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ZYN Ultra
Philip Morris International (PMI) has officially introduced ZYN Ultra in the United States to combat recent market share erosion from rising competitors. Shifting away from the classic dry mini format, the new ZYN Ultra line features larger, moist slim pouches engineered for faster nicotine absorption and immediate flavor delivery. Available initially online in eight flavors, the lineup introduces 9 mg and 11 mg nicotine strengths and ups the can capacity to 20 pouches (compared to standard ZYN’s 15), delivering a 15%-20% price reduction per pouch to give adult consumers better overall value.
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South Korea: Vapes
Philip Morris International (PMI) is expanding its smoke-free footprint in South Korea with the launch of its VEEV vaping platform, featuring the rechargeable VEEV inPRIME closed-pod device and accompanying VEEBI inPRIME pods. The new system utilizes proprietary induction heating technology for consistent flavor delivery, alongside advanced features like liquid depletion detection to prevent a burnt taste and vibration-based user alerts. Pre-sales are set to begin on June 22 at nationwide IQOS flagship stores, followed by a major retail rollout across roughly 14,000 convenience stores on July 2.
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PMTA: Premarket Tobacco Product Application
The FDA is facing backlash from public health groups and lawmakers after authorizing Glas fruit-flavored vape pods, despite internal documents showing no significant smoking-cessation advantage over tobacco flavors. The agency defended its decision under its public health standard, arguing that non-tobacco flavors help some adult smokers transition completely away from cigarettes and that youth uptake risks are heavily mitigated by the product’s Bluetooth-enabled smartphone age-verification technology. While critics argue this marks a lenient policy shift from previous flavored product denials, supporters view it as a modern approach that balances adult smoker preferences with robust technological safeguards.
Read More: PMTA: Premarket Tobacco Product Application
Patents Wars
A U.S. federal judge has rejected Altria’s attempt to block an International Trade Commission (ITC) investigation into redesigned versions of its NJOY ACE vaping products. The decision allows a major patent dispute with JUUL Labs to continue, following a previous ITC ruling that forced Altria to halt imports of the original NJOY ACE as of March 31, 2025. The ongoing probe will determine whether Altria’s modified devices still infringe on JUUL’s intellectual property, maintaining the high stakes in one of the U.S. vaping industry’s biggest legal battles.
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Tobacco Regulation: European Union
On June 17, 2026, the European Parliament soundly rejected a major update to the EU Tobacco Taxation Directive in a 439-to-181 vote. Lawmakers were deeply divided over how sharply to raise minimum tax thresholds and how to regulate newer nicotine markets like vapes and pouches. In the absence of a unified EU framework, member states continue to patch together their own mismatched tax rates, likely driving a surge in cross-border shopping and illicit trade. The final decision still rests with the Council of the European Union, but because tax updates require a unanimous vote among all member states, this parliamentary gridlock signals a massive uphill battle ahead.
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China Tobacco International: News
China Tobacco International (HK) has issued an H1 2026 profit warning, expecting a 25% to 30% drop in revenue and a 10% to 15% decline in net profit compared to the same period last year. The temporary dip is driven by reduced tobacco leaf import volume, caused by shifting international trade dynamics and shipping delays, and a phased restructuring of business processes in the domestic duty-free market. Despite these short-term headwinds, the Group highlighted its strong five-year growth trajectory leading up to 2025 and is actively optimizing its global supply chain and duty-free channels to boost operational efficiency moving forward.
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UK: Nicotine Pouches
The UK nicotine pouch market continues its explosive trajectory, with Q1 2026 value sales surging 42.5% year-on-year, driven largely by cross-category movements and rapid availability expansion within the convenience channel. While consumer demand remains heavily concentrated in mint flavors (78%) and 9-12mg nicotine strengths (43.4%), established category leaders like VELO (BAT), Nordic Spirit (JT) and ZYN (PMI) face fresh competition from aggressive new multinational challengers. Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s XQS is undercutting premium competitors with a lower price point (£5.50) and a newly expanded mint lineup, while Imperial Brands’ ZONE has launched a high-intensity, rapid-release slim pouch designed specifically to capture the dominant 10-11mg market segment.
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Bangladesh: Tobacco Market
Bangladesh has formally brought nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products (HTPs) into its national tax framework for the first time, proposing a hefty 350% supplementary duty under the FY 2026-27 budget. While the measure aims to raise tobacco taxes, public health advocates argue it effectively legitimizes the nicotine pouch category, clashing with the nation’s goal to be tobacco-free by 2040. The controversy has been further intensified by the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority’s (BEZA) recent approval of a $5.8 million Philip Morris International (PMI) manufacturing facility in Narayanganj, which is slated to produce over 500 million nicotine pouches annually for the domestic market.
Read More: Bangladesh: Tobacco Market
