The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zyn owner Philip Morris International (PMI) to market its nicotine pouches as less harmful than cigarettes. Going forward, 20 Zyn products will be allowed to carry the following modified-risk claim: "Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis."
The decision officially puts the FDA in line with the science, which has long found that nicotine pouches are vastly safer than smoking. As the FDA says, "for adults who smoke, switching completely from cigarettes to nicotine pouches may reduce exposure to many harmful chemicals found in cigarettes." This assessment is supported by a 2023 randomized, controlled study, which found that people who switched from cigarettes to nicotine pouches had significantly lower exposure to harmful chemicals within just one week. Those who quit saw their exposure rate reduced by approximately 42 percent to 96 percent compared to the group who continued to smoke. This is a similar reduction level to that of those who quit using nicotine products entirely. The researchers concluded that "the substantial reduction in harmful and potentially harmful constituent exposure" suggests that switching from cigarettes to nicotine pouches "may present a harm reduction opportunity for adults who smoke."
