Can You Still Get Your Favorite ZYN Pouches? ZYN Flavor Ban Explained

ZYN and other nicotine pouches have become a popular alternative to cigarettes, vapes, and snus. They’re tobacco-free and smokeless—an easy choice for people who want a discreet nicotine kick in areas where smoking is prohibited, without many of the health risks associated with tobacco. 

The absence of tobacco has allowed nicopod manufacturers to experiment with various unique flavors, making them even more popular with younger users. Some U.S. legislators are trying to ban these flavors to make nicopods less popular among the youth, citing supposed health risks. 

Current regulations on nicotine pouch flavors are far from clear, consisting of a complex web of federal and state rules. Learn how you can purchase various ZYN flavors legally by following our guide, which will answer crucial questions like: 

• Is there a ZYN flavor ban in the U.S.?
• How are nicopods regulated in the States? 
• Where should you buy nicotine pouches? 
• Which ZYN flavors are banned?

Is There a ZYN Flavor Ban in the U.S.?

As of 2024, there is no countrywide ZYN flavor ban in the United States. While nicotine pouch aromas aren’t forbidden on the federal level, keep in mind that:

1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts nicopods in other ways
2. Some state legislatures have introduced local flavor bans

In the subsequent sections, we’ll examine the FDA and state regulations on nicotine pouches. After that, we’ll discuss the health implications of flavored nicopods and show you how to purchase them legally and safely. 

Source: ZYN

FDA Regulations on Nicotine Pouches

The FDA’s authority over tobacco has been established through three primary acts:

1. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (2009)—Giving the FDA initial authority to regulate cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products 
2. Deeming Rule (2016)—Expanding the FDA’s scope to e-cigarettes and other products made with natural nicotine
3. Synthetic Nicotine and the Consolidated Appropriations Act (2022)—Adding synthetic nicotine products to the FDA’s purview, which includes nicotine pouches

Despite being tobacco-free, the FDA classifies nicotine pouches as a tobacco product. According to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, tobacco products are defined as the following: 

“…any product made or derived from tobacco, or containing nicotine from any source, that is intended for human consumption, including any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product (except for raw materials other than tobacco used in manufacturing a component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product).”

Since they contain nicotine intended for human consumption, pouches are treated the same as any tobacco product, including:

• Cigarettes
• Roll-your-own tobacco
• Cigars
• Smokeless tobacco
• Vapes
• E-liquids
• Hookahs 
• Heated tobacco products

Putting nicopods in the same category as the above products is problematic, considering that nicotine pouches aren’t accompanied by common tobacco-related health risks. Most severe medical issues linked to cigarettes and cigars are caused by tobacco combustion, and the resulting smoke contains over 70 carcinogens. Consult the table below for more details:

How Does the FDA Restrict Nicotine Pouches?

Currently, the FDA regulates nicopods to a lesser degree than other tobacco products. The agency hasn’t restricted or prevented the sale of nicotine pouches, but their manufacturers must abide by the following rules:

1. Age restrictions
2. Pre-market assessments
3. Mandatory health warnings

Like tobacco products, it’s illegal to sell nicotine pouches to persons younger than 21. This is a reasonable limit, considering research has confirmed nicotine’s negative effect on developing adolescent brains. 

Besides respecting the age limit, nicopod manufacturers must also pass a pre-market review by the FDA. Among other things, the agency considers the following factors before granting approval: 

• Benefits and risks to the general population
• Impact on the buying habits of existing tobacco users and non-users
• Manufacturing processes and facilities

Before marketing a nicopod, the manufacturer must also include a warning label that introduces consumers to potential health risks. The label has to be designed according to specific criteria that ensure its visibility via placement and size. 

Brands like ZYN are also forbidden from advertising with unproven health claims, and the FDA frowns upon marketing via youth-centric media channels. That’s why ZYN doesn’t partner with social media influencers to promote its products in the United States.

None of the conditions above explicitly prevent ZYN or other pouch manufacturers from using specific flavors. But, the FDA can fail a company’s pre-market review for various reasons—including the risk of attracting minors via flavored products. 

Source: ZYN

FDA Flavor Ban for Vapes

In October 2023, the FDA issued a negative pre-market assessment to a vape manufacturer that wanted to keep selling their flavored and menthol e-cigarettes in the U.S. According to the agency, the flavors might attract young people below the legal age for tobacco products. 

While this ruling doesn’t pertain to nicotine pouches, the FDA has also proposed banning flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes altogether. This indicates a wider legislative trend that may lead to the banning of flavors in all nicotine products, including pouches. 

Taking note of the trend, some states have decided to preempt a potential federal flavor ban and introduce local restrictions. 

State Bans on Flavored Tobacco Products

Eight states instituted a temporary ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products in 2019, specifically: 

• New York
• Montana
• Utah
• Rhode Island
• Massachusetts
• Washington
• Oregon
• Michigan

The temporary ban was halted in some states due to legal challenges, while it expired in others. In the subsequent years, multiple states imposed a permanent ban on flavored vapes and other tobacco products. Keep in mind that, according to the FDA’s definitions, nicotine pouches are a tobacco product as well.  

The table below contains an overview of state-level flavor bans and their scope:

What Are Flavored Tobacco Products?

The definition of a flavored tobacco product varies between jurisdictions, but most states define them as “tobacco products with a characterizing flavor.” This phrase essentially defers the question to the Tobacco Control Act, which defines a characterizing flavor as the following:

“…any constituent (including a smoke constituent) or additive, an artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon, pineapple, vanilla, coconut, licorice, cocoa, chocolate, cherry, or coffee, that is a characterizing flavor of the tobacco product or tobacco smoke.”

In practice, these bans are only enforced on brick-and-mortar retailers that require tobacco licenses to operate. Many eCommerce retailers still offer a wide variety of supposedly banned flavors. 

Source: ZYN

Where To Buy Flavored Nicotine Pouches

Partially due to the restrictions faced by physical retailers, online sales of nicotine pouches and other nicotine products have risen significantly in the past few years. Numerous eCommerce stores are racing to offer white snus products in various flavors. 

Your experience with online stores may vary—not all of them offer tested, high-quality pouches from trusted brands. That’s why it’s crucial to purchase nicopods only from dependable vendors like SnusBoss. 

The online shop is operated by seasoned experts with an in-depth understanding of the nicotine pouch industry—especially regarding quality assurance. 

The result is a vendor that only sells the highest-quality nicopods imported from the EU. Most European brands don’t face the same regulatory constraints in their home countries, allowing them to experiment with new flavors and perform more research and development. 

Snusboss—A Variety of Flavors and Brands

If you’re interested in ZYN flavors, SnusBoss offers its pouches in the following aromas and strengths:

1. ZYN Espressino Extra Strong—6 mg of nicotine per pouch
2. ZYN Cool Mint Extra Strong—9 mg of nicotine per pouch
3. ZYN Citrus Mini—6 mg of nicotine per pouch

Other brands available at SnusBoss expand the palette of available flavors even further. You may discover your new favorite pouch manufacturer here, among a carefully curated selection of niche and mainstream nicotine companies, including:

1. Velo
2. Snatch
3. Hit
4. Thunder
5. White Fox
6. Dope
7. Skruf
8. Klint
9. Kozmo
10. Pablo
11. Killa
12. Kurwa

Source: Klint

To learn more about the available nicopods, head over to the Nicotine Pouches section. Ordering your favorite pouch is easy:

1. Visit the online store
2. Pick your product
3. Provide payment and delivery information

With the express delivery option, you can have your next pack of nicopods in 2–3 days. Plenty of promotional offers ensure you’re buying pouches at the best possible price—including a discount on larger orders.

Which are the best Zyn Flavors – or most popular ones?

here are some of the most popular and best ZYN nicotine pouch flavors:

1. ZYN Cool Mint
   Cool Mint is consistently mentioned as one of the top and most popular ZYN flavors. It provides a classic cool mint flavor that many nicotine pouch users enjoy.
2. ZYN Black Cherry
   Black Cherry is ranked as the #2 best ZYN flavor according to some sources. It delivers an aromatic and delicious black cherry taste.
3. ZYN Apple Mint
   Apple Mint combines mint with sweet green apple and vanilla/coconut notes for a unique tropical flavor profile.
4. ZYN Wintergreen
   Wintergreen is highlighted as another popular mint variety from ZYN, appreciated for its distinct minty taste.
5. ZYN Spearmint
   Several sources mention Spearmint as a top ZYN mint flavor, praised for its smooth, lightly sweet spearmint taste.
6. ZYN Citrus
   The Citrus flavor makes multiple best flavor lists, providing a refreshing citrus taste.

For those who want to dig deeper into Zyn flavors, we have our very own article on the topic: A Complete Guide to the Best ZYN Flavors.

Which ZYN Flavors Are Banned?

The flavors you find in physical stores will vary depending on your location, but most states have opted for one of the following approaches to the bans: 

1. All flavored pouches and tobacco products are banned, allowing only unflavored varieties 
2. All flavored pouches are banned except for tobacco, wintergreen, menthol, and other minty aromas

New York has implemented the second type of restriction, for example, while California has chosen the first.

What Are Flavor Ban Approved ZYN Flavors?

After the implementation of the California flavor ban, ZYN began advertising two of its products as “flavor-ban-approved” aromas:

1. Smooth—unflavored ZYN pouches 
2. Chill—unflavored pouches with a cooling effect

To ensure the Chill flavor is in line with restrictions on minty aromas, this ZYN nicopod uses a cooling agent that isn’t derived from menthol. 

Featured image source: ZYN