Comparing the Rise in Popularity of ZYN Pouches with Smoking and Vaping: What's the Difference?

The popularity of ZYN pouches is on the rise and it may present an issue.

Among the many brands of nicotine pouches available, ZYN stands out due to its recent popular exposure on platforms such as TikTok, where videos encompassing the topic have accumulated 292.6 million views.

These nicotine pouches are marketed as tools for cigarette smoking cessation, according to Irfan Rahman, PhD, a researcher at the University of Rochester Medicine specializing in toxicants.

However, there has been insufficient research on these products to determine convincingly whether they are actually helpful in quitting smoking. Rahman states that any claims in this regard are unsupported by existent data.

Users consume these nicotine pouches by placing them in their mouths, against their gums, and drawing on them. The nicotine is treated to prevent dental staining and the pouches dissolve after use, eliminating the need for disposal, Rahman explained.

ZYN pouches, which come in flavors like wintergreen and cinnamon, are particularly appealing to younger individuals who may not fully comprehend the risks associated with nicotine.

Although ZYN pouches do not contain tobacco unlike traditional cigarettes, they may still pose health hazards, including nicotine addiction.

Nicotine addicts can suffer from irritability, depression, anxiety, cravings, sleep disturbances, increased appetite, and cognitive and attention deficits when they go without nicotine for extended periods, according to physician Neil Schachter of Mount Sinai, who adds that nicotine use can also elevate the heart rate.

He describes nicotine as a pharmacological product with significant physiological effects.

Despite the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s crackdown on vapes, experts warn that nicotine pouches could potentially introduce a new public health concern affecting young people.

Data from November 2022 reveals that sales of nicotine pouches have surged from approximately 126 million to 808 million units from 2019 to 2022.

Consumers should be aware of the potential risks associated with ZYN pouches.

Nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and lozenges, have aided several individuals in quitting smoking, according to Schachter. He also notes that most people who quit smoking do so independently, often with the help of nicotine replacement products.

Although products such as e-cigarettes and vapes were designed to help smokers quit, these devices have become popular among young people who have not previously been cigarette addicts.

Schachter warns that these products, despite their potential benefits, also carry health risks.

ZYN pouches, which were first launched in 2014, followed by other nicotine pouch brands like on! and Rogue, do not have any proven effectiveness as a smoking cessation tool despite being marketed as such.

Recent research published in the Addiction journal investigated smokers' responses to nicotine pouch use and found that traditional cigarettes were more effective in alleviating nicotine cravings.

Experts fear that ZYN pouches may become as popular among children and teenagers as Juul electronic cigarettes, having become common on educational sites from high schools to colleges.

Some suggest the marketing of these products bears similarities to youth-targeted Juul advertising, as noted by epidemiologist Brittney Keller-Hamilton of The Ohio State University College of Public Health. As Rahman points out, the use of various nicotine and tobacco products among teenagers is quite common today.

It’s especially dangerous since teenage bodies are still developing, Rahman said. It’s also relatively easy to access the products online, where companies may simply ask someone to say they’re over 18.

“It’s extremely easy for underage people to get these nicotine products [by checking a box that says,] ‘Are you 18 or older?’” Schachter said. “How safe a gate is that?”

Using nicotine at the recommendation of a healthcare provider, no matter your age, is always recommended.

“Under medical supervision, it’s less likely a person’s going to abuse or use this in an inappropriate way,” Schachter explained.

Health authorities should emphasize who may benefit from any nicotine product—and who should avoid them.

“Anybody who doesn’t already use nicotine should not start using nicotine,” Keller-Hamilton said.

Regulatory authorities typically lag behind the tobacco industry and other companies that market and sell these products.

“These companies are very smart, and the chemists [developing their products] are smarter than us,” Rahman said. “By the time we do any research [on their products], they’ve moved on to another product.”

Schachter echoed this worry, explaining these companies are typically many steps ahead of public health officials.

“There’s definitely a monetary incentive in promoting both cigarettes and nicotine-related products, and there’s just no end to the ways the manufacturers try to get around the health risks,” he said.

Parents should therefore make sure their children know that both traditional tobacco products and nicotine replacement products can cause serious harm. “The best way to quit is not to start at all,” Schachter said.

Health reached out to ZYN for comment; the company, owned by Swedish Match, declined to answer questions about the safety of their products.