Doctors warn about the dangers of using Zyn, your favorite celebrity’s nicotine of choice

People fill refrigerators with it, stack it one and a half meters high and even sleep with it in their mouths. It’s the internet’s newest obsession: Zyn.

Sold in small pouches, Zyn is the brand name for a synthetic nicotine product that dominates the market. It is similar to chewing tobacco, although it does not contain tobacco, as users place it between their lips and gums to get a nicotine fix and a mild high.

The product is marketed as a way to get people off tobacco, but a new generation of users are skipping the middleman and diving straight into Zyn — and quickly becoming addicted.

According to the American Lung Association, between 2019 and 2022, sales of nicotine pouches across all brands increased by 641 percent – ​​a trend that points to “alarming use among young people.”

Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned against the products, claiming Zyn is being marketed to teens through social media, getting kids hooked at a young age — similar to what vapes and e-cigarettes are made of are accused.

However, regardless of a person’s age, the products come with risks, including tooth decay, heart problems and addiction.

And Dr. Stacy Sylvie, an internist and preventive physician based in Alabama, told DailyMail.com that Zyn’s are not FDA approved, meaning they may contain “contaminants or unsafe additives.”

Tucker Carlson was an enthusiastic promoter of Zyn nicotine pouches. He is seen with one at the Republican National Convention in July

Although there are many different brands of nicotine pouches, Zyn is among the most popular and is often seen in the hands of celebrities.

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said in October 2022 that he enjoyed Zyn and that the product could work as a “male enhancer,” although there is no evidence of this. Carlson has since said this comment was a joke.

He has now publicly spoken out against the company and started his own brand of nicotine pouches called Alp.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was reprimanded by the NFL for putting a Zyn in his mouth while on the sidelines of a game.

Actor Josh Brolin has said he is so addicted to an unspecified brand of nicotine pouches that he sleeps with them in his mouth.

Zyn is sold at gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops across the country – most places where tobacco products could be found.

A pack of 15 pouches sells for about $5, although the price varies depending on location and supplier.

According to their website, you must be at least 21 years old to purchase Zyn.

The company said: ‘We take the issue of underage use very seriously and that is why we require all new visitors to go through a strict age verification process before visiting our website. If you are not currently using nicotine, ZYN is not for you.”

Online, users are sharing videos of themselves apparently creating nearly four-foot-tall towers from empty buses. There are also videos of people filling entire refrigerators with the containers

While Zyn has become the leading brand, others include Sesh, Black Buffalo and Carlson’s Alp.

About three percent of American adults reported using a nicotine pouch in 2024, according to a survey by USC Keck School of Medicine – which represents approximately 7.5 million people.

Each sachet contains crystallized nicotine and is placed between your gums and lip. Over about 30 minutes, the nicotine dissolves and is passed through the tissues of the mouth and enters the bloodstream.

This can cause tingling, energy and a head high, which users say helps increase attention and heart rate. However, for other users, the powerful dose of nicotine can cause gum irritation, dizziness and vomiting.

Zyn sells packages ranging from 1.5 mg to nine mg of nicotine per bag. An average cigarette contains 10 to 12 mg of nicotine, but only a fraction of that is inhaled – about 1 mg to 2 mg per cigarette.

However, with a smokeless tobacco product, all the nicotine is released directly from the product into the body, meaning it can be overwhelming for some people.

Baker Mayfield appeared to put one of these bags in his mouth while standing on the sidelines of an October 2024 regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens

Dr. Syvlie said: ‘Zyn in particular delivers higher concentrations of nicotine than most other nicotine products. This increases the risk of physical and mental dependence.’

Unlike snuff or dip, users do not have to spit when using the product, and it produces no odor or smoke, making it a more discreet option than traditional products.

Still, some research has found that tobacco-free products contain some of the same chemicals as cigarettes.

A 2022 study from Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, which tested 44 different nicotine pouches from 20 unnamed companies, found that almost 60 percent contained cancer-causing chemicals called tobacco-specific nitrosamines.

This includes ammonia, chromium and formaldehyde – the chemical used in embalming fluids.

These are the same chemicals that make cigarettes and other tobacco products carcinogenic.

So even though Zyn itself doesn’t contain tobacco, it may be made from some of the same substances.

Dr. David Hendricks, the assistant medical director of Mountainside Treatment Center, told DailyMail.com, “While the risks of Zyn pouches specifically contributing to oral cancer remain unclear, older nicotine products have been identified as having cancer risks.”

Josh Brolin said he used to use nicotine tablets for his fix, but switched to nicotine pouches. He sometimes sleeps with the products in it and says it’s such second nature to him that his wife has seen him put one in his mouth while he sleeps.

Experts say long-term studies are needed before they can conclude whether the bags have lasting health effects.

However, doctors are aware of some of the short-term harms, Dr. Hendricks said.

These include oral health problems such as mouth sores, gum irritation, inflammation and reduced saliva – which can lead to tooth decay. Many people also experience nausea, vomiting and mouth ulcers.

Dr. Mike McGrath, a board-certified psychiatrist and chief clinical officer, also told DailyMail.com that these products can be dangerous for people with heart or other cardiovascular conditions because they increase blood pressure and heart rate.

Dr. However, Sylvie noted that these pouches may be one of the reasons tobacco use has declined overall.

Gallup Polls in 2024, cigarette smoking was found to have hit an 80-year low this year – with only 11 percent of American adults smoking cigarettes.

However, Zyn is not regulated by the FDA as a nicotine replacement product, so it is difficult to know how many people are using it and how many containers are being purchased.

This also means that although the products are not illegal, they are not assessed for safety before they are put on the shelves.

Dr. Sylvie said: ‘Zyn and other alternative nicotine products sometimes fall into a gray area of ​​regulation with limited oversight.’

She concluded, “So while I think we have made progress in reducing the harm associated with traditional tobacco products, the risks of trendy nicotine alternatives like Zyn should not be ignored.”