Author: R&D Team, CUIGUAI Flavoring Published by: Guangdong Unique Flavor Co., Ltd. Last Updated: Nov 04, 2026 WhatsApp & Telegram: +86 189 2926 7983 Email: info@cuiguai.com   Ask a consumer what makes a mint refreshing and the answer will almost always be some version of "it feels cold". That sensation is not a temperature measurement. Nothing in a mint at room temperature is actually colder than the mouth, and yet the experience of coldness is immediate, physical and unmistakable. It is a neurological event triggered by a specific class of molecules acting on a specific receptor, and understanding that mechanism is what makes it possible to deliver the sensation without menthol.   Menthol has been the default cooling agent in confectionery for more than a century, and for good reason: it is effective, inexpensive and familiar. It is also volatile, prone to a bitter and medicinal edge at higher doses, incompatible with some flavour directions, subject to labelling sensitivities in certain markets, and difficult to control in a matrix that is designed to release its contents slowly. These limitations are the commercial reason menthol-free cooling has moved from a niche request to a routine brief.   This article explains the physiology of perceived cooling, how non-menthol cooling agents differ from one another in onset and duration, how to formulate them into chewing gum and into the several distinct matrices that all get called mints, how to measure cooling in a sensory panel, and what regulatory and safety discipline the ingredient class requires. Clients developing these systems will also find relevant background in our work on flavour release and encapsulation in chewing gum and on how carbonation alters flavour perception, since both address the same underlying question of how a physical sensation is constructed by the brain from chemical and tactile inputs.

What "Cooling" Actually Is

Cooling is a somatosensory perception, not a taste. Taste is mediated by taste buds and by chemoreceptors that respond to dissolved non-volatile compounds. Cooling is mediated by free nerve endings of the trigeminal system, the same pathway that carries the burn of chilli, the sting of carbon dioxide and the tingle of certain spices. This distinction matters commercially because trigeminal sensations are additive across ingredients and are influenced by breathing, by airflow and by the temperature of what is being consumed.

TRPM8 and the Cold Receptor

The receptor responsible for the principal cooling sensation is TRPM8, a transient receptor potential ion channel expressed on sensory neurons. It opens in response to a fall in temperature and also in response to certain chemical agonists, of which menthol is the classic example. When TRPM8 opens, the neuron fires as though the tissue had cooled, and the brain interprets the signal as cold regardless of the actual temperature.   TRPM8 is not the only channel involved. Other TRP channels contribute to the burning, tingling and warming components of a complete sensory experience, and the TRPA1 channel in particular overlaps with the pungency of certain spices. A cooling system that activates TRPM8 alone produces a clean, almost abstract cold; a system that also brushes adjacent pathways produces the fuller, more complex "rush" that consumers describe in premium products.

Menthol's Dual Role and Why Brands Want It Gone

Menthol is both a flavour and a cooling agent. It has a distinctive aroma, a characteristic taste and a measurable pungency, and it activates TRPM8. That dual nature is precisely the problem in a menthol-free brief: removing menthol removes both the sensation and the flavour, so the replacement work has to be split into two separate problems, a cooling system and a mint flavour system, that together recreate the impression of the original.   The commercial drivers for going menthol-free vary. Some brands want a cooling effect in a fruit, coffee, cinnamon or bubble-gum flavour where menthol's medicinal character would clash. Some markets place additional scrutiny on menthol because of tobacco-control regulation, creating a supply and messaging risk for confectionery. Some consumers simply dislike the taste of menthol while wanting the refreshment it delivers. All of these are solvable, but each implies a different target profile.

The Difference Between Cooling, Minty and Fresh

Cooling, minty and fresh are three different perceptions that are frequently treated as one. Cooling is the trigeminal cold. Minty is an aroma and taste impression associated with the mint family, which can be delivered entirely by non-cooling aroma compounds. Fresh is a broader perceptual construct that combines a clean aroma, low sweetness, mild acidity, a cooling component and often a sensation of salivation.   Confusing them leads to predictable failures. A product designed to replace menthol with aroma alone produces a mint that smells right and feels inert. A product designed to replace it with cooling agent alone produces a mint that feels cold and tastes of nothing. A product that recreates fresh deliberately, with all four components balanced, produces the result consumers actually wanted.

The Physiology of Non-Menthol Cooling Agents

Non-menthol cooling agents are a defined class of substances, most of them carboxamides, that activate TRPM8 without the aroma and taste of menthol. They are potent, generally odourless or nearly so, and chemically stable enough for confectionery use. Their differences from one another concern potency, onset speed, duration, solubility, compatibility with other flavour components and sensory quality.

The Carboxamide Family: WS-3, WS-23 and Relatives

The most widely used physiological cooling agents are known in the industry by short designations such as WS-3 and WS-23. They differ in molecular structure and consequently in sensory behaviour. One tends to deliver a fast, high-intensity, comparatively short cooling burst concentrated at the front of the mouth. Another is typically described as producing a slower, smoother, more diffuse and longer-lasting effect that builds over time and lingers.   Those behavioural differences are the practical basis for blending. A front-loaded component gives the immediate hit that consumers interpret as refreshment in the first seconds, while a slower component maintains the sensation through the chew or the dissolve and into the aftertaste. Blending two agents with complementary time-intensity curves is often described by developers as producing a "rounder" cooling than any single agent at a higher dose.

Cooling Intensity, Onset and Duration Profiles

The three parameters that define a cooling system are intensity at maximum, time to onset, and total duration. All three scale with dose, but not linearly and not identically across agents. Increasing the dose of a fast-acting agent raises peak intensity sharply but extends duration only modestly, while increasing a slow-acting agent extends duration with less effect on the peak. This means a target profile should be specified in all three dimensions rather than as a single intensity number.   Onset is also affected by the delivery format. A pressed mint that dissolves quickly releases its cooling agent rapidly, so onset is fast and peak is early. A chewing gum releases its content over many minutes, so the same agent can appear slower and more prolonged. A coated product with an encapsulated cooling system can be engineered to delay onset deliberately, which is the mechanism behind products that feel cool only after a few seconds.

Threshold, Dose and the Overcooling Failure

Cooling agents have a low sensory threshold, which is an advantage for cost and a hazard for formulation. Above an individually variable ceiling, cooling stops reading as refreshment and starts reading as a burning, numbing or chemical sensation that consumers describe in strongly negative terms. Because response to these agents varies substantially between individuals, that ceiling is not a single number but a distribution.   The practical consequence is that dose should be set by the most sensitive segment of the target population, not by the average, and the product should be validated with a panel that includes known high responders. It is also worth remembering that cooling is additive with other trigeminal irritants. A cooling system that is comfortable in a plain mint can become excessive when the same formula also carries a strong acid load, a high level of a pungent flavour note or a carbonated delivery.

Formulating Cooling Into Chewing Gum

Chewing gum is the most technically demanding delivery system for cooling because the matrix is designed to hold its contents and release them slowly. The gum base, the bulk sweetener phase, the flavour and the cooling system each partition into different phases, and the release of each is governed by solubility, by the hydration of the gum bolus and by the mechanical work of chewing.

The Release Problem in a Gum Base

Flavour and cooling agents are typically dispersed in the gum base and in a plasticiser or softener phase. Release depends on the affinity of each molecule for the base versus the saliva, so a molecule that is highly fat soluble stays in the base longer and appears late in the chew. Designing a cooling curve means choosing agents and carriers whose partition behaviour places the release at the intended time.   There is a second, subtler problem. Chewing generates a continuous flow of air across the oral mucosa, and airflow amplifies perceived cooling because TRPM8 activity is modulated by the evaporative and convective cooling that breathing produces. This is why the same formula can feel more cooling to a consumer who is chewing briskly than to one who is chewing slowly, and why panel protocols for gum have to standardise the chewing rate.

Encapsulation and Sequential Release

Encapsulation is the main tool for shaping a release curve. Spray-dried encapsulates release as the coating dissolves, giving early release; extruded or matrix encapsulates release under mechanical work and hydration, giving a later and more gradual effect; and multi-layer systems can produce a staged profile in which the cooling arrives in two or three waves. A staged release is what makes a long-lasting gum feel as though it keeps refreshing rather than fading.   The trade-offs are real. Encapsulates add cost, can introduce particulate texture if the particle size is wrong, and may interact with the sweetener or the flavour. A staged cooling system also has to be matched to the flavour release curve, because cooling that arrives after the flavour has gone feels disconnected, and cooling that peaks while the flavour is still building can obscure it.

Sweetener, Acid and Cooling Interaction

Sweeteners and acids shape perceived cooling substantially. Sugar alcohols dissolve endothermically and therefore add a genuine, if small, thermal cooling component on top of the receptor-mediated effect. Acids add a sourness that consumers associate with freshness and that increases overall perceived intensity, sometimes making a cooling system feel stronger than its analytical dose implies.   The practical rule is to validate the cooling system in the finished matrix, including the sweetener system and the acid load, rather than in a model solution. A dose that is correct in a simple syrup can be excessive in a high-acid, high-polyol product and insufficient in a low-acid, sugar-based chew. This same interaction is why our intense coffee flavour systems for coffee mints and coffee gums are specified together with a recommended cooling load, because the bitterness of coffee and the cooling system interact perceptually in a way that neither can be dosed without reference to the other.

Formulating Cooling Into Mints

The word mint covers at least three distinct product architectures with very different release behaviour, and a cooling system designed for one will not transfer directly to another. Treating them as a single category is one of the most common sources of disappointing results in menthol-free development.

Hard Mint, Pressed Mint and Soft Mint Matrices

A hard boiled mint is a glass. Its cooling agent is dispersed in the solid matrix and is released as the glass dissolves, which produces a cooling curve tied almost entirely to dissolution rate and therefore to the surface area and the hardness of the piece. Because the agent is trapped in a low-moisture glass, volatile loss during a long shelf life is limited, and the main formulation question is how quickly the piece dissolves.   A pressed or compressed mint is a compacted powder. Its cooling agent sits on the surfaces of the particles and begins to release as soon as the tablet contacts saliva, so onset is rapid and peak intensity is early. Compaction force, particle size and the proportion of fine particles all change the dissolution rate, which means a pressed mint is more process sensitive than its simple formulation suggests.   A soft mint, chew or filled centre releases its content as the matrix deforms and hydrates, which produces an intermediate curve with a slower onset than a pressed tablet and a longer duration than a hard glass. Chewy, gummy and liquid-centre formats allow the most elaborate release engineering and the most opportunity to stage cooling deliberately.

Flavour Pairing Rules for a Menthol-Free Mint

Removing menthol frees the flavour system from a dominant note, and the first instinct is to replace it with another mint-family aroma. This works, but it is not the only or always the best answer. Non-menthol mint aromas, such as spearmint and the various peppermint fractions that carry aroma without the cooling load, can supply the minty identity, while the cooling system supplies the cold.   Beyond mint, several flavour directions pair naturally with cooling. Citrus notes, particularly lemon and lime, reinforce freshness and read well with a low to moderate cooling load. Herbal and green notes, such as eucalyptus-free herbal blends, tea and green apple, work with a smoother, slower cooling curve. Sweet and creamy profiles, such as vanilla, coffee or chocolate, are the hardest pairing because cooling in a creamy context can read as a defect rather than a benefit; in those products cooling should be low, delayed and smooth rather than fast and sharp.

Sensory Measurement of Cooling

Cooling cannot be measured by an instrument in a way that maps directly to perception, so sensory evaluation remains the primary tool. The measurement problem is made harder by the unusual nature of the sensation: it is trigeminal rather than gustatory, it is amplified by airflow, it varies substantially between individuals and it is highly suggestible.

Time-Intensity and the Lack of an Absolute Scale

The standard approach is time-intensity profiling, in which trained panellists rate the intensity of the cooling sensation at regular intervals from first contact to extinction. The output is a curve with an onset time, a maximum intensity, a time to maximum and a total duration, and these four parameters together describe a cooling system far better than a single number.   Because there is no absolute physical scale for cooling intensity, panels are calibrated against reference standards, and ratings are meaningful only relative to those references and to the trained panel that produced them. Comparisons between panels, between laboratories and between countries are therefore unreliable unless the reference standards and the protocol are identical.

Panel Design and the Expectation Effect

Cooling is unusually susceptible to expectation. Panellists who are told that a sample is a cooling mint rate it as cooler than panellists who are told it is a control, and the effect is large enough to change a product decision. Blind coding, randomised presentation order, palate cleansing protocols and an adequate rest interval between samples are all necessary to produce usable data.   It is also worth including high-responder panellists deliberately. A panel drawn only from average responders will approve a dose that a sensitive minority will reject as burning, and that minority is often commercially significant. Screening a larger pool and retaining both average and high responders produces a far more useful picture of the dose-response distribution.

Regulatory Status and Labelling of Cooling Substances

Physiological cooling agents are flavouring substances, and their use is governed by the flavouring regulatory framework of each market rather than by the general additive rules. In the United States that means evaluation under the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association expert panel programme and listing, where applicable, among substances permitted for food use. In the European Union it means the Union list of flavourings established under the flavourings regulation. Internationally, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives provides specifications and evaluations that many national authorities reference.   The practical implication for developers is that the permitted status of any specific cooling substance, and the maximum level permitted in any specific food category, must be confirmed per market before a formula is finalised. A cooling system that is acceptable in one jurisdiction may require reformulation in another, and this is a design constraint to be resolved at the brief stage rather than at the point of export documentation.   Labelling adds a second consideration. A menthol-free product can still be described as mint if the flavour character supports it, but claims such as menthol-free, no menthol or cooling without menthol are marketing claims that must be accurate and, in some markets, defensible. The aroma system and the cooling system should be documented clearly so that any claim can be substantiated from the formula record.

Safety, Overuse and Formulation Discipline

Cooling substances are used at very low concentrations, and the primary safety consideration is not systemic toxicity at normal use levels but the risk of excessive sensory load and of cumulative exposure across a product range. A brand that sells a gum, a mint, a mouthwash, a lozenge and a beverage with cooling systems all present can deliver a cumulative load to a consumer that no single product would suggest.   Practical discipline means specifying dose as a range with a stated target and a stated ceiling, documenting the ceiling rationale, and applying the same ceiling consistently across a brand's product family. It also means re-evaluating the cooling load whenever the sweetener system, the acid level or the delivery format changes, because each of those changes alters perceived intensity without any change in dose.   There is also a formulation-hygiene argument. Because these agents are potent and often supplied as concentrated solutions, cross-contamination between production batches is a genuine risk in a busy flavour house. Dedicated dosing equipment, documented cleaning validation and finished-product sensory verification for every batch are the controls that keep a menthol-free line from accidentally carrying a note into an unrelated product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a cooling effect be created without menthol and without synthetic cooling agents?

It can be approached, but not fully matched. Aroma compounds that consumers associate with coldness, mild acidity, a low sweetness level, sugar alcohols with an endothermic dissolution and a strong overall freshness impression will produce a product that reads as refreshing and mildly cooling. Genuine, sustained receptor-level cooling without menthol or a cooling agent is not achievable at a level consumers recognise as cold.

Why does the cooling in my gum fade before the flavour does?

The most common cause is a mismatch between the release profiles of the two systems. If the cooling agent is free in the base while the flavour is encapsulated, the cooling appears early and disappears early. Matching the release curves, usually by encapsulating part of the cooling load or by using a slower-acting agent, brings the two back into alignment.

How much cooling agent should a mint contain?

There is no universal figure, because the correct dose depends on the agent, the matrix, the sweetener and acid levels, the target profile and the sensitivity of the intended consumer group. The workable method is to establish the target cooling curve by sensory testing, select agents whose time-intensity behaviour fits that curve, then dose to the lowest level that reaches the target without exceeding the accepted ceiling.

Does cooling without menthol taste different from a traditional mint?

Yes, and that difference is often the point. Non-menthol cooling is generally described as cleaner and less medicinal, with less of the bitter and camphoraceous edge that menthol carries at higher doses. Consumers who dislike menthol frequently prefer it, while consumers with a strong expectation of a traditional mint may perceive it as less intense.

Conclusion: Design the Sensation, Not Just the Ingredient

Cooling in mints and gum is a designed sensation. It is built from a receptor-level cold signal, an aroma system that supplies identity, a sweetness and acidity balance that shapes expectations, a texture that controls release and an airflow that amplifies everything. Remove menthol and all of those components have to be written deliberately, which is harder than substitution but produces a broader design space and often a better product.   The commercial prize is flexibility. A menthol-free cooling platform can be applied to fruit, coffee, cinnamon, herbal and dessert flavour directions that menthol would have made impossible, and it can be tuned across onset, peak and duration to suit a pressed tablet, a boiled sweet, a coated gum pellet or a chewy centre. That range is only accessible to developers who specify the target as a complete time-intensity profile rather than as a single intensity level.   If you are developing a menthol-free mint, gum or lozenge and need a cooling system engineered to a defined release curve, our technical team can support the brief from receptor-level concept through to production validation. Reach us through the cuiguai.cn contact page, or email info@cuiguai.com with your format, target market and intended cooling profile.   Technical exchange/Free samples: 📞 Phone: +86 0769 8838 0789 🌐 Website: https://www.cuiguai.cn 📧 Email: info@cuiguai.com 💬 WhatsApp & Telegram: +86 189 2926 7983

References

D. D. McKemy, W. M. Neuhausser and D. Julius, Identification of a cold receptor reveals a general role for TRP channels in thermosensation, Nature 416, 2002, the paper that identified TRPM8 as the receptor mediating menthol-evoked cold sensation. https://www.nature.com/articles/416052a   A. M. Peier and co-authors, A TRP Channel that Senses Cold Stimuli and Menthol, Cell 108, 2002, characterising the cold and menthol receptor now known as TRPM8. https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(02)00652-9   European Food Safety Authority, Flavouring Group Evaluations and the Union list of flavourings, the scientific and regulatory framework for the authorisation of flavouring substances including physiological cooling agents in the European Union. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/food-flavourings   Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Evaluations and specifications for flavouring substances, the international scientific reference widely used by national authorities. https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/en/   Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, FEMA GRAS programme and published GRAS flavouring substance lists. https://www.femaflavor.org/gras   European Parliament and Council, Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for use in and on foods, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR 172.515 on synthetic flavouring substances and adjuvants. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1334/oj