Philip Morris International is expanding its ZYN nicotine pouch lineup in the United States, adding new 1.5mg and 8mg strengths to the flagship dry pouch range while preparing to increase the pouch count in its existing 3mg and 6mg cans.
The changes, announced by PMI U.S. on September 9, 2026, come as the company continues to broaden ZYN across nicotine strengths, pouch formats and moisture levels. The company also highlighted the commercial rollout of ZYN ULTRA, its higher-moisture nicotine pouch line.
The latest expansion is significant because it gives ZYN a wider strength range at the lower and higher ends of its flagship dry-pouch portfolio. At the same time, PMI is moving toward a 20-pouch-per-can format for its established 3mg and 6mg products.
However, the commercial availability of a product and its FDA marketing authorization are not necessarily the same thing. That distinction is particularly important for the newly announced 1.5mg and 8mg ZYN products.
ZYN Dry Pouches Expand to Four Nicotine Strengths
PMI U.S. says its flagship ZYN dry pouch lineup is expanding beyond the existing 3mg and 6mg options.
The range now includes:
- 1.5mg
- 3mg
- 6mg
- 8mg
The new 1.5mg option extends the lineup toward a lower nicotine level, while the 8mg version pushes the range higher than the existing 6mg offering.
Rather than simply adding another flavor or packaging variation, these changes give ZYN a broader strength ladder. That allows the brand to position different products around different nicotine preferences instead of concentrating its core dry-pouch range around only two strengths.
PMI’s September 9 announcement describes the 1.5mg and 8mg products as part of its expanded commercially available portfolio.
1.5mg and 8mg Have a Different Regulatory Status From Existing ZYN Products
The regulatory picture is more complicated than the product lineup itself.
As of September 10, 2026, the FDA’s public authorized nicotine pouch list includes ZYN products in 3mg and 6mg strengths, along with the recently authorized ZYN ULTRA products at 9mg and 11mg. The current FDA list does not show ZYN dry pouches at 1.5mg or 8mg.
This creates an important distinction for readers and retailers: PMI’s statement that the new strengths are commercially available should not automatically be interpreted as an FDA marketing authorization for those specific strengths.
The September 9 PMI announcement does not identify a specific PMTA application number or publicly explain which application covers the new 1.5mg and 8mg products. Based on the currently available public FDA information, their individual authorization status therefore remains an important point to watch.
For an industry report, it is more accurate to describe the two new strengths as part of PMI’s announced U.S. commercial portfolio expansion while separately noting that they do not yet appear on the FDA’s public authorized-pouch list.
3mg and 6mg ZYN Cans Are Moving to 20 Pouches
The portfolio expansion is not limited to nicotine strength.
PMI U.S. also plans to change the packaging format for its established 3mg and 6mg dry ZYN products during the fourth quarter of 2026.
Instead of the current 15 pouches per can, the company plans to move both strengths to 20 pouches per can.
The change brings the flagship dry ZYN products closer to the packaging format already used by ZYN ULTRA. PMI said the larger count is intended to better align the value proposition across the ZYN portfolio, citing consumer research indicating a preference for the 20-pouch format.
Importantly, PMI’s announcement does not specify a new pouch count for the newly introduced 1.5mg and 8mg dry products. It also does not say that those two new strengths are part of the 15-to-20 pouch transition.
That makes the Q4 packaging change a separate development from the addition of the new nicotine strengths.
ZYN ULTRA Adds a Higher-Moisture Format
Alongside the dry-pouch expansion, PMI is continuing to build ZYN ULTRA in the U.S.
Unlike the flagship dry ZYN range, ZYN ULTRA uses a higher-moisture pouch format. PMI describes the product as an oral nicotine pouch that, like the standard ZYN range, does not contain tobacco leaf.
The FDA authorized 11 ZYN ULTRA products on August 21, 2026.
The authorization covers:
- Ten ZYN ULTRA products at 9mg
- One ZYN ULTRA Smooth product at 11mg
The FDA’s announcement specifically identifies the 11 authorized products, including 9mg variants such as Chill, Citrus, Cool Mint, Deep Freeze, Menthol, Peppermint, Smooth, Spearmint, Wintergreen Chill and Wintergreen, plus 11mg ZYN ULTRA Smooth.
PMI has also confirmed that additional 11mg ZYN ULTRA variants remain under scientific review. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to describe every 11mg ZYN ULTRA product as FDA-authorized.
How the ZYN U.S. Portfolio Is Changing
The latest moves create several distinct product tiers rather than one simple ZYN range.
| Product line | Strength | Planned/current pouch count | Key status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZYN Dry | 1.5mg | Not disclosed | PMI announced as commercially available |
| ZYN Dry | 3mg | 15 → 20 in Q4 2026 | FDA marketing authorized |
| ZYN Dry | 6mg | 15 → 20 in Q4 2026 | FDA marketing authorized |
| ZYN Dry | 8mg | Not disclosed | PMI announced as commercially available |
| ZYN ULTRA | 9mg | 20 | FDA marketing authorized for 10 products |
| ZYN ULTRA Smooth | 11mg | 20 | FDA marketing authorized |
| Other ZYN ULTRA 11mg variants | 11mg | 20* | Additional variants remain under FDA scientific review |
*Packaging details should be confirmed against the specific product/SKU.
The table highlights the key difference between the two parts of PMI’s latest strategy. The dry ZYN lineup is expanding horizontally with new strengths, while ZYN ULTRA provides a higher-moisture format with higher nicotine concentrations.
FDA Authorization Remains a Key Issue for ZYN
ZYN has already established a significant regulatory position in the U.S.
In January 2025, the FDA authorized 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products for marketing in the United States. Those products covered 10 flavor variants at both 3mg and 6mg strengths.
In June 2026, the FDA issued modified risk tobacco product orders for those 20 previously authorized ZYN products. The orders allow specific modified-risk messaging under the conditions set by the FDA.
Then, in August 2026, the agency added 11 ZYN ULTRA products through the PMTA pathway.
The result is a much broader authorized ZYN presence than the brand had at the start of 2025. However, the newly announced 1.5mg and 8mg dry products should be treated separately until their individual FDA status is confirmed.
PMI Is Building a Wider Strength Ladder
The strategic significance of the September announcement goes beyond simply adding two SKUs.
The original 3mg and 6mg ZYN lineup gave the brand two primary strength points. Adding 1.5mg and 8mg creates a wider progression from lower to higher nicotine levels.
At the same time, ZYN ULTRA extends the portfolio in another direction by changing the pouch format and offering 9mg and 11mg products.
This gives PMI several ways to segment the U.S. nicotine pouch market:
ZYN Dry: lower-moisture flagship format with 1.5mg, 3mg, 6mg and 8mg strengths.
ZYN ULTRA: higher-moisture format with FDA-authorized 9mg and 11mg products.
Packaging: established 3mg and 6mg dry pouches moving from 15 to 20 pouches per can in Q4.
The strategy suggests that PMI is focusing not only on adding products but also on making the overall ZYN portfolio more differentiated by strength, format and pack size.
The 20-Pouch Format Could Also Change ZYN’s Value Positioning
The planned move from 15 to 20 pouches per can is another important part of the company’s U.S. strategy.
PMI previously described ZYN ULTRA’s 20-pouch format as part of its effort to optimize the brand’s price-per-pouch positioning.
Applying the same pouch count to 3mg and 6mg dry ZYN could make comparisons between the flagship and ULTRA ranges easier for retailers and consumers.
It also changes how consumers may evaluate shelf price. A can containing 20 pouches cannot be compared directly with a 15-pouch can simply by looking at the retail price. The price per pouch becomes a more meaningful measure.
That makes the Q4 packaging transition relevant not only to consumers but also to retailers managing shelf space, pricing and product assortment.
What the Latest ZYN Expansion Means for the U.S. Market
PMI’s latest announcement shows that ZYN’s U.S. strategy is moving beyond the original two-strength dry-pouch model.
The latest ZYN expansion reflects the broader evolution of the U.S. nicotine pouch market, where brands are competing across nicotine strengths, formats, flavors and regulatory requirements.
The addition of 1.5mg and 8mg gives the flagship lineup a broader strength range, while the transition of 3mg and 6mg cans to 20 pouches increases consistency across the portfolio. Meanwhile, ZYN ULTRA gives PMI a separate higher-moisture platform with FDA-authorized 9mg and 11mg products.
For the nicotine pouch industry, the most closely watched issue may now be the regulatory status of the new dry-pouch strengths.
PMI has publicly positioned the 1.5mg and 8mg products as commercially available, but the FDA’s public authorized list currently does not include those two strengths.
Until additional regulatory information becomes public, those developments should be reported separately rather than treating every product in PMI’s expanded commercial portfolio as having the same FDA authorization status. The expansion also highlights the growing importance of FDA nicotine pouch authorization as manufacturers introduce new strengths and formats in the U.S. market.
For now, the direction is clear: PMI is expanding ZYN across nicotine strength, moisture level and package size as it seeks to build a broader U.S. nicotine pouch portfolio.