ZYN, an oral nicotine product, has skyrocketed in popularity in 2023/2024. Referred to as ‘Zyns’, the pouches have gained a new user base in Generation Z.
This increase in usage has affected SRU. As of April 2024, 11 Zyns can be found on just one side of the path from Vincent Science Center to Bailey Library.
“They’re littered on the ground all over campus and it’s sad,” an anonymous female student said.
Students claim they like the product for several reasons.
“I like the different flavors they have, how I don’t need a spit cup for them and how they’ve helped me kick the habit of vaping,” A student ZYN user said.
“They’re discreet,” the non-using female student said, “you can have them in at any time and in theory, nobody would know.”
The product is designed to help curb Nicotine Use Disorder, which affects much of the population at SRU.
However, it has not been helpful to all. “Everyone I’ve known to use Zyns did it to stop vaping,” the female student said, “It didn’t work.”
There has been concern among parents surrounding non-smokers who began using the product. A student shared an anecdote of her 15-year-old siblings using it despite having no such addiction.
“I can’t tell you how many non-smokers I talked to in 2023 who’d just tried it for the first time,” a VICE article said, “Like smoking, ZYN can at once feel countercultural and comically corporate.”
A Google Trends search shows the frequency of people looking up “ZYN” has steadily increased since March 2023, with a spike in January 2024, though the number is still rising.
Additionally, ZYN has seen drastic growth in recent months. The company reported a 62% sales increase in 2023, according to CNN.com.
“I didn’t see this coming, I don’t know anyone who did,” a director for oral nicotine products said, according to Fox59.com. Executives referred to the increase as “lights out” growth.
This growth is likely attributed to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and his appearance on an episode of the Full Send podcast on March 10, 2023.
“It’s been a massive life enhancer and I’d really recommend it to you,” Carlson said about ZYN.
“I use it every second I’m awake and in bed…There are all kinds of medical benefits of [nicotine]…It increases mental acuity, it increases your testosterone level,” he said.
From there, ZYN became popular among fans of Carlson and eventually “Tucker Carlzyn” became a meme.
The joke slowly gained popularity in conservative male spaces until it was brought to the forefront. Now, it is popular because of its familiarity—a meme for the sake of being a meme.
People online have begun calling themselves ‘Zynfluencers’ and have created a subculture around the product.
“I think it’s a combination of word of mouth and social media,” the student user said about the popularity of ZYN. “I had seen a bunch of TikToks and stuff joking about them, and pair that type of reach with hearing or seeing about it from a friend…it’ll put the brand out there.”
“They are a new spin on the alternative of the past,” he said.
