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From Cigarettes to Pouches: The Shift in Smoking Alternatives

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It is commonly acknowledged that smoking is bad for our health. Smoking is established to be the leading cause of preventable diseases, including lung cancer, respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, emphysema,stroke and many other health conditions. What’s worse, smoking kills half of its users.
While most smokers are fully aware of the health risks of smoking, the problem is that it is quite challenging for them to quit the habit,mainly due to nicotine addiction. Public data shows that half of smokers attempt smoking cessation, but only 6% manage to do that.
Due to these factors ,more and more smokers look to switch to a less harmful form of nicotine from deadly cigarettes.
On the industry side, manufacturers have been committed to exploring harm-reduced alternatives to cigarettes for decades, and have developed a wide range of novel nicotine delivery systems which are potentially less harmful than cigarette smoking.
The smoking alternatives can either be tobacco-based or tobacco-free, including oral smokeless tobacco products, e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products, nicotine pouches, etc.
Despite these products coming in a myriad of types and delivering nicotine in different ways, they share one thing in common, which is they offer nicotine satisfaction without involving in the combustion and the generation of cigarette smoke.
Cigarette smoke contains hundreds of hazardous properties such as acrolein, benzene,toluene, styrene, butadiene, formaldehyde,etc, which are established to be the main causes of smoking related diseases. Nicotine, while highly addictive, is not noted to be the predominant cause of smoking related diseases.
In this article, we will take a look at these smoking alternatives on their constituents, ways of use, working science, and explore why they serve as safer alternatives to cigarettes .
 

Smokeless tobacco products

Smokeless tobacco products are tobacco products which are chewed or dipped or sniffed rather than smoked. They are not heated or burned.
These tobacco products come in a variety of types including snus, chewing tobacco, snuff, dissolvable tobacco, etc. Some smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco need to spit out the tobacco juices or saliva that build up,while others do not, disposing of it simply by removing the pouch after use.
When using smokeless tobacco products, the nicotine is absorbed by the tissue of the mouth or nose into the bloodstream, without the need for lung inhalation.
Smokeless tobacco products like snus are most commonly used in some countries like Sweden and Norway and are considered as effective tools for smokers to quit smoking. For example, studies show that with the growing popularity of snus, cigarette consumption in the 16-24 age group in Norway witnessed a remarkable 90 percent drop.
As smokeless tobacco products do not need burning, they are believed to contain lower levels of harmful chemicals compared with traditional cigarettes.
Nevertheless, smokeless tobacco products are not risk free, as they contain addictive nicotine and tobacco. Tobacco on its own, for example, contains various toxins such as cadmium,lead and a high concentration of tobacco-specific nitrosamines,among others, which can have negative effects on the human body.
It is reported that smokeless tobacco products are linked with gum disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, and are even potentially associated with some cancers such as oral cancer.
 

E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes, also known as vapes or vaping, are battery-powered electronic devices that heat an e-liquid to release vapor when a user draws on it. The e-liquid usually consists of, among other ingredients, nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, and flavorings, without tobacco leaf.
The heating temperature of e-cigarettes is roughly in the range of 200°C- 250°C, much lower than that of traditional cigarettes, which can reach an extremely high temperature at around 900 °C. Due to their low heating temperature, there is no combustion involved when e-cigarettes are consumed.
As a result, e-cigarettes are believed to give off significantly fewer and lower levels of toxins compared with cigarettes.
E-cigarettes were first invented in 2004 by a Chinese pharmacist called Hon Lik and were intended to help smokers quit. Up till now, e-cigarettes have evolved into various types, such as cigalikes, vape pens, vape mods, and pod vapes.
E-cigarettes offer a taste and experience that is different from cigarette smoking, and they are more tempting than traditional cigarettes due to the richness of flavors.
Ever since their invention, e-cigarettes have taken the world by storm and have switched numerous regular smokers. It can be fair to say that the emergence of e-cigarettes has changed the tobacco industry in the past decades.

Heated tobacco products

Heated tobacco products, also known as heat-not-burn products, tobacco heating products(THPs), just as their name suggests, are designed to heat tobacco instead of burning it to produce a nicotine-filled aerosol that users inhale.
The heating devices contain an electronic control system, also called an HNB device that keeps the heating temperature at around 350°C regularly, preventing the tobacco from burning.
Typically, heated tobacco products contain compressed tobacco leaves, chemical additives, and flavorings, and come in specially designed sticks that look like traditional cigarettes, but in mini size.
Additionally, heated tobacco products simulate the behavior and sensation of smoking, such as hand-to-mouth movement, inhalation exhalation, etc, enabling users to have an experience getting close to smoking.
As heated tobacco products don’t contain the combustion of tobacco, they do not involve toxic cigarette smoke and don’t contain ash, tar and carbon monoxide. Due to this, they seem to have the potential to expose users to lower levels of hazardous chemicals than traditional cigarette smoking. But it is important to note that these products are not risk-free, as they are still based on tobacco, which, as mentioned above, contains toxins on its own.
There are a diverse array of heat-not-burn technologies out there. For example, some heating devices work by inserting a heating blade in the tobacco stick, while others use induction heating technology, which is to embed a metallic strip into the tobacco stick.
Heated tobacco products are a relatively new category of smoke-free alternatives and are particularly popular among countries like Japan, Korea and Sweden, with a tendency to replace traditional tobacco cigarettes.

Heated tobacco alternatives

Heated tobacco alternatives are also referred to as tobacco-free heated sticks or heat-not-burn alternatives.
Heated tobacco alternatives are similar to heated tobacco products in many ways, such as the appearance, the working principle, the use method and the feeling,etc. For instance, they are heated by a particular electric device to release an aerosol that users inhale, without producing smoke, ash and tar.
The fundamental difference between them is that while heated tobacco products are made from tobacco, heated tobacco alternatives don’t contain actual tobacco. Instead, they usually use tea or herbs or other natural organic materials as the main base, which is mixed with nicotine and flavorings.
Neaf heated sticks, for example, use a mixture of tea leaves, natural herbs, vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol,nicotine and flavorings to deliver a smoking-like experience with rich flavors.
Due to its absence of tobacco and its burning, heated tobacco alternatives are free of the toxins of tobacco and cigarette smoke, and are reasonably considered as a safer alternative to cigarettes and other tobacco products. Besides, these products are more palatable than tobacco products owing to their tobacco-free nature and rich flavors .

Nicotine pouches

Nicotine pouches are small tea-bag-like pouches that consist of nicotine, sweeteners, fillers (plant-based fibers), moisturizers, additives, and flavorings. These products come in varying strengths and flavors across brands.
Nicotine pouches are similar to spitless oral smokeless tobacco products such as snus in the way of use, which are tucked into the cheek and gum, and the nicotine is absorbed by the mucous membrane into the bloodstream. This allows users to enjoy a nicotine buzz without using devices like lighters or chargers, making them more portable, convenient, and discreet to use than electronic nicotine delivery systems(ENDS) such as vaping.
Nicotine pouches are different from oral smokeless tobacco products in that they don’t contain tobacco. Owing to its elimination of tobacco and smoke inhalation, these products can keep users away from hazards and carcinogens present in tobacco and cigarette smoke.So they are considered safer alternatives to cigarettes and other tobacco-based products.
Besides, nicotine pouches are more enjoyable than smokeless tobacco products, as they come in a variety of flavors. For example, our ZYLO nicotine pouches provide an array of flavors such as mint ice, wintergreen, berry ice and spearmint.
Nicotine pouches are the latest developed product type, which was introduced into the market in 2014 and were intended for nicotine users who would otherwise go tobacco-free and smoke-free.

In conclusion

From cigarettes to nicotine pouches, the advent of newer nicotine delivery systems echoes the need and demand of smokers who are pursuing a risk-reduced way of nicotine intake, offering nicotine satisfaction without the toxins linked with tobacco and its burning.
While smoke-free or tobacco-free smoking alternatives seem less harmful than cigarettes, it is important to note that they all contain addictive nicotine and are not entirely risk-free.
Regardless of its source of nicotine, smoking alternatives are only intended for adults who would otherwise continue smoking. Non-smokers should always keep away from any form of tobacco or nicotine products.
 
Posted in Industry News.
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