The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized the popular Zyn nicotine pouches for sale in the U.S., after studies by the agency determined Philip Morris International’s nicotine pouches posed a lower risk of cancer than traditional tobacco products like cigarettes.
The increasingly popular nicotine pouches pose a lower risk of cancer than cigarettes, U.S. health ... [+]
The FDA said 10 nicotine pouches made by Philip Morris International—including mint-, cinnamon- and coffee-flavored Zyn pouches, among other flavors—could remain on the market and allowed the company to advertise those products.
An evaluation by the FDA determined the Zyn pouches contained “substantially lower” amounts of harmful ingredients than cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products while posing a lower risk of cancer and other serious health conditions than those products, according to the agency.
Philip Morris International agreed to advertisement restrictions to prevent younger people from using the Zyn pouches, including not advertising on radio and TV and not hiring any actors or models younger than 35 years old for any marketing, the FDA said.
A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA on youth tobacco use last month found that 1.8% (480,000) of middle and high school students reported using nicotine pouches in 2024, and Zyn products were the most popular.
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$2.9 billion. That’s how much Forbes estimates will be generated by Zyn product sales in 2025 as Philip Morris International increases production.
Nicotine pouches like Zyn have become increasingly popular over the last decade, though health advocacy groups have warned against their use. Nicotine pouch sales in the U.S. rose by 641% between 2019 and 2022, though use among adults remained low, according to a study published July 2024. A University of Southern California study found 2.9% of adults in the U.S. have ever used nicotine pouches, and 5.2% of adults who attempted to quit smoking cigarettes in 2024 used pouches to help limit their use. The FDA said last year it would review the marketing application for Zyn and other nicotine pouches, as groups like the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and others warned the products can more easily be obtained by children than cigarettes. The FDA said in April 2024 it had issued more than 100 warning letters to retailers warning against the sale of Zyn products and other nicotine pouches to children. Philip Morris International suspended online sales of Zyn pouches in June to comply with Washington, D.C.’s, ban on flavored nicotine products, though the suspension was lifted in December.
Philip Morris International, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, acquired Zyn manufacturer Swedish Match in a $16 billion deal in 2022. That deal increased Philip Morris International’s stake in the nicotine market to 70%, according to Forbes’ estimates.