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Philip Morris tested Benson & Hedges Regular and Benson & Hedges Menthol cigarettes. Analysis of how a small test panel smoked the cigarettes demonstrated that total particulate matter (TPM), tar and nicotine levels, and puff counts were higher in the menthol cigarettes compared to the non-menthol ones. 50
Source publication
To determine what the tobacco industry knew about the potential effects of menthol on smoking topography-how a person smokes a cigarette.
A snowball strategy was used to systematically search the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu) between 1 June 2010 and 9 August 2010. We qualitatively analysed a final collection of 2...
Similar publications
Menthol cigarettes are associated with increased initiation and progression to regular smoking and decreased likelihood of smoking cessation.1–8 Menthol smokers are more likely to be women and adolescents in several countries.9 The Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recommend that Parties regulate ingredients t...
Background
Menthol can mask the harshness and taste of tobacco, making menthol cigarettes easier to use and increasing their appeal among vulnerable populations. The tobacco industry has targeted youth, women, and racial minorities with menthol cigarettes, and these groups smoke menthol cigarettes at higher rates. The tobacco industry has also targ...
Abstract Background African Americans are disproportionately exposed to cigarette advertisements, particularly for menthol brands. Tobacco industry documents outline strategic efforts to promote menthol cigarettes to African Americans at the point of sale, and studies have observed more outdoor and retail menthol advertisements in neighborhoods wit...
Publicly available internal tobacco industry documents were analyzed to answer the following questions regarding the sensory qualities of menthol and its possible effects on topography: 1) What properties does menthol contribute to the smoking experience? 2) Does menthol contribute to the sensory qualities of the smoke and affect smoking topography...
A sample of 561 persons judged the age and attractiveness of the models in 50 cigarette ads. Seventeen percent of the models were perceived, on average, to be significantly younger than 25 years of age, an apparent violation of the tobacco industry's voluntary advertising code. Cigarette ads with young persons were found to appear more often in mag...
Citations
... puff volume) and/or that these men metabolize cigarettes differently than European American smokers. One hypothesis that may explain the relative decrease in smoking habits (cigarette per day, years smoked, and packyears smoked) but increase in aggressive disease among racial groups could be mentholated cigarette use in the African American population [29,41]. Menthol provides a cooling sensory effect to reduce the harshness of cigarette smoke and has been hypothesized to modify smoking behavior by increasing the puff volumes that leads to increased exposure to hazardous chemicals [28,41,42]. ...
... One hypothesis that may explain the relative decrease in smoking habits (cigarette per day, years smoked, and packyears smoked) but increase in aggressive disease among racial groups could be mentholated cigarette use in the African American population [29,41]. Menthol provides a cooling sensory effect to reduce the harshness of cigarette smoke and has been hypothesized to modify smoking behavior by increasing the puff volumes that leads to increased exposure to hazardous chemicals [28,41,42]. It has been shown in previous studies that African American men smoke fewer cigarettes per day, which could be attributed to smoking mentholated cigarettes [28]. ...
Purpose
Smoking is a modifiable lifestyle factor that has not been established as a prostate cancer risk factor, nor emphasized in prostate cancer prevention. Studies have shown that African American (AA) smokers have a poorer cancer prognosis than European Americans (EAs), while having a lower prevalence of heavy smoking. We examined the relationship between cigarette smoking and prostate cancer aggressiveness and assessed racial differences in smoking habits on the probability of high-aggressive prostate cancer.
Methods
Using data from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (n = 1,279), prostate cancer aggressiveness was defined as high or low based on Gleason scores, serum prostate-specific antigen levels, and tumor stage. Cigarette smoking was categorized as current, former, or never smokers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results
Self-reported current (OR = 1.99; 95% CI 1.30–3.06) smoking was associated with high-aggressive prostate cancer relative to never smokers. When stratified by self-reported race, the odds of having high-aggressive cancer increased among AA current (OR = 3.58; 95% CI 2.04–6.28) and former smokers (OR = 2.21; 95% CI 1.38–3.53) compared to AA never smokers, but the odds were diminished among the EA stratum (Pself-reported race x smoking status = 0.003).
Conclusion
Cigarette smoking is associated with prostate cancer aggressiveness, a relationship modulated by self-reported race. Future research is needed to investigate types of cigarettes smoked and metabolic differences that may be contributing to the racial disparities observed.
... Findings suggest that indices of demand Persistence for one's usual brand menthol cigarette and their preferred menthol cigarette alternative both predict how much effort they will expend to obtain puffs of their usual brand menthol cigarette in a concurrent-choice SA task. These results underscore prior research on the strong preference for one's own menthol cigarette brand, 19,20 while supporting the use of the CPT as a validated tool to quantify the relative reinforcing value (ie, addiction potential) of combustible tobacco products in research studies alongside SA procedures. In an ever-changing product market, the ability to assess the reinforcing efficacy of menthol cigarettes and putative substitutes quickly and with validity is an important research tool for understanding abuse liability alongside other methodological approaches. ...
INTRODUCTION
Considering recent and proposed bans on menthol cigarettes, methods are needed to understand the substitutability of potential menthol cigarette alternatives (MCAs) for menthol cigarettes. This study examined the prospective relationship between behavioral economic demand indices and subjective effects of usual brand menthol cigarettes (UBMC) and preferred MCAs with subsequent performance on a laboratory-based concurrent-choice task comparing UBMC and MCAs.
METHODS
Eighty participants who typically smoked menthol cigarettes completed this clinical lab study. After sampling each product, participants completed the cigarette purchase task (CPT) and modified cigarette evaluation questionnaire (mCEQ). Following one-week of substituting their preferred MCA for their UBMC, participants completed a 90-min concurrent-choice self-administration task comparing their UBMC and preferred MCA. Linear regression models explored associations between CPT demand indices and mCEQ subjective effects in the lab with subsequent response effort for UBMCs on the concurrent-choice task.
RESULTS
Three demand indices for UBMC were positively associated with UBMC response effort: Essential Value (EV; p=.02), Omax (p=.02), and breakpoint (p=.04). Four CPT demand indices for the preferred MCA significantly corresponded with UBMC response effort: EV (p=.03), Pmax (p=.04), Omax (p=.03), and breakpoint (p=.03). Subjective effects captured by the mCEQ were not associated with response effort.
CONCLUSIONS
Demand indices reflecting Persistence (i.e., sensitivity to escalating price) predicted effort to obtain UBMC puffs on the concurrent-choice task. Among this sample, the CPT captured information on the relative reinforcing value (i.e., addiction potential) of combustible tobacco products similar to the longer self-administration task.
IMPLICATIONS
In an ever-changing product market, assessing the reinforcing efficacy of menthol cigarettes and putative substitutes quickly and with validity is an important methodological tool for understanding abuse liability. Results suggest that behavioral economic demand indices of cigarette purchase task efficiently capture information on the relative reinforcing value of usual brand menthol cigarettes and plausible alternative tobacco products, similar to a 90-min in-laboratory self-administration task.
... Facilitation of inhalation and nicotine dependence by added menthol is especially concerning for new/experimental smokers such as youth. It has been reported that cooling effects can be achieved by concentrations far below those that impart any characterizing flavor 9,[11][12][13] . ...
INTRODUCTION
The addition of cooling substances, such as menthol, might be attractive for youth to start smoking waterpipe by reducing the harshness of the smoke, thereby facilitating inhalation. These compounds simultaneously increase the addictiveness of tobacco and related products by stimulating nicotine uptake. Some menthol-like compounds also increase attractiveness by imparting a menthol/mint flavor. We provide an overview of the frequency and quantities of use of menthol-like substances in waterpipe tobacco, herbal molasses and steam stones.
METHODS
The primary data source of this study was the European Common Entry Gate (EU-CEG). Product names and ingredients were obtained for 282 waterpipe tobacco products notified to The Netherlands in 2020. Subsequently, gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was used to quantify seven menthol-like substances and nicotine in waterpipe tobacco (n=5), herbal molasses (n=1) and steam stones (n=12).
RESULTS
Of the 282 EU-CEG-notified products, 39% have a menthol/mint declared flavor. GC-MS showed that 15 of the 18 investigated waterpipe products contained one or more menthol-like ingredients. GC-MS analysis showed that products termed ‘freeze’, ‘ice’ or ‘mint’ contained higher median menthol concentrations than products without these terms.
CONCLUSIONS
Nearly all investigated waterpipe products contained menthol-like compounds, irrespective of their flavor. Such compounds are known to provide flavoring or cooling effects, and some are known to be carcinogenic. Our results can support the regulation of these substances in waterpipe products. Regulators should screen all waterpipe products, not only those with menthol or a similar indicator in product names.
... First, menthol's cooling and analgesic properties mask the harshness and taste of cigarette smoke, making it more appealing. 12 Second, menthol's refreshing sensory qualities increase the positive, or rewarding, properties associated with smoking. 13 14 Third, menthol inhibits nicotine metabolism, causing greater systemic exposure to nicotine. ...
... 15 Fourth, menthol may change puff topography, causing people who smoke to take more puffs. 12 Marketing of menthol cigarettes 16 17 has also dramatically shaped use patterns in the USA [18][19][20] and the persistence of menthol use in young adults who smoke cigarettes. 21 22 Of particular importance ...
Introduction
This study assessed the substitutability of plausible combustible menthol cigarette alternatives (MCAs) for usual brand menthol cigarettes (UBMCs) in adults who smoke menthol cigarettes.
Methods
Following three in-lab sampling sessions, 80 adults aged 21–50 who smoke menthol cigarettes chose their preferred MCA: (1) a menthol roll-your-own cigarette (mRYO), (2) a menthol filtered little cigar (mFLC) or (3) a non-menthol cigarette (NMC). Participants were instructed to completely substitute their preferred MCA for their UBMC for 1 week and complete daily diaries documenting adherence and subjective effects. At the final lab visit, participants completed concurrent choice and cross-price elasticity tasks with their substitute product and UBMC as the comparator.
Results
Most (65%) participants chose mRYO as their preferred product, followed by NMC and mFLC. Adherence to MCA was high for all products across the week (range: 63%–88%). Positive subjective effects for mRYO decreased over time but remained numerically higher than the other MCA products; craving reduction also decreased for NMC across phases. In the progressive ratio task, participants chose their UBMC in 61.7% of choices; this did not differ by preferred MCA, although the median breakpoint was highest for mRYO and similar for mFLC and NMC. Cross-price elasticity comparing UBMC and the preferred product indicated high substitutability of each MCA at phase 3 ( I values −0.70 to −0.82).
Conclusions and relevance
mRYOs were the most preferred MCA among the study products, but all MCAs were acceptable substitutes for UBMC using behavioural and economic measures in a short-term trial period.
Trial registration number NCT04844762 .
... Flavourings in tobacco products improve sensory experiences by masking the harshness of inhaled smoke and also increase the product's appeal to potential users. 1 2 Menthol is among the most commonly used flavourings in various tobacco products. 3 As part of strategies to reduce tobacco use, several countries, starting with Canada in 2015 4 and more recently in the European Union in 2020, 5 6 have imposed bans on characterising flavours, including menthol, in some or all tobacco products. 7 Canada and Germany have also banned the use of substitute synthetic cooling flavouring chemicals that mimic the sensory effects of menthol. ...
Introduction
In December 2022, California (CA) enforced a voter-approved regulation restricting the retail sale of flavoured tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. Shortly after, new products emerged on the market containing similar blue and green package colours yet with ‘non-menthol’ descriptors. Using chemical analyses, we measured the content of menthol and 15 other cooling chemicals in Californian cigarettes with ‘non-menthol’ descriptors and compared concentrations to similar ‘menthol’-labelled counterparts available in New York State (NY).
Methods
A convenience sample of 10 brands and types of cigarettes in CA were purchased based on package colours suggesting a cooling effect and/or ‘non-menthol’ descriptors. The exact brand and type of cigarettes (with menthol descriptors) were purchased in NY. Cigarettes from CA were compared with equivalent cigarettes from NY on package design and colours, cigarette physical characteristics and the presence of cooling additives.
Results
Menthol was not detected in any CA cigarette, except for Maverick-green box type, while its presence was confirmed in most NY counterpart products. A synthetic cooling chemical WS-3 was not detected in any NY cigarettes but was detected in four CA brands and types with implied cooling effect, ranging from 1.24±0.04 to 1.97±0.05 mg/cigarette.
Conclusion
While manufacturers have removed menthol descriptors from CA packaging and the menthol ingredient from cigarettes, synthetic cooling chemicals detected in several CA brands suggest that cooling sensory effects may still be sustained. Policymakers must consider both the chemical ingredients themselves and sensory effects in future regulatory approaches.
... Tobacco product manufacturers add low levels of menthol in tobacco products not characterised as 'menthol' because menthol makes the products less harsh and easier to inhale, reduces aftertaste and interacts with nicotine to make the products more addictive. [37][38][39][40][41][42] FDA did not act on RJR's PMTA for Vuse Solo Menthol, 11 which allowed it to remain on the market. While fruit was the most popular flavour among youth in 2021, 28% of youth e-cigarette users used menthol. ...
In October 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised marketing of RJ Reynolds Vapor Company's (RJR) Vuse Solo e-cigarette through FDA's Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) pathway. FDA concluded that RJR demonstrated Vuse products met the statutory standard of providing a net benefit to public health. A review of FDA's scientific justification reveals deficiencies: (1) not adequately considering Vuse's popularity with youth and evidence that e-cigarettes expanded the nicotine market and stimulate cigarette smoking; (2) trading youth addiction for unproven adult benefit without quantifying these risks and benefits; (3) not considering design factors that appeal to youth; (4) not addressing evidence that e-cigarettes used as consumer products do not help smokers quit and promote relapse in former smokers; (5) not discussing evidence that dual use is more dangerous than smoking; (6) narrowly focusing on the fact that e-cigarettes deliver lower levels of some toxicants without addressing direct evidence on adverse health effects; (7) downplaying significant evidence of other substantial harms; (8) not acting on FDA's own study showing no all-cause mortality benefit of reducing (but not stopping) cigarette use; and (9) improperly considering e-cigarettes' high abuse liability and potential for high youth addiction and undermining tobacco cessation. Because marketing these products is not appropriate for the protection of the public health, FDA should reconsider its Vuse marketing order as statutorily required and not use it as a template for other e-cigarette PMTAs. Policymakers outside the USA should anticipate that tobacco companies will use FDA's decision to try to weaken tobacco control regulation of e-cigarettes and promote their products.
... A l t h o u g h t h e i n d u s t r y d e s c r i b e s t h e pharmacological properties of menthol, some key-publications that refer to menthol's intrinsic property to enhance inhalation are not adequately discussed (e.g. Willis et al. 20 , McKemy et al. 26 , Yerger et al. 27 , and Ha et al. 15 ). Two of these publications link TRPM8 activation by menthol to an improved sensation of breathing and air-flow, especially under conditions of respiratory diseases or toxicant exposure 15,20 . ...
... Menthol has been suggested to hardly affect smoking behavior and toxicant exposure of experienced smokers who are adjusted to inhale hazardous smoke 28 . However, an independent review of industry documents showed that during initiation and adaption of new smokers, supplemented menthol inhibits physiological warning and rejection responses, thus facilitating easier and continued inhalation despite the harshness of smoke and irritating qualities of nicotine 27 . This is consistent with the preferential use of mentholated cigarettes by adolescents and young adults who have smoked for less than one year 29,30 . ...
The European Union Tobacco Products Directive (EU TPD) mandates enhanced
reporting obligations for tobacco manufacturers regarding 15 priority additives.
Within the Joint Action on Tobacco Control (JATC), a review panel of independent
experts was appointed for the scientific evaluation of the additive reports submitted
by a consortium of 12 tobacco manufacturers. As required by the TPD, the reports
were evaluated based on their comprehensiveness, methodology and conclusions. In
addition, we evaluated the chemical, toxicological, addictive, inhalation facilitating
and flavoring properties of the priority additives based on the submitted reports,
supplemented by the panel’s expert knowledge and some independent literature.
The industry concluded that none of the additives is associated with concern. Due
to significant methodological limitations, we question the scientific validity of these
conclusions and conclude that they are not warranted. Our review demonstrates
that many issues regarding toxicity, addictiveness and attractiveness of the
additives have not been sufficiently addressed, and therefore concerns remain.
For example, menthol facilitates inhalation by activation of the cooling receptor
TRPM8. The addition of sorbitol and guar gum leads to a significant increase of
aldehydes that may contribute to toxicity and addictiveness. Titanium dioxide
particles (aerodynamic diameter
... The tobacco product industry has a long history of manufacturing and marketing products that produce cooling sensations. 1 Combustible cigarettes containing the cooling agent menthol constituted 36% of all US cigarette sales in 2018. 2 E-cigarettes with cooling features have also been marketed since as early as 2012, 3 characteristically as menthol-flavoured or mint-flavoured products. 4 Given that e-cigarettes with cooling features have been widely used by adolescents 5 and adults 6 and might have harmful toxins, 7 continued monitoring of this product class is critical for tobacco control. ...
... [17][18][19] Considerable industry research and development of menthol-flavoured cigarettes improved the user experience of inhaling tobacco aerosol. 1 Menthol produces pleasant cooling sensations and anaesthetic effects that mask the harshness of combustible smoke and nicotine's irritating effects on the airways, thereby increasing the intensity of how cigarettes are smoked (eg, deeper inhalation) and potentially accelerating the acquisition of nicotine dependence. 20 Menthol-flavoured e-cigarettes have sensory attributes like mentholated combustible cigarettes. ...
E-cigarettes with cooling flavours have diversified in ways that complicate tobacco control with the emergence of: (1) Ice-hybrid flavours (eg, 'Raspberry Ice') that combine cooling and fruity/sweet properties; and (2) Products containing non-menthol synthetic cooling agents (eg, Wilkinson Sword (WS), WS-3, WS-23 (termed 'koolada')). This paper reviews the background, chemistry, toxicology, marketing, user perceptions, use prevalence and policy implications of e-cigarette products with ice-hybrid flavours or non-menthol coolants. Scientific literature search supplemented with industry-generated and user-generated information found: (a) The tobacco industry has developed products containing synthetic coolants since 1974, (b) WS-3 and WS-23 are detected in mass-manufactured e-cigarettes (eg, PuffBar); (c) While safe for limited oral ingestion, inhalational toxicology and health effects from daily synthetic coolant exposure are unknown and merit scientific inquiry and attention from regulatory agencies; (d) Ice-hybrid flavours are marketed with themes incorporating fruitiness and/or coolness (eg, snow-covered raspberries); (e) WS-23/WS-3 concentrates also are sold as do-it-yourself additives, (f) Pharmacology research and user-generated and industry-generated information provide a premise to hypothesise that e-cigarette products with ice flavours or non-menthol cooling agents generate pleasant cooling sensations that mask nicotine's harshness while lacking certain aversive features of menthol-only products, (g) Adolescent and young adult use of e-cigarettes with ice-hybrid or other cooling flavours may be common and cross-sectionally associated with more frequent vaping and nicotine dependence in convenience samples. Evidence gaps in the epidemiology, toxicology, health effects and smoking cessation-promoting potential of using these products exist. E-cigarettes with ice flavours or synthetic coolants merit scientific and regulatory attention.
... Likewise, menthol cigarette use has been found to nearly double the odds of progression from nondaily to daily smoking amongst young adults aged 18 to 34 years [5]. Menthol also appears to make it more difficult for some established smokers to quit smoking [6,7] and may increase the addictiveness of nicotine by conditioning the craving for nicotine and enhancing the reinforcing actions of nicotine in the brain [1,2]. A recent systematic review reported that 9 out of 14 studies found greater nicotine dependence among menthol smokers compared to non-menthol smokers [8]. ...
... In addition to the effects of marketing, these misperceptions may also arise from the impact that taste and other sensory experiences have on smokers' perceptions of risk [14]. Since the menthol in tobacco smoke has cooling, anaesthetic and analgesic properties, it can make menthol cigarettes easier and more palatable to smoke [2,6,[15][16][17]. For example, compared to non-menthol cigarettes, smokers tend to experience menthol cigarettes as smoother, more soothing on the throat, fresher tasting and having a cleaner taste [9,11,12]. ...
... Furthermore, in Malaysia and Thailand [18], between 16% and 36% of smokers, respectively, agreed that menthol cigarettes were less harmful based on the perception of smoother smoke. The positive sensory experiences that smokers associate with menthol cigarettes may be due to menthol's cooling, anaesthetic and analgesic properties that can improve the palatability of tobacco [6,17] and mask the harshness of the smoke [15]. The present findings also suggest that the physiological sensory effects of menthol may be causing smokers to believe that tobacco products with smooth, soothing, fresh-tasting and clean-feeling properties are less damaging and more enjoyable. ...
Many current smokers incorrectly believe that menthol cigarettes are less harmful, likely due to the biological and sensory effects of menthol, which can lead smokers to have favourable sensory experiences. In this study, we measured the extent to which Australian smokers associate certain sensory experiences with smoking menthol and non-menthol cigarettes, and their beliefs about how damaging and enjoyable they find cigarettes with each of these sensory experiences. A sample of 999 Australian 18–69-year-old weekly smokers was recruited from a non-probability online panel; this study focuses on the 245 respondents who currently smoked menthol cigarettes at least once per week. Current menthol smokers were four to nine times more likely to experience menthol rather than non-menthol cigarettes as having favourable sensory experiences, including feeling smooth, being soothing on the throat, fresh-tasting and clean-feeling. Menthol smokers perceived cigarettes with these favourable sensations as less damaging and more enjoyable than cigarettes with the opposite more aversive sensory experience. Efforts to correct these misperceptions about risk will likely require messages that provide new information to help smokers understand that these sensations do not indicate a lower level of risk. Banning menthol in tobacco products—as has recently been done in some nations—would also be a timely and justified strategy for protecting consumers.
... Menthol cigarettes account for over 30% of cigarette sales in the United States (Federal Trade Commission, 2016). Menthol flavoring masks the harshness of tobacco (Fan et al., 2016;Yerger and McCandless, 2011;Kreslake et al., 2008), may enhance the reinforcing effects of nicotine (Bagdas et al., 2020;Biswas et al., 2016;Harrison et al., 2017;Wang et al., 2014), and is associated with poorer cessation outcomes, especially among Black or African American smokers (Smith et al., 2020;Smith et al., 2014). Therefore, tobacco control policies intended to reduce menthol cigarette use, such as tax increases, sales location restrictions, or outright bans, could have major population-level public health benefits. ...
Introduction
Menthol cigarette smokers may switch to other combusted products like menthol little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) or switch to non-combusted products like menthol vapes if menthol cigarettes are banned or otherwise restricted. This pilot study used a behavioral economics task to understand (a) menthol cigarette demand across a range of increasing prices in the context of available alternative products and (b) how the availability of menthol LCCs affected cigarette demand and alternative product substitution.
Methods
Menthol smokers completed the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace task during two sessions. Cigarettes, LCCs, smokeless tobacco, vapes, and medicinal nicotine were available from an online store. The price of menthol cigarettes increased across trials while the prices of the alternative products remained constant. Menthol LCCs were available in one session and excluded in the other. Cross-price elasticity beta estimates identified significant product substitutes.
Results
When menthol LCCs were available, increasing the price of menthol cigarettes led to substitution with non-menthol cigarettes (β = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.34, 0.96), menthol little cigars (β = 0.39, 95%CI = 0.08, 0.70), and menthol vapes (β = 0.26, 95%CI = 0.16, 0.35). When menthol LCCs were not available, increasing the price of menthol cigarettes led to substitution with non-menthol cigarettes (β = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.08, 1.11), non-menthol cigarillos (β = 0.62, 95%CI = 0.19, 1.04), and menthol vapes (β = 0.13, 95%CI = 0.08, 0.18).
Conclusions
As the price of menthol cigarettes increased, demand for menthol cigarettes decreased and demand for combusted and non-combusted products increased, indicating significant substitution for menthol cigarettes. Policies targeting menthol combusted tobacco could result in some menthol smokers switching to non-combusted products like vaping devices.
