The rise of products using Synthetic Nicotine

The use of Synthetic Nicotine in various products including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches has become more common in recent years. Because Synthetic Nicotine is relatively new, any unique health risks are still unknown, but regardless of the source, nicotine is highly addictive, can be harmful to adolescent brain development, and is dangerous to pregnant women and their developing babies.

On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which gave FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products jurisdiction to regulate Synthetic Nicotine products by amending the tobacco product definition in the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to include products “containing nicotine from any source.” This was an important action because companies were taking advantage of policy gaps in federal and state policy and introducing products containing Synthetic Nicotine come in a variety of flavors and styles that could be highly appealing to youth.

Synthetic Nicotine is manufactured and processed in various countries, including India and China. Finished products using Synthetic Nicotine can be assembled in another location. For instance, many disposable e-cigarettes using synthetic nicotine are made in China, though the source for the synthetic nicotine used in those products is unknown.

Synthetic Nicotine is currently being used in e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and traditional “moist snuff” products. Some companies offer both tobacco-derived and synthetic varieties of their nicotine e-liquids, using the same brand and same or similar flavors. Some examples of products made with Synthetic Nicotine include disposable e-cigarette Puff Bar, NIIN nicotine pouches, and Fully Loaded Chew “moist snuff.”These products are available in a wide variety of flavors and nicotine levels.

Online, the Puff Bar website currently advertises three disposable e-cigarette devices in nearly two dozen flavors, including Strawberry Banana, Cool Mint, Watermelon, Blue Razz, Mango, Passionfruit and Lemon Ice. Other e-cigarette retailers sell Synthetic Nicotine e-liquids in an array of kid-friendly flavors, including Pink Lemonade, Kookie Krunch,6 and Blue Slushee. Similarly, synthetic nicotine pouches are available in flavors such as sweet and raspberry lemonade mint, while “moist snuff” products are available in flavor such as mint and cherry.

While Synthetic Nicotine has gained a lot of attention, the vast majority of products containing nicotine on the U.S. market continue to use tobacco-derived nicotine.