Tobacco industry introduced cigarettes with synthetic cooling agents (hereafter, ‘flavour ban-proof’ cigarettes) with similar packaging to menthol cigarettes and targeted at people who smoke menthol in response to the California flavour ban.
We chemically analysed (a) seven flavour ban-proof cigarettes purchased in California (Camel and Newport), (b) three brand-matched ‘unflavoured’ regular and two menthol cigarettes purchased in Ohio and Georgia and (c) four Marlboro cigarettes with labels emphasising cooling sensation purchased in Ohio. We tested filtered little cigars and loose pipe tobaccos for comparison. We used liquid-liquid extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis to quantify nicotine and cooling agents in the cigarette and cigar rod, and total particulate matter (TPM) collected on filter pads from machine smoking according to standardised puffing regime. We assessed the transfer of nicotine and cooling agents from the rod to the smoke and compared the cooling strength of tested cigarettes.
We only detected Wilkinson Sword (WS-3) in flavour ban-proof cigarettes (0.88–1.77 mg/rod). The level of WS-3 per rod was approximately 10% of nicotine (9.3–15.52 mg/rod) and similar to menthol levels in the mentholated counterparts (0.59–3.78 mg/rod). The transfer of nicotine, WS-3 and menthol to the TPM ranged from 7%–14%, 14%–30% and 20%–51%, respectively. However, the calculated cooling strengths of flavour ban-proof cigarettes and menthol cigarettes were similar.
Menthol was replaced with WS-3 in flavour ban-proof cigarettes, and WS-3’s higher cooling power may result in a comparable cooling experience and thus has the potential to undermine local, state or federal bans on menthol cigarettes.