FDA allows Philip Morris-owned Zyn marketed as less harmful cigarettes
Food and Drug Administration cleared Tuesday Philip MorrisMarketing Zyn’s nicotine pouches as less harmful than cigarettes would give the tobacco giant a major regulatory win as the Trump administration loosens restrictions on nicotine products.
The decision was announced for the first time axiosAllows 20 Zyn products to carry modified risk claims stating that switching from cigarettes to Zyn reduces the risk of oral cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Zyn sachets contain nicotine but not tobacco. Placed between the user’s gum and lips, these products have gained popularity among conservatives, tech workers and others who promote them as a cleaner alternative to cigarettes, chewing tobacco or as a productivity aid.
The FDA decision does not mean that Zyn is safe. The institution said that there is no safe tobacco product, young people should not use tobacco products, and adults who do not use tobacco products should not start.
Still, the order gives Philip Morris a strong health claim for one of the fastest-growing products in the nicotine market as cigarette sales continue to decline in the U.S. and major tobacco companies invest more in smoke-free products.
Minister Donald TrumpTrump, who supported restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes in his first term, reversed course during the 2024 campaign and vowed to “save money on vaping.” Since returning to office, his administration has taken a more industry-friendly approach, including creating a way for some flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches to remain on the market while undergoing FDA review.
This shift followed intense lobbying by the tobacco and e-cigarette industries, which argued that adult smokers need greater access to less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.
“President Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail to expand access to nicotine e-cigarettes, pouches and other products that evidence shows help adults quit smoking,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told CNBC. “The sole guiding factor behind the Trump administration’s decision-making is Gold Standard Science.”
Zyn has also become a cultural beacon in conservative politics. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson helped popularize the brand on the right, then moved away from Zyn and launched his own nicotine bladder brand, Alp.
Nicotine pouches have also gained fans in Trump’s orbit. Wall Street Magazine Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly used nicotine pouches, and Trump recently asked Kennedy which pouches he used after a lunch with tobacco executives.
The FDA had already authorized the sale of the same 20 Zyn products in January 2025, but that earlier decision prevented Philip Morris’ Zyns-making subsidiary, Swedish Match, from marketing them as disease risk reducers. Tuesday’s order goes further by allowing the company to make a specific low-risk claim based on several major smoking-related diseases.
“FDA’s review of modified risk products is intended to ensure that adult users have clear, science-based information about the relative harms of tobacco products so they can make informed choices,” Bret Koplow, Acting Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement. he said. “Today’s decision allows these products to be marketed with a modified risk claim that informs adult smokers of the lower risks associated with these products.”
The products included in the order include Zyn Chill, Cinnamon, Citrus, Coffee, Cold Mint, Menthol, Peppermint, Smooth, Peppermint and Wintergreen, each in 3 milligram and 6 milligram nicotine degrees.
“The FDA’s decision is an important moment for the more than 45 million underage nicotine consumers in America,” Philip Morris USA CEO Stacey Kennedy said in a statement. “Today’s news gives these adults access to accurate, science-based information, including FDA-approved evidence that switching from cigarettes to ZYN reduces the risk of smoking-related diseases such as heart disease and lung cancer.”
