Nicotine Pouches Lead Innovation in the Face of Challenges

CHICAGO — Ahead of the 2021 NACS Show, which took place Oct. 5 through 8 in Chicago, CSP asked some of the leading tobacco companies what top-performing products they were showcasing this year. Nearly all the responses were nicotine pouches.

It’s not a surprise why when looking at the data: In the first half of this year, unit sales in convenience stores for spitless tobacco products showed the highest growth among the other-tobacco-product category for that period, up 52.4%, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. The discreet, noncombustible option even managed to grow in a year when consumers faced fewer limits on when they could smoke through the COVID-19 pandemic.

That doesn’t mean the modern oral nicotine (MON) segment isn’t facing challenges, though. A coalition of state attorneys general on Aug. 18 sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking it to deny all premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for e-cigarette and oral nicotine products containing high levels of nicotine and containing menthol or other flavors. The effort, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, also calls on the FDA to restrict marketing for those products, which include pouches, gums and lozenges.

New, “deemed” tobacco products that submitted PMTAs on time can legally be sold in the U.S. until Sept. 9, or until the FDA takes negative action on them. The agency has accepted more than 6.9 million products for review, and of those, the vast majority are electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), according to the most recent data available from the FDA as of late August. In 2021, the FDA accepted for review 35 products in the “other” category, which is where nicotine pouches fall.

What the FDA decides will be allowed on the market past Sept. 9 remains to be determined. The agency has given out more than 300 marketing denial orders (MDO), which prevent a tobacco product from legally being marketed in the United States. It has granted marketing orders for some products, too, including Winston-Salem, N.C.-based R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.’s Vuse Solo ENDS device and accompanying tobacco-flavored e-liquids. The FDA also approved Altria Group’s discontinued oral tobacco products under the Verve brand.

Here’s a look at what’s on the market now in the nicotine pouch and hemp-wrap space …

On Nicotine Pouches from Richmond, Va.-based Altria are a tobacco leaf-free alternative for adult nicotine consumers 21 and older. The On portfolio consists of seven varieties—Cinnamon, Citrus, Mint, Wintergreen, Berry, Coffee and Original—and five nicotine strengths. On is available in more than 100,000 retail stores.

Swisher’s growing Hempire product line now includes a selection of wraps: two terpene-infused wraps and four flavored wraps. The terpene wraps are infused with terpenes, a constituent of essential oils responsible for the smell and flavor in all plants and fruit. The flavored wraps come in Straw Blurry Clouds, Honey Fu-Fu, Blue Blurry Blaze and Cali Cream.

The launch of Hempire Wraps furthers the Jacksonville, Fla.-based company’s development of Swisher as a lifestyle brand with Hempire as one of its core businesses, the company said. Hempire Wraps are being introduced in three phases, with a national launch in October and a goal of being in 20,000 stores by the end of 2021.

Hempire Wraps were voted the best new product of 2021 in the CBD/Hemp-Combustible category in CSP’s 2021 Retailer Choice Best New Product Contest.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. launched Velo coffee-flavored nicotine pouches in c-stores on Sept. 20. The pouches provide a roasted, rich flavor experience, the company said, and are sold in 4 milligram and 7 milligram strengths. Velo is available in three strengths and 10 flavors total. The tobacco-free, spit-free pouches can be used virtually anywhere, according to the company.

Chicago-based Black Buffalo’s nicotine pouches and long-cut tobacco alternatives provide adult consumers the same pack, aroma, dark color, flavor and nicotine buzz of traditional moist smokeless tobacco products without tobacco leaf or stem, the company said. Black Buffalo has five long-cut varieties and three pouches filed under the PMTA process. It also has a Zero product lineup of nicotine-free and tobacco-free Long Cut and Pouches. 

Black Buffalo Smokeless Tobacco Alternative pouches were voted the best new product of 2021 in the Tobacco/Nicotine category in CSP’s 2021 Retailer Choice Best New Product Contest.

Smokey Mountain Herbal Pouches come in Arctic Mint and Wintergreen. The new pouches are larger than before and naturally caffeinated with green-tea extract, according to the Darien, Conn.-based company. The pouches are free of tobacco and nicotine. The products are made with natural-colored fleece, which is soft, durable and free of dyes or colors. Smokey Mountain Herbal Pouches are made in Smokey Mountain’s own manufacturing plant in Coppell, Texas.

Niin’s Zero Tobacco Nicotine Pouches are made with synthetic nicotine. They come in two nicotine strengths—3 and 6 milligrams—and five flavors: Citrus Chill, Cinnamon, Cool Mint, Spearmint and Wintergreen. There are 20 large pouches per can. Niin’s synthetic nicotine (TFN) is formulated with a pH adjuster and select flavors, then infused into a finely ground, neutral cellulose base and pre-moistened to ensure even adherence throughout, according to the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based company. 

Zyn Nicotine Pouches from Swedish Match offer a smoke-free, spit-free nicotine experience that consumers can enjoy for up to one hour, according to the Richmond, Va.-based company. The pouches come in a variety of strengths and flavors, including Cool Mint, Peppermint, Wintergreen, Spearmint, Cinnamon, Coffee, Citrus and Menthol. The products also have two “flavor-ban approved” options, Smooth and Chill, the company said.

Fre Pouches are a nontobacco, spit-free nicotine choice from Turning Point Brands, Louisville, Ky. The pouches come in five flavors: Wintergreen, Mint, Sweet, Lush and Mocha. There are 9 and 12 milligram nicotine strengths available, with 20 pouches per can.