, as younger buyers tend to seek out items that can provide sensory intensity, experiential elements, and emotional resonance.
Adding cooling, tingling, and numbing sensations enables F&B brands to both develop and reformulate products that feel new, even when the flavor profiles themselves are familiar.
Even industry giants like Coca-Cola have seen a clear rise in consumer interest in such “feelable” flavors.
“At Coca-Cola, our research and development teams have been tracking this shift for several years as part of our broader work to understand how multisensory cues shape refreshment and emotional response. These sensations can enhance flavor perception, create a sense of intensity, and make beverages more memorable,” said Anila Rajesh, a senior research and development manager at the Coca-Cola Company.
“In our recent work on Sprite Chill, we’ve studied how a controlled cooling sensation can be expressed consistently across packaged and Coca-Cola Freestyle formats, and how consumers respond to that effect. What we consistently see is that cooling is interpreted as refreshing and more immersive, especially among younger drinkers who gravitate toward experiential beverages,” Rajesh told FI.
“Platforms like Coca-Cola Freestyle also give us room to explore sensory variation across exclusive varieties, which helps us understand how trigeminal-active ingredients interact with flavor, aroma, and temperature. Looking ahead, we expect more cross-modal design – cooling paired with botanicals, heat with citrus – to create deeper, more dynamic flavor experiences.”
