While Zyn remains the clear leader in the US nicotine pouch market, competing products from other major tobacco companies are gaining traction. Photo credit: Aphis Marta, CC4.0
While nicotine pouches continue to struggle globally to reach a broader audience, the US modern oral nicotine (MON) market—the world’s largest by far, accounting for more than 72% of global unit sales in 2023, according to Euromonitor estimates—continues its steep growth trajectory. According to C-Store Dive, sales in the category surged by 59% in US convenience stores in 2024. In the first quarter of this year alone, category sales rose by 45% to reach US$1.375 billion, while cigarette sales in C-stores declined by nearly 5% over the same period.
Philip Morris International’s (PMI) brand Zyn remains the clear market leader. Its success has already inspired counterfeits—reports in May revealed fake Zyn cans circulating in the US, containing pouches made from synthetic nicotine.
Authentic Zyn pouches, typically “dry” and using tobacco-derived nicotine, hold a US category share of around 55%, according to the latest 2025 NielsenIQ report. This figure is notably lower than PMI’s self-reported 70% and suggests a slow market shift. The report finds that competing products from other major tobacco companies are gaining traction, diversifying the market and attracting new users by appealing to a wider range of consumer preferences—for example, British American Tobacco’s recently launched “moist” pouch format, Velo Plus.
Raphael Moreau, head analyst at Euromonitor, noted in an interview that the category is still very young and lacks strong brand loyalty: “This makes the market attractive to new entrants. And there’s quite a lot of room for them, as the category is growing very fast.”
The US MON market also remains largely unregulated—Zyn is currently the only product in the category to have received marketing authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. Independent manufacturers are increasingly seeking to capitalize on this regulatory gap, targeting specific user sub-groups, introducing alternative distribution models such as direct-to-consumer delivery, and experimenting with new nicotine delivery technologies.
Zyn predominantly appeals to men—according to Swedish Match, 70% of Zyn cans in the US are purchased by male users. In contrast, independent products such as Lucy explicitly target women. Female consumers also appear to be the primary audience for another newcomer to the US MON market: Geek Bar, a fast-growing disposable vape brand, has diversified with G-Pulse, a line of flavored nicotine pouches launched in early May in the US through various e-cigarette retail websites. The pouches feature particularly small and discreet sachets—a characteristic often preferred by female users. Unlike conventional nicotine pouches, which typically use a nicotine-infused cellulose carrier, G-Pulse uses granules. According to the manufacturer, these micro-capsules are engineered to deliver an immediate nicotine kick and use optimized pH and solubility to ensure long-lasting flavor—a potential advantage over conventional pouches, which often lose flavor quickly.
Other new MON products, such as Sett and Excel, both introduced in 2024, are aimed at Gen Z professionals—a demographic increasingly drawn to MON. This health-conscious group, traditionally difficult for tobacco companies to reach, became more aware of vaping-related health risks during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet sees nicotine not only as a mood enhancer but also as a tool to boost performance.
The pouches are marketed accordingly—as “productivity enhancers.” While Sett promises “a better buzz without the baggage” and claims its product was “developed with input from doctors and performance experts,” Excel’s website states that by enhancing individual performance, the product supports the “overall success and growth” of its clients and stakeholders.
These challengers are likely benefiting not only from Zyn’s recent supply constraints in traditional retail, but also from PMI’s decision to cease online sales of the product in June 2024, following a subpoena from the District of Columbia related to flavored products banned in that jurisdiction. According to the 2024 Nicotine Pouch and Oral Nicotine Report by Haypp Group’s US affiliates, Nicokick and Northerner, independent brands still account for just 15% of platform sales—but many are showing striking growth rates—Lucy, for example, recorded a 342% year-on-year increase.