By Laura Cooper
U.S. officials are allowing Zyn to market itself as being less harmful than traditional cigarettes, making the product the first nicotine pouch on the market to be granted such a distinction.
The Food and Drug Administration announced that 20 different Zyn nicotine pouches — including flavors ranging from cool mint to cinnamon — can carry language stating that using the pouches instead of smoking cigarettes puts users at a lower risk of mouth cancer, stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Zyn nicotine pouches, a product of Swedish Match USA which is owned by Philip Morris International, contain no tobacco and are the most popular brand in the U.S. They were granted permission to stay on the market in early 2025, the first pouch to receive the authorization.
Nicotine pouches look similar to small tea bags and are filled with nicotine, salt and can contain other materials like flavorings and wood pulp.
Philip Morris International U.S. chief executive Stacey Kennedy said the decision gives more than 45 million legal-age nicotine consumers in America "access to accurate, science-based information including FDA-authorized evidence that switching from cigarettes to ZYN reduces the risk of smoking-related diseases."
Zyn has become an important driver of revenue for Philip Morris International. In recent years the company has invested in manufacturing across the U.S. to produce the pouches, after consumer shortages. In the most recent quarter, though, shipments of the product fell roughly 24%.
The nicotine pouches are not the first product to receive this authorization. Eight General Snus products — which are pouches that include tobacco — also owned by Philip Morris International, were granted similar rights.
Jefferies analysts said the news was a "slight positive" for Zyn's manufacturer but broadly a more positive for the larger oral nicotine category.
Watch: ZYN's Controversial Rise
Write to Laura Cooper at laura.cooper@wsj.com