Geneva: In a strong message ahead of World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm over the rising use of flavoured nicotine and tobacco products, particularly among young people, and urged governments worldwide to take decisive action.
According to the WHO, most people who try nicotine for the first time today are introduced to it through flavoured products. These sweet and fruity options – including menthol, bubble gum, and cotton candy – are especially appealing to young users and play a key role in getting them to experiment with harmful substances.
Flavours not only make nicotine more palatable but also enhance its addictive potential. WHO points out that flavoured tobacco products can be more dangerous than their unflavoured counterparts, increasing consumption, making it harder to quit, and contributing to severe lung diseases. Despite global advances in tobacco regulation, these products are hooking a new generation into addiction, with tobacco use still claiming around eight million lives every year.
The UN health agency also criticized marketing tactics used by nicotine companies, which include colourful packaging and flavour-focused branding aimed squarely at young consumers. These tactics are especially effective on social media, where flavoured product promotions are widespread. Research indicates that such advertising can activate reward pathways in the adolescent brain and dull the impact of health warnings.
This targeted marketing cuts across all nicotine products – from traditional cigarettes to newer forms like e-cigarettes, cigars, pouches, and hookahs. WHO said the flavours are designed to mask the unpleasantness of tobacco, making harmful products seem more attractive and less dangerous.
Citing Articles 9 and 10 of the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), WHO called on its 184 member states to enforce strict regulations on the use of flavourings in tobacco products. These articles mandate countries to control what goes into tobacco products and how their ingredients are disclosed.
As of December 2024, more than 50 countries had introduced some form of regulation on tobacco additives, mostly targeting flavourings through bans on labels and marketing, or limiting their use in manufacturing. However, tobacco companies have found ways around these rules, selling flavour-enhancing accessories such as sprays, capsules, and filter tips to add to otherwise unflavoured products.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the urgency of action, warning that “the global tobacco epidemic will continue to thrive as long as addiction is disguised with appealing flavours.” He urged countries to step up enforcement and close legal loopholes to protect young people from being lured into lifelong nicotine dependence.
