Vapes and cigarettes are starting to be pushed out of the market by newer nicotine pouch products like ZYN which market themselves as an alternative to inhaling nicotine.

Nicotine pouches are a highly addictive nicotine delivery product that has been in circulation across the United States since 2014. Recently brands like ZYN have exploded in the marketplace as a “better alternative” to vaping and specifically marketing themselves to current nicotine users over the legal age.

That begs the question, are ZYNs better for you than vapes or cigarettes?

What are ZYNs?

ZYN is a company that has been selling its nicotine pouch products in the United States since 2014 and was once overshadowed by flavored vapes.

Since the ban on flavored vapes and tobacco products in California with Senate Bill 793, nicotine pouches have cornered the market with their products. Although still considered a “flavored smokeless tobacco product,” it is still common to see pouches in Cool Mint, Spearmint, Wintergreen, Citrus and Smooth in circulation as stores sell them under the table with leftover supplies before the Jan. 2024 effect date.

ZYNs come in a variety of flavors in a small plastic tin similar in size to chewing tobacco. The pouches themselves contain white powdered nicotine as well as other food-grade preservatives and flavoring that gives it a specified taste.

The company ZYN itself is currently marketing itself to those over 21 and current nicotine users. They also require a person to verify their age and legal name to access their website.

The product is specifically made for those looking to stop inhaling for slightly healthier alternatives. The ZYN website states, “If you do not currently use nicotine, ZYN is not for you.”

What do ZYNs feel like?

As stated on the ZYN website, they are designed to be used by those who use nicotine often.
For those who are not nicotine users, ingesting ZYN may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Dr. Nidhi Kumar, a New Jersey cardiologist, explained in an interview with CBS News that ZYNs are “pouches packed with problems” and come with the same health risks and concerns as their inhaled consumption of tobacco products.

Once the nicotine is absorbed, the body will be filled with a warmer feeling. The user will feel physically lighter and euphoric. Some smaller side effects are tingling saliva and increased spit volume.

Can ZYNs cause gum disease?

Nicotine pouches in general will negatively impact your health over time.

According to The University of Nebraska Health Center, “The long-term health impact of nicotine pouches is still unknown. They are not technically categorized as smokeless tobacco, so the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate them as strictly as smoked tobacco products or combustible tobacco.”

As nicotine pouch products have only been in the market for 20 years, it’s impossible to measure the long-term health impacts of these products.

However, the known dangers of ZYNs that have been proven are the effects nicotine has on minors. Nicotine has historically been linked to detrimental effects on the brain’s development of those under the age of 24.

According to the CDC on the risks of vaping, “Using nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control.”

Finally, it’s important to know that similar products that dispense nicotine through the gums have been shown to do damage.

A recent study in 2023 on emerging oral nicotine products states that these products have significant health risks and show the various chemicals that affect the mouth in adolescents and young adults.

Conclusion

Although ZYNs are currently an under-researched product, there are known inherent side effects with all tobacco products such as stunting the brain’s development of users younger than 24, gum and mouth diseases that may result in cancerous due to its contents containing tobacco-specific nitrosamines and several health experts advocating against the endorsement of them being healthy substitutes to traditional tobacco products.

It is hard to quantify the exact long-term side effects that may have on the body of a user.

What we do know is that nicotine is a highly addictive chemical that can do damage long term and that alone is enough cause to pause before partaking in these problem pouches.