For some of us, fall doesn't really start until the leaves start changing colors and we slip into our favorite flannel jammies to get cozy at home when the temperatures start to dip. For others though, fall doesn't officially kick off until they get their first creamy sip of a pumpkin spice latte. Pumpkin spice is a cozy smelling mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice that has been around and used in baking since the 1930s. People have always liked it (it's why pumpkin pie tastes so good!) but there is no denying that is have become a whole THING in the last 15 years.
For whatever reason, pumpkin spice lattes became a major trend in the early 2000s and people got a little obsessed with them. And while we can totally see the appeal of a warm, spicy scented latte on a cool fall day, we're a little concerned with how deeply unhinged our culture has gotten with creating weirder and weirder pumpkin spice creations. First it was pumpkin spice baked goods, which is fine, then it was pumpkin spice cereals (hmmm, not sure on that one), and then it was pumpkin spice flavored meats and salty snacks (Don't believe us? Just wait!), and that is just taking it too darn far! We've rounded up 15 real products that demonstrate taking the pumpkin spice trend too far and we think we can all agree that No. 4 is a HARD PASS.
More from CafeMom: 19 Pumpkin Spice Beauty Products We All Need This Fall
Pumpkin Spice Bath Bombs
We love pumpkin spice. We love a warm bath. Heck, we even enjoy a bath bomb from time to time! But we're not sold on the idea of a pumpkin spiced bath bomb. We just don't want to smell like a baked good after we get out of the tub!
Natural Deodorant
OK, to be fair, this deodorant from Native doesn't actually use the words "pumpkin spice" but the scent is described as "Cider, spice, and everything nice — this refreshingly warm scent is like a mug of autumn goodness." That sure sounds pumpkin spicy to us and we're not into it. Although, for those who love it, they can follow up their pumpkin spice bath with this deodorant and REALLY lean into the fall smells.
Pumpkin Spice Ring
British jewelry company Angelic Diamonds created a Pumpkin Spice Latte ring, complete with a center diamond that resembles whipped cream. The ring features a cup-shaped claw that looks like a latte. White diamonds, orange sapphires and emerald shoulder stones pair with a rose gold band. At more than $11,000 this is BY FAR the most expensive pumpkin spice thing that we've never asked for.
More from CafeMom: 20 Unexpected Pumpkin Spice Products That Actually Exist
Kitty Litter
How do we say this delicately? Here's the thing: We don't actually want the smell of our favorite fancy latte to remind us of the smell of the thing that our cat poops on, thank you very much! This real product appears to be sold out at Walmart, so maybe we're the only ones who feel that way?
Pumpkin Spice Pringles
Pumpkin Pie Spice Pringles were a very real product that is, for better or worse, no longer available. According to a review of the chip on HuffPost, the chips left one reviewer "surprisingly not revolted," which isn't really much of a selling point, sadly.
Pumpkin Spice Spam
We're not here to dunk on SPAM (because SPAM fried rice is legit delicious) but we're not into the idea of pumpkin spice flavored SPAM. This special edition flavor was released in 2019 and, according to a press release from Hormel, "sold out in less than seven hours". So maybe we are alone in our concern about this one?
Pumpkin Pie Slime
Oh, good, a seasonal way to have to worry about getting slime on the carpet! This DIY kit promises kids the "opportunity to be your own barista and create your own mouthwatering slime beverage." Anybody else gag a little bit at the words "mouthwatering slime beverage"?
Pup-kin Spice Dog Biscuits
It's time to ask a hard hitting seasonal question: Do dogs, who often chase their own tails, even know it’s pumpkin spice season? Either way, this product promises that "You won't be the only one getting in on the pumpkin spice action this fall. Milk-Bone Pup-kin Spice Dog Biscuits are wholesome and tasty dog treats made with the fall flavors of pumpkin and spices."
Pumpkin Spice Twinkies
We're not saying that Pumpkin Spice Twinkies taste bad. They might actually be pretty tasty, but we are adults now and Twinkies aren't a regular part of our snack routine. On the infrequent times we eat Twinkies, we're purists. We don't need fancy flavors. Just give us the good, old fashion, will never go stale original version, please!
Cup of Noodles
Soup is a fall classic. Pumpkin spice is a fall classic. But do we really need them combined? Cup of Noodles is launching a pumpkin pie flavor this fall and is even showing it topped with whipped cream, which is horrifying. Even its own website noted that "There’s a fine line between genius and insanity … Care to cross it with us?"
A Pumpkin Spice Oil Change?
OK, this one is a joke. We're like 99% sure. Probably. But, really, in this day and age of all things pumpkin spice, we’d also totally believe it if it turned out to be true! And, as we are about to show, there actually is a pumpkin spice related car care product out there!
Car Detailing Spray
There are two reasons we aren't the target audience for pumpkin spice scented car detailing spray. First, we are obviously not feeling the spread of pumpkin spice scent into non-food products. Second, we have to be honest: We are way too lazy to detail our car every season. Our cars will just continue smelling like stale French fries and soccer cleats this fall.
Lip Balm
We'll admit our bias here. We don't generally love baked good flavored or scented lip balms, including pumpkin spice! We'll stick to other yummier sounding flavors such as peppermint or lemon. Fruit flavors: yes! Pumpkin spice: no!
Nail Polish
We just don't understand the idea of pumpkin spice nail polish. Pumpkin spice is a smell, not a color! We assume that the Pumpkin Spice Latte nail polish color collection doesn't actually smell like anything other than nail polish, so why not just call it "fall colors" and go from there? We do like that brown shade though!
