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?
-
Sold out
-
-
-
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:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts nicopods in other ways
- 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:
- Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (2009)—Giving the FDA initial authority to regulate cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products
- Deeming Rule (2016)—Expanding the FDA’s scope to e-cigarettes and other products made with natural nicotine
- 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:
| Types of Cancer Caused by Nicotine | Types of Cancer Caused by Tobacco |
| None | Lung Skin Bladder Thyroid Leukemia Pancreatic Breast Ovarian Prostate Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) Liver Kidney Uterine Colon & rectal |
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:
- Age restrictions
- Pre-market assessments
- 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.
-
-
Sold out
-
-
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:
| State | Flavor Ban Date | Prohibited Products |
| California | December 21, 2022 | All flavored tobacco products |
| Rhode Island | March 26, 2020 | Flavored e-cigarettes |
| New York | May 18, 2020 | All flavored tobacco products |
| New Jersey | April 20, 2020 | Flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches |
| Massachusetts | June 1, 2020 | All flavored tobacco products |
| Utah | May 5, 2023 | Flavored e-cigarettes, except for menthol and mint aromas |
| Maryland | February 10, 2020 | Flavored disposable and cartridge-based e-cigarettes |
| Maine | July 1, 2009 | Non-premium flavored cigars |
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:
- ZYN Espressino Extra Strong—6 mg of nicotine per pouch
- ZYN Cool Mint Extra Strong—9 mg of nicotine per pouch
- 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:
Source: Klint
To learn more about the available nicopods, head over to the Nicotine Pouches section. Ordering your favorite pouch is easy:
- Visit the online store
- Pick your product
- 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 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:
- All flavored pouches and tobacco products are banned, allowing only unflavored varieties
- 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.
-
-
Sold out
-
-
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:
- Smooth—unflavored ZYN pouches
- 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