FDA allows Zyn to market pouches as lower risk than cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration has allowed Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed with claims that switching from cigarettes can reduce the risk of several serious diseases. Tobacco control researchers at the University of California, San Francisco say the decision could give the pouch category a powerful new sales message at a time when youth use is growing.

The FDA cleared Philip Morris-owned Zyn on June 30 to say that using Zyn instead of cigarettes can lower the risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis, according to the agency. UCSF researchers said the authorization gives the biggest nicotine pouch brand new visibility and could influence how consumers view the products.

Pamela Ling, director of UCSF’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, said nicotine pouches are small porous packets placed between the lip and gum. They contain nicotine and filler material, and nicotine enters the bloodstream through tissue in the mouth, according to Ling.

How the products differ from older smokeless tobacco

Ling said nicotine pouches build on older smokeless products such as Swedish snus and pouch tobacco sold in the United States. Unlike those products, nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco leaf; they use nicotine in a cellulose-based filler and often include flavoring, according to UCSF.

That design can make the products appear cleaner and easier to hide than chewing tobacco, Ling said. She said traditional smokeless tobacco is often seen as messy because it can require spitting, while pouches are small, white and spit-free.

UCSF said nicotine pouch use among Americans remains in the low single digits. But a national study cited by UCSF found use among youth and young adults nearly quadrupled between 2022 and 2025, and an FDA analysis released in June found youth pouch use stayed steady while use of other tobacco products declined.

Concerns over addiction and youth marketing

Ling said the products are widely sold in convenience stores and promoted on social media, including through memes and videos. She said some consumers may mistake pouches for nicotine replacement therapy and use them while trying to stop using other tobacco products.

UCSF said there is no data showing nicotine pouches work as smoking cessation products. Ling also warned that pouches could extend tobacco use rather than end it for some users.

Nicotine pouches may expose users to fewer toxic chemicals than cigarettes, Ling said, but she cautioned that lower risk compared with smoking does not make them risk-free. Nicotine is highly addictive, and researchers do not yet have long-term data on newer pouch products, according to UCSF.

A National Youth Tobacco Survey analysis published in Pediatrics found nicotine pouches were the only tobacco product to increase in use among middle and high school students, according to UCSF. Ling said youth initiation is a public health concern even if the products are less harmful than cigarettes.

UCSF tobacco experts opposed the Zyn marketing application. Ling said the FDA can revisit its decision if youth uptake rises significantly or health harms become clearer, and she called for parents, communities and researchers to report concerns and document how the products are being used.

This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.