Philip Morris Limited has added Black Menthol 16.5mg to the ZYN range in the UK — the brand's highest-strength pouch there yet, and a new flavor in the segment that already dominates the UK market.

What happened

PML, the UK and Ireland affiliate of Philip Morris International, launched ZYN Black Menthol 16.5mg this week. It's a peppermint-and-eucalyptus flavor aimed at the top of ZYN's strength range, which otherwise runs from a 1.5mg "X-Low" variant up to this new 16.5mg option. The product became available to retailers through the PMI Open platform and wholesale channels, with Booker Wholesalers following by the end of October, according to Asian Trader, a UK convenience-retail trade publication.

Mint is already the UK's largest nicotine pouch flavor category, accounting for 46% of total category volume, per PML's own figures cited in the launch coverage. Black Menthol slots into that segment at the strong end, aimed at what the company calls "experienced pouch users" rather than people trying pouches for the first time.

"Adult pouch users are increasingly looking for variety, in both flavour and strength, and we want ZYN's range to reflect that," said Dor Matot, Head of ZYN UK and Ireland at PML, in the launch announcement. "Black Menthol 16.5mg gives experienced users a new option in the UK's most popular flavour segment, and gives retailers another way to meet that demand."

Why it matters

The timing lines up with a bigger shift in UK pouch regulation. The country's first-ever legal age restriction on nicotine pouches — 18 and over, enforced under the Tobacco and Vapes Act — took effect October 29, a few days before this launch. PML's own framing leans into that moment: Matot pointed to the UK's new Vaping Products Duty pushing "more adult nicotine users to explore alternatives," positioning ZYN's expanding range as the place for them to land.

PML also cites pouch category data to back the launch: nicotine pouches are now used by one in five UK legal-age nicotine users, ZYN is the most-recognized brand among 18-29-year-olds in the category, and nearly half of legal-age pouch users (47%) say they try a new pouch product at least once a month. ZYN's search demand, per the company, has grown 19 percentage points faster than other pouch brands — the kind of number a company cites to justify why expanding at the high-strength end makes commercial sense right now rather than a comment on health or safety.

What's next

Black Menthol 16.5mg is PML's latest move to fill out both ends of the ZYN strength spectrum in the UK, following the earlier X-Low 1.5mg launch aimed at new or lighter users. With a "large pipeline of new products" in the company's own words, more flavor and strength variants are likely as PML continues building out retailer support ahead of further UK vape and pouch regulation.

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Compare ZYN strengths and flavors at PouchFinder.

SOURCES:

• Asian Trader, "ZYN turns up the intensity with Black Menthol 16.5mg," Oct. 30, 2026. asiantrader.biz