Jake Paul's nicotine pouch move isn't a typical celebrity endorsement deal. Sesh, the Austin-based independent pouch brand, announced on October 12 that it had teamed up with Paul's outdoor lifestyle label, Paul Reserve, on a limited-edition pouch called Sesh Reserve — and Paul isn't just fronting the campaign. He's an investor in Sesh through AntiFund, the venture firm tied to him and Geoffrey Woo.

"Jake isn't a hired face - he's an investor in Sesh and a genuine believer in what we're building," Sesh founder and CEO Max Cunningham said in the launch announcement. Sesh also disclosed that Paul is compensated for the collaboration on top of his equity stake, calling it "a paid, co-branded partnership."

What's actually in the can

Sesh Reserve is a lemon-forward flavor built on Sesh's existing pouch formula, sold in 4mg, 6mg and 8mg strengths. It's not a retail product: the $90 package includes ten cans plus a limited-edition metal tin branded with Paul Reserve's ranch-and-outdoors look, and it's available only direct-to-consumer at Sesh's own site to adults 21 and older, while supplies last.

Sesh says its underlying formula was developed by Thomas Ericsson, the Swedish pharmaceutical scientist the company credits with creating Zyn's original pouch formula. Ericsson is also a Sesh shareholder — a detail the brand has used before to position itself as a credible independent alternative to the tobacco-company-owned brands that dominate US shelves.

No FDA authorization behind the product

Sesh disclosed in its own announcement that it holds no FDA modified-risk order, and the release carries no health, safety or cessation claims. That's a separate issue from whether the underlying product can legally be sold at all: as of the October 12 launch date, the FDA's published list of authorized nicotine pouch products contained 43 products, all under the Zyn or on! brands. Sesh Reserve was not among them.

Sesh has pursued authorization before — the company announced in 2023 that the FDA had accepted 72 of its premarket tobacco product applications for review. Acceptance for review is a procedural step, not market authorization, and it doesn't put a product on the FDA's authorized list.

Why a celebrity founder matters more than the flavor

Sesh isn't just Jake Paul's bet. The company's investor list already included Post Malone, Mark Wahlberg, DJ Khaled, Diplo, Andrew Schulz, Zach Bryan and the Jonas Brothers, alongside institutional backing from Joe Lonsdale's 8VC. Paul's addition gives the brand access to an audience Sesh itself put at more than 80 million followers across his platforms — a reach most independent pouch brands can't buy.

Sesh says it's currently sold in more than 7,500 US retail locations and is targeting roughly 30,000 by the end of 2026, though the company frames that as a projection rather than a confirmed figure. The Reserve collaboration itself stays online-only; Sesh's regular lineup is what's actually on store shelves.

The bigger story here isn't a new flavor — lemon pouches aren't new. It's that an independent brand without a tobacco-company parent is using equity stakes, not just endorsement fees, to build a bench of famous backers in a category where distribution and brand trust are hard to buy any other way.

SOURCES
GlobeNewswire: Jake Paul Enters the Nicotine Pouch Category with Sesh
Sesh Products: Our Story