Nicotine Pouches

    Nicotine Pouches

    Our nicotine pouches, commercialized as ZYN, are smoke-free products that, by design, provide nicotine without generating smoke or aerosol. Because they do not burn tobacco, they expose the body to lower levels of hamful chemicals than cigarettes. In this article, we review what nicotine pouches are and how they compare with other smoke-free and products.

    What are nicotine pouches?

    A nicotine pouch is an oral smokeless product that does not contain tobacco leaves. It is a small, porous pouch that users place in the mouth, between the upper lip and gums, generally for around 30 minutes, to allow the absorption of nicotine through the mucous membranes of the mouth. They are a relatively new addition to Philip Morris International’s (PMI’s) wide range of smoke-free products, such as heated tobacco products and e-vapor products, that have the potential to provide nicotine with lower levels of harmful chemicals compared with combustible products like cigarettes.

    Alongside nicotine pouches, we also provide snus in our range of oral products. Although they are similar in appearance and are both placed in the mouth between the gum and the upper lip, snus contain tobacco, while nicotine pouches generally contain nicotine derived from tobacco. 

    Similarly to other smoke-free products, nicotine pouches represent, for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, a better alternative to cigarettes and other combusted products. 

    Composition of nicotine pouches

    Nicotine pouches come in various sizes, shapes, weights, moisture content, and nicotine strengths. They contain nicotine, binders and/or fillers, pH buffers, water for moist products, and flavorings, all at varying concentrations, depending on the product and on whether it has a dry or moist composition.

    Pouch

    Serving as a holder for the nicotine-containing substrate, the pouch is made of nonwoven material. 

     

    Nicotine

    The nicotine used by PMI in nicotine pouches is of pharmaceutical purity, it is extracted from tobacco leaves and not synthetically derived. Nicotine from the pouch is extracted into the saliva and mainly absorbed via the mucous membranes in the mouth before entering the bloodstream. 

     

    Binders and fillers

    Nicotine pouches contain binders, fillers, and stabilizers. These components help modulate the speed of nicotine release, the sensory aspect of the pouch inside the mouth, and moisture content. They include:

    • Cellulose and plant fibers to act as fillers and stabilizers
    • Humectants (i.e., glycerol) in moist products
    • Water (in moist products)

     

    pH adjusters

    Nicotine uptake via the oral mucosa is more efficient when nicotine is in its unprotonated (freebase) form, which is the predominant form at pH higher than 8. Therefore, pH adjusters are often used to increase the pH of nicotine pouches. Sodium carbonate, sometimes in combination with sodium bicarbonate or calcium chloride, is used to adjust the pH of the pouches.

     

    Flavor 

    The nicotine-containing substrate in our nicotine pouches includes food-grade flavors and/or sweeteners. 

    Harm reduction evidence for snus and nicotine pouches

    Although nicotine pouches are a recent addition to PMI’s portfolio of smoke-free products, their development covers data specific to nicotine pouches as well as the extensive research on Swedish snus. This includes numerous real-world and epidemiological studies for snus use in Sweden which provide evidence of population-level harm reduction. 

    In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of eight snus smokeless tobacco products from Swedish Match USA, Inc. (a PMI company) through the modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) pathway. In this first ever set of modified risk orders granted, the authorized reduced risk claim states that, “Using General Snus instead of cigarettes puts you at lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.” The MRTP for General Snus was renewed for another eight years in November 2024.

    In 2025, the FDA also authorized 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway, following an extensive scientific review. The FDA found that authorizing ZYN is adequate for the protection of public health and noted that ZYN can help people switch from cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products.

    Overview of the differences between cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and snus

    In summary, nicotine pouches and snus are different from cigarettes in that they don’t produce smoke or ash, and they provide significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals. 

    Snus and nicotine pouches do contain nicotine. Nicotine is addictive and not risk free, but it’s not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Smoke-free alternatives are only for adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking. The best choice any smoker can make is to quit cigarettes and nicotine altogether.

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    Reduced Risk Products ("RRPs”) is the term we use to refer to products that present, are likely to present, or have the potential to present less risk of harm to smokers who switch to these products versus continuing smoking. PMI has a range of RRPs in various stages of development, scientific assessment and commercialization. All of our RRPs are smoke-free products that deliver nicotine with far lower quantities of harmful and potentially harmful constituents than found in cigarette smoke.