Why Zyn nicotine pouches are all the rage among workers looking for a boost
- This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
Almost Friday! Death. Taxes. Costco's $1.50 hot dog deal. The bargain meal has been around for nearly 40 years, with Costco's founder threatening to kill someone who suggested raising the price. But now it seems the combo meal might not be around forever.
In today's big story, we're looking at why Zyn nicotine pouches are becoming the go-to alternative for workers looking for a boost.
What's on deck:
Markets: The stocks no one can agree on might be your best bet.
Tech: How TikTok employees are feeling as a potential US ban looms.
Business: When the push to land your dream job ultimately becomes a nightmare.
But first, a Zyn a day keeps the cigarettes at bay.
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The big story
Zyn for the win
Forget cigarettes or a cup of coffee. Some workers find all the inspiration they need in a tiny pouch that fits inside their lips.
Zyn, a brand of nicotine pouch, has quickly gained a loyal following among some workers looking for a boost during the day.
Its users often view it as a healthier alternative to nicotine products they'd previously used, like cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and vapes, Business Insider's Sarah Jackson and Tim Paradis write.
And they aren't necessarily wrong. One expert told Sarah and Tim a nicotine pouch is a "pretty clean product," but also acknowledged it's still early days.
While Zyn has been available in the US for a decade, it's really exploded over the past year. There was a 62% year-over-year bump in the amount of flavored nicotine pouches shipped in the US in 2023.
But what's more interesting is how concentrated it is among certain groups. Wall Street traders and Republican lawmakers and their aides are among the product's biggest fans.
That's not entirely surprising considering the pressure and stress in those jobs, with Zyn being viewed as a way to help. Of course, it also has other uses — like socializing with people at kids' birthday parties, one person told Sarah and Tim.
Zyn, like any other nicotine product, raises addiction concerns.
One Zyn user told Sarah and Tim he'll typically go through a little over a can, which has 15 pouches, each workday.
As someone with friends who know their way around a dip can, I did some research. When I asked them about their Zyn usage, the responses weren't what I expected.
One friend was using Copenhagen, a smokeless tobacco, to kick his Zyn habit. He said the nicotine pouches were too accessible and gave him migraines.
Another had used Zyn to quit his tobacco usage but ultimately found Zyns to be a harder vice to give up, something echoed by the others.
A third was using Zyn to quit vaping, but was already finding it addictive and was contemplating going back to cigarettes.
Such a small sample size isn't meant to illustrate everyone's experience or suggest that Zyns are ultimately bad. But it goes to show the potential risks of trading one addiction for another.
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What's happening today
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The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. George Glover, reporter, in London.