Dani Darlene was not a fan of her husband’s ZYN addiction. Then she found out that it could be used to make an iPad.
For years, searching for ZYN bags and containers throughout the house was “the most annoying thing,” said Darlene, a 24-year-old personal trainer. Luck. But after learning about the brand’s TikTok rewards program in February, the irritation took a different form.
“I’ll take advantage of this,” Darlene said. Luck.
ZYN tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches come in packs of 15 in round plastic containers that resemble a can of Ice Breakers mints. Each container has a unique code that can be redeemed on the company’s website for 15 points, but they can only scan 60 cans per month. Users can then cash in their points for a range of prizes, from handbags to air fryers.
“I feel like a kid in a slot machine who got all his tickets and is about to get a prize,” Darlene said. “That’s how it feels.”
After months of accumulating ZYN containers and painstakingly scanning each unique code, Darlene was able to receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Now she’s trying to score 7,560 points (504 cans) for a ninth-generation iPad, or even 15,000 points (1,000 cans) for a Dyson AirWrap hair styler.
Most nicotine pouch users take two days to survive one day of canning. according to online store NicoKick. So Darlene called in her husband’s colleagues as backup.
“They have a Home Depot bin in the back of their truck and they just throw their cans in there,” Darlene said. Luck. “And then when I’m ready to pick them up, I take them.”
TikTok videos feature other Gen Z and Millennial users. posing With tens ZYN cans ready to cash them. The ZYN rewards program is reminiscent of age-old cigarette rewards programs, where smokers could redeem coupons from cigarette packs for T-shirts, caps, bags or other merchandise. But the company itself does not make such a comparison.
“The ZYN Rewards program was modeled after loyalty programs for consumer products and services offered across a variety of industries to reward a loyal consumer base of age- and legal-adjusted nicotine consumers,” ZYN parent company Philip Morris International said in a statement. To Luck. “The products included in the program are based on customer feedback.”
New coupon for cigarettes?
Current FDA guidelines regulating tobacco products do not apply to ZYN, said Dr. Zongshan Duan, an assistant professor at Georgia State University. School of Public Health.
“They have much more freedom to sell their products in a variety of forms compared to combustible tobacco,” Dr. Duan said. Luck. This includes radio, television, print and online advertising, he said.
ZYN’s smoke-free status allowed the company to circumvent federal and state regulations regarding tobacco marketing, including bans on coupons, branded merchandise, event sponsorships and gifts.
As for reward programs, according to the 2023 FDA, they are still federally legal for tobacco products as long as the reward is not tobacco. guidelines. Marlboro has an active rewards program in the US, with prizes including Apple AirTags, $80 Visa gift cards and Solo Stove Mesa tabletop fire pits.
However, the F.D.A. regulations ban cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies from selling branded products—think Marlboro caps, Parliament suitcases, or Winston jackets.
Social media users report receiving towels, neon signs and water bottles with the ZYN logo as part of the rewards program, although a Philip Morris International spokesperson said the current rewards website “does not include any of these products.” The discontinued ZYN beach towel is currently sold at eBay for $89.99.
“I think the end goal is the same [as cigarette coupons]“This is simply to improve the behavior of users of these products,” Dr. Duan said. “But with a slightly different approach.”
What is behind the emergence of Zyn?
ZYN packages have conquered the USA: they can be seen under the lips office workers seeking to secretly get a fix of nicotine, or find himself on the front lines of the culture war, after Sen. Chuck Schumer’s push for a federal crackdown on a “bag full of problems” prompted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to call for a “Zine Resurrection.”
Philip Morris International said it shipped 131.6 million ZYN cans in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2024, up nearly 80% from the same period last year. The company’s U.S. business grew 62% from 2022 to 2023, according to the PMI report. report.
ZYN is marketed as an alternative to smoking or vaping, but not necessarily as a path to complete nicotine cessation. But the company is adamant that it is not for first-time nicotine users. “If you are not currently a nicotine user, ZYN is not for you,” the site says.
“A lot of people accidentally became addicted to nicotine” after vaping became popular, Darlene said. Luck. She said she has noticed an increase in ZYN use among her friends as they try to wean themselves off smoking or vaping.
Darlene estimates her husband has tried about 10,000 containers of ZYN in his life, although she says he promised to quit before they became parents. Another reason to quit smoking is “Zynflation,” she said. A 15-pack of ZYN is now up to $8 in Colorado, where she lives, up from $4 five years ago.
In the end, Darlene said she would take care of her husband’s health instead of the iPad. But now?
“If you’re already spending money, you can do this too,” she said.