Tobacco industry strategies for flavour capsule cigarettes: analysis of patents and internal industry documents

Abstract

BackgroundThe global market for flavour capsule variants (FCVs), cigarettes with a crushable flavour capsule, has grown exponentially. To inform further regulatory efforts, it is important to understand tobacco industry strategies for FCVs.MethodsAnalysis of data from 65 patents and 179 internal tobacco industry documents, retrieved via snowball searches in Patsnap and the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Library, describing tobacco industry developments related to FCVs. We used an inductive coding method to identify themes relating to FCV features or developments.ResultsTobacco companies were developing FCVs since the 1960s, with little market success until the 2000s following the launch of Camel Crush, a brand which targeted millennials (in their teens or early 20s at the time). Tobacco companies have patented, but not yet marketed, FCVs with microcapsule surface coatings, adjustable or heat-triggered flavour release systems, airflow manipulation features, transparent filters to visualise flavour release, and various flavours and additives for capsules including nicotine/tobacco extracts for an on-demand nicotine hit. Tobacco companies developed FCVs purported to be reduced harm, although their own tests showed that FCVs have higher toxicant concentrations. They have also developed loose flavour capsule units designed to fit into cigarettes, packs, or recessed filters to enable users to customise cigarettes and circumvent tobacco flavour bans.ConclusionsTo prevent tobacco companies from targeting young people and exploiting regulatory loopholes, regulations on tobacco products should ban flavours and consider the broad variety of FCV designs, additives and loose products designed to impart flavour into tobacco products.

Marketing of flavour capsule cigarettes: a systematic review

“…A total of 40 articles, published between 2009 and 2021, were included in the review (table 1). Article types varied and included 17 full manuscripts,10 24–39 4 brief reports,40–43 4 conference abstracts,44–47 2 reports,1 48 7 ‘industry watch’ publications,2 3 49–53 2 ‘ad watch’ publications,54 55 3 special communications20 56 57 and 1 research letter 58. Nine studies examined FCV marketing elements globally/generally or did not specify countries,1–3 28–30 32 34 46 50 while other studies investigated specific countries including: Argentina,45 48 Australia,56 Bangladesh,27 43 Bolivia,45 48 Brazil,27 43–45 48 Canada,41 58 Chile,45 48 China,27 38 43 Egypt,43 Guatemala,40 Lithuania,31 India,27 43 Indonesia,24 27 43 44 Japan,31 54 Malaysia,51 Mexico,10 35 43 47 New Zealand,42 Pakistan,43 Peru,45 48 the Philippines,26 27 43 44 the Republic of Korea,31 33 54 55 the Russian Federation,27 43 44 Singapore,37 Switzerland,31 Thailand,27 43 44 Turkey,43 Ukraine,43 the UK,20 39 49 52 53 57 the USA,31 35 36 Uruguay25 and Vietnam 27 43 44…”

“…Regarding study methodology, 15 studies performed a content analysis of cigarette packs1 24 26 33–35 37 41 45 46 50 55 56 58 and/or sticks33 37 41 43 46; 4 studies conducted a content analysis of retail stores25 40 47 48; 18 studies reviewed tobacco industry documents (eg, internal, reports, trade/retail press, ingredient lists), and/or observed the retail environment and/or examined the commercial market data (eg, market portfolio, brand variants, price)1–3 20 29–32 34 39 42 49 52–57; 3 studies conducted a content analysis of print and/or online tobacco advertising and marketing information28 36 38; and 1 study used a cross-sectional survey design10 (table 1).…”

“…Functions to retain flavouring agents from vaporising, improve aftertaste and mask smoke harshness 1 2 29…”

“…Eleven studies reported on the product characteristics of FCVs 1–3 28–30 32 39 51 55 56. The origins of FCVs can be linked to the application of capsule technology used in the development of water capsule cigarettes, which was an industry attempt to imitate waterpipes and market it as a reduced risk product 30.…”

“…The origins of FCVs can be linked to the application of capsule technology used in the development of water capsule cigarettes, which was an industry attempt to imitate waterpipes and market it as a reduced risk product 30. Tobacco industry internal documents reveal that FCVs were a continued effort to create a harm reduction product 29. FCVs were also platformed to contain novelty features such as its ability to release flavour ‘on-demand’ 29.…”