Zyn Nicotine Patches and Teens: Are There Health Risks?

Three years ago, Ratch says, one of his fraternity friends introduced him to the product. “He said it helped him focus when he took back-to-back classes, so I tried it,” he says, noting that it helped him too and that he liked the buzz. “Since then, I’ve been hooked.”

Today, he says, he goes from one can to one can a day and a half, or about 25 sachets in total, placing a sachet between his gum and lip or cheek every 15 minutes to deliver the maximum available in the US 6 mg of nicotine without tobacco (compared to 10 to 12 mg for a cigarette) directly into his bloodstream through the mucous membrane of his mouth. His frequent posts, sponsored by Snus Town, a UK-based online store that sends him 10 cans a week to enjoy, range from dreaming up new flavors of Zyn to simply declaring his love for the little white packets .

And while Zyn's website says its product is aimed at adults 21 and older who currently use nicotine, Ratch, 22, says he's never smoked or vaped (and hasn't still not done) when he started using it as a teenager. “Zyn is the only type of nicotine I’ve ever used,” he says.

He is now only part of the 2.1% of adults (5.2 million people) who use smokeless tobacco products in the United States, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which does not do not specifically detail nicotine sachets).

Ratch isn't the only Zyn user who started as a teenager, either. According to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, it is estimated that 1.5% of high school and middle school students (more than half of whom are boys), representing 400,000 adolescents, use nicotine pouches, or roughly Nearly the same percentage (1.6%) who smoke cigarettes, but much less than those who vape (7.7%).

Those numbers have remained unchanged in recent years, notes an April FDA press release regarding retailers' sales of nicotine pouches to minors. Nonetheless, said Brian King, director of the FDA's Tobacco Products Center, “the FDA remains concerned about any tobacco products that may appeal to youth and we will continue to closely monitor youth use of these products.” .”

Zyn sales soared

Thanks to users of all ages, Zyn and other oral nicotine products (along with other brands like Velo, On! and Rogue) constitute a market expected to generate $2 billion in U.S. revenue this year , although most brands, including Zyn, have none. its products authorized for sale in the United States by the FDA. Indeed, they arrived on the market in 2014, before the FDA had put in place regulations for new tobacco and nicotine products, and they are now required to retroactively prove that they present sufficient public health benefits to remain available. These decisions are now pending.

Sales, meanwhile, are skyrocketing, growing sixfold between 2019 and 2022. And Zyn maker Swedish Match's parent company, Philip Morris International, reported a nearly 80% increase in its sales in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. , leading to a current shortage in some markets.

Many attribute youth usage to the prevalence of Zyn content on social media, where fans, or “Zynfluencers,” can try new flavors for the first time or build sculptures from the hundreds of empty cans they have collected, using slang terms like “lip pillow” or “top deck” because of where the pouches are placed in the mouth.

All of this has fueled some fears that Zyn could be the next Juul in terms of its appeal to young people and public health implications – something that Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized on recently, in calling on regulators to investigate Zyn because of its appeal. to adolescents. This sparked backlash from some prominent conservatives, including Tucker Carlson, who previously went viral in a Zyn-themed video posted to Instagram by prank influencers the Nelk Boys. In response to Schumer, he said, “Zyn is not a sin.”

A spokesperson for Philip Morris International issued the following statement to Fortune:

“For the nearly 30 million Americans who smoke, Swedish Match is committed to developing products like ZYN that are scientifically proven to be a better alternative to continuing to smoke.” Swedish Match goes beyond legal requirements to ensure that our marketing is aimed at nicotine users of legal age over 21 years of age. We do not use social media influencers, decline requests for such partnerships, age-restrict our digital channels, and only use adult-oriented products. flavors. We also joined We are cards Advisory Council, a non-profit organization serving age-restricted retailers, to work with them to educate and train front-line retail employees on the need to obtain a card for nicotine sachets, and ensure that sachets are included in 21+ signage in the vast majority of physical stores. stores. Manufacturers, regulators, retailers and social media platforms need to work together to ensure these products are only used by people 21 and older, and we believe we are doing our part to achieve that goal.

Regardless, it's important for parents to be aware of Zyn and its risks, Rees says, adding, “It's reasonable to be concerned any time a child uses an addictive substance or product.” »

Here's what else parents need to know.

Nicotine addiction is real and presents health risks

“Addiction itself is considered a health problem,” says Rees, “and nicotine use disorders have implications for the social and emotional development of young people.”

He says in part: “This narrows the behavioral repertoire, so rather than choosing activities that might be beneficial or that might enhance engagement with other people and with the world in a positive way, they tend to make choices much more restricted than substance use disorders impose. » Instead of spending time with friends, for example, addicted teens will “stay alone and use nicotine.”

Other health risks from nicotine include a moderately high risk of increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to the heart and narrowing of the arteries, according to the American Heart Association. But the risk of cardiovascular disease, Rees points out, is much lower than with smoking. Most research indicates that cigarette smoke, not nicotine, is the cause of cancer, although some research suggests that nicotine may cause a type of DNA damage that could increase cancer risk.

Additionally, a recent small study of pouch users found self-reported side effects including mouth sores, stomach upset, and sore throat.

On the positive side, there is “some evidence” that it can help with concentration, but “it could cause concentration to deteriorate if you're in withdrawal,” notes Lynn Kozlowski, a longtime tobacco researcher and professor emeritus. at the University at Buffalo. School of Public Health and Health Professions.

What concerns Kozlowski most is a recent study from the Truth Initiative, a nonprofit educational organization that discourages tobacco and nicotine use. It found that most young people aged 15 to 24 who use nicotine pouches orally also smoke cigarettes (73%) and almost half (49%) also vape.

These findings, he says, are why he believes parents shouldn't get too distracted by Zyn.

“Smoking is the most important thing to discourage,” he says. “My concern is that if you have a younger demographic who are largely experimenting with smoking and sachets, you don't want a message that makes people more afraid of sachets than cigarettes. ”

He pointed to a recent survey in which most smokers wrongly believe that vaping is just as harmful, if not more so, than smoking cigarettes. “Oh my God, is that wrong,” he said. “The main carcinogenic ingredients are elements contained in an oxidizing product… The sachets are completely comparable in toxicological terms to nicotine lozenges and gum: they do not penetrate your lungs. And most of what kills people is smoke getting into the lungs.

A nicotine patch is in no way a “health food,” Kozlowski adds. But if you have a child who uses a pouch, “look carefully and quickly to see if he or she is also smoking.” If there is only one cover and no smoking, that's progress.