ArticleTobacco control2025
Synthetic cooling agent in oral nicotine pouch products marketed as 'Flavour-Ban Approved'.
Article in Tobacco control, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Appeal and Sensory Characteristics of Oral Nicotine Products in Young Adults Who Vape E-Cigarettes.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Trial
- Chili Pepper Flavourants in "Heat" and "Unflavoured" Oral Nicotine Pouches Marketed in the United States.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Sales of cigarettes with WS-3, a synthetic cooling agent, in an area with a menthol cigarette sales prohibition.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Article
- Preflavour and postflavour ban oral nicotine pouches: a chemical, sensory and young adult appeal analysis.Tobacco control · 2026Article
- Recommended self-report measures for use of menthol, mint and cooling-flavoured nicotine and tobacco products.Tobacco control · 2026Article
- Artificial Sweeteners in US-Marketed Oral Nicotine Pouch Products: Correlation With Nicotine Contents and Effects on Product Preference.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Article
- Comparison of Nicotine and Selected Flavoring Contents Between Tobacco-Free and Tobacco-Containing Oral Pouches.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Article
- The Promotion of Oral Nicotine Pouches for Non-Smoking Cessation Purposes on TikTok.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Article
- The tip of the iceberg: Profiling cooling agents using computational approaches to inform tobacco regulatory science.PloS one · 2026Article
- Recent trends in sales of electronic nicotine devices and oral nicotine pouches by flavour.Tobacco control · 2025Article
- Differences in "minty" flavor compound and synthetic cooling agent presence in US-marketed menthol-mint e-liquids and devices between 2019-2023.Research square · 2025Article
- Trends of oral nicotine pouch prices and sales by product characteristics in the USA, 2021-2024.Tobacco control · 2025Article
- A comprehensive review on oral nicotine pouches: Available scientific evidence and future research needs.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2025Review
- The Potential Impact of Oral Nicotine Pouches on Public Health: A Scoping Review.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2025Article
- Knowledge and Use of Menthol-Mimicking Cigarettes Among Adults in the US.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Nicotine pouches: a narrative review of the existing literature.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Content analysis of marketing features in US nicotine pouch ads from 2021 to 2023.Tobacco control · 2024Article
- Oral mucosal changes caused by nicotine pouches: case series.Diagnostic pathology · 2024Article
- The Scientific Basis for the Regulation of Flavors in Tobacco Products.Annual review of clinical psychology · 2024Review
- Artificial Sweeteners in US-Marketed Oral Nicotine Pouch Products: Correlation with Nicotine Contents and Effects on Product Preference.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundUS sales of oral nicotine pouches (ONPs) have rapidly increased, with cool/mint-flavoured ONPs the most popular flavour category. Restrictions on sales of flavoured tobacco products have either been implemented or proposed by several US states and localities. Zyn, the most popular ONP brand, is marketing Zyn Chill and Zyn Smooth as 'Flavour-Ban Approved' or 'unflavoured', probably to evade flavour bans and increase product appeal. At present, it is unclear whether these ONPs are indeed free of flavour additives that can impart pleasant sensations such as cooling.
methodsSensory cooling and irritant activities of 'Flavour-Ban Approved' Zyn ONPs, Chill and Smooth, along with minty varieties (Cool Mint, Peppermint, Spearmint, Menthol), were analysed by Ca
resultsZyn Chill ONP extracts robustly activated TRPM8, with much higher efficacy (39%-53%) than the mint-flavoured ONPs. In contrast, mint-flavoured ONP extracts elicited stronger TRPA1 irritant receptor responses than Chill extracts. Chemical analysis demonstrated that Chill exclusively contained WS-3, an odourless synthetic cooling agent, while mint-flavoured ONPs contained WS-3 together with mint flavourants.
conclusionsONP products marketed as 'Flavour-Ban Approved' or 'unflavoured' contain flavouring agents, proving that the manufacturer's advertising is misleading. Synthetic coolants such as WS-3 can provide a robust cooling sensation with reduced sensory irritancy, thereby increasing product appeal and use. Regulators need to develop effective strategies for the control of odourless sensory additives used by the industry to bypass flavour bans.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.