From cool to non-cool: California's 'non-menthol' cigarettes in 2025.
Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
Since late 2022, the sale of most flavored tobacco products has been prohibited in California, including menthol cigarettes. Tobacco companies responded by introducing 'non-menthol' cigarettes in which menthol was replaced with WS-3, an odorless synthetic cooling agent to elicit cooling sensations similar to menthol. Legislation enacted in 2024 banned the addition of cooling characterizing flavors in tobacco products in California. However, the industry continues to market 'non-menthol' cigarettes in the state, with very similar package designs. The aim of this study was to verify whether cooling agents were removed from these cigarettes. Available Newport-branded 'non-menthol' cigarettes were purchased in California in 2025, extracted and tested for sensory cooling activity by Camicrofluorimetry of HEK293T cells expressing the human TRPM8 cold/menthol receptor. Chemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GCMS). 'Non-menthol' and menthol cigarettes marketed in 2023-2024 served as controls. While extracts from Newport 'non-menthol' and menthol cigarettes marketed in California in 2023 produced a TRPM8-mediated Caincrease of 60 ± 8% and 39 ± 3%, (p<0.0001, n=3) respectively, responses elicited by extracts of Newport 'non-menthol' cigarettes marketed in 2025 were indistinguishable from baseline (p=0.48, n=3). Chemical analysis confirmed no menthol or WS-3 above the level of detection (10 μg/cigarette), and no other major commercial
Abstract
Since late 2022, the sale of most flavored tobacco products has been prohibited in California, including menthol cigarettes. Tobacco companies responded by introducing 'non-menthol' cigarettes in which menthol was replaced with WS-3, an odorless synthetic cooling agent to elicit cooling sensations similar to menthol. Legislation enacted in 2024 banned the addition of cooling characterizing flavors in tobacco products in California. However, the industry continues to market 'non-menthol' cigarettes in the state, with very similar package designs. The aim of this study was to verify whether cooling agents were removed from these cigarettes. Available Newport-branded 'non-menthol' cigarettes were purchased in California in 2025, extracted and tested for sensory cooling activity by Camicrofluorimetry of HEK293T cells expressing the human TRPM8 cold/menthol receptor. Chemical analysis was performed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GCMS). 'Non-menthol' and menthol cigarettes marketed in 2023-2024 served as controls. While extracts from Newport 'non-menthol' and menthol cigarettes marketed in California in 2023 produced a TRPM8-mediated Caincrease of 60 ± 8% and 39 ± 3%, (p<0.0001, n=3) respectively, responses elicited by extracts of Newport 'non-menthol' cigarettes marketed in 2025 were indistinguishable from baseline (p=0.48, n=3). Chemical analysis confirmed no menthol or WS-3 above the level of detection (10 μg/cigarette), and no other major commercial synthetic cooling agents. The tobacco industry removed sensory cooling agents from 'non-menthol' cigarettes marketed in California. However, this did not result in the market withdrawal of 'non-menthol' cigarettes in the state. 'Non-menthol' cigarettes in California continue to be marketed with package designs resembling those of former menthol cigarettes, signaling the potential presence of a characterizing flavor.