Zyn (nicotine pouches)

Zyn (stylized in all caps) is a brand of nicotine pouches, produced by Swedish Match, a subsidiary of Phillip Morris International. . Zyn pouches are designed to be placed between the gum and upper lip for nicotine to be absorbed through the bloodstream and are available in several variants with different nicotine strengths and flavours. Contrary to snus, nicotine pouches do not contain any tobacco and constitute a different product category.

Zyn is mainly distributed in the United States, where it represented more than 60% of the industry in 2022, but it is also available in Scandinavia, the UK and other parts of Europe.

History
Zyn pouches were first introduced in 2014 in the United States by Swedish-American bio-chemists Linus Mealey and Mattias Sharpe-Sjöberg From 2017 to 2019 one of Swedish Match's US plants, located in Owensboro, Kentucky, was expanded to handle the manufacturing of Zyn pouches directly in the US. The works required an investment of $115 million and the new plant opened in May 2019. By the end of 2020, they were available in about 100,000 stores in the United States. Zyn pouches are also distributed in other countries, such as Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Sales of Zyn pouches have grown rapidly and have contributed to a significant increase in Swedish Match's revenues from 2020 onwards. Although tobacco companies entered the nicotine pouch category around the same time, Swedish Match reached a 67% market share in the US at the beginning of 2023. According to a study focusing on the four main brands available in the US between September 2019 and March 2022, Zyn's sales increased from around 20 million pouches per month in the last quarter of 2019 to more than 140 million pouches per month in the first quarter of 2022. The company reported sales reaching 261 million pouches at the beginning of 2023.

In November 2022, Swedish Match was acquired by Philip Morris International. Zyn has been identified among the strategic brands acquired by the tobacco giant to achieve its vision of a "smoke-free future", alongside the company's existing portfolio of Iqos and Veev vaping products. Subsequently, Shiro, Philip Morris' nicotine pouch brand will be renamed Zyn.

Features
Zyn pouches are sold in round cans (resembling those traditionally used for smokeless tobacco products like snus and dipping tobacco) containing 15 or 20 pouches depending on the market. These cans are available with different levels of nicotine strength (such as 3 or 6 milligrams per pouch in the US) and different flavored and unflavored varieties.

The pouches contain nicotine extracted from tobacco leaves, together with food grade ingredients. The pouches themselves are made of plant fibers, which allow the nicotine to diffuse out of the pouch when moistened. They are designed to be placed between the user's upper lip and gum, or between the gum and cheek, and used for around 30 minutes.

Criticism and controversies
Consumption of nicotine pouches seem to result in levels of nicotine in the blood that are similar to those from cigarettes. Various tobacco-control advocates have also alleged that the pouches could constitute gateway products for youth.

In 2021, Swedish Match was criticized in the UK for its Zyn marketing on social media, including presenting its nicotine pouches as a supplement to regular smoking in places where smoking is banned, with the slogan "Can't smoke? Can't vape? Can Zyn".

Nicotine pouches are addictive and the long-term health effects remain unknown. Among side effects associated with the consumption of nicotine pouches, users reported gum irritation, hiccups or nausea.