Product News
95%-Less-Nicotine Cigarette Goes National: 22nd Century Targets 5,000 Stores
The strangest product in the cigarette aisle is about to get a lot easier to find. 22nd Century Group, the company behind VLN — the only cigarette the FDA has ever authorized to advertise "95% less nicotine" — announced in its August 13 earnings report that it plans to roughly double its retail footprint, growing from more than 2,000 stores today to approximately 5,000 by the end of 2026.
What VLN Actually Is
VLN is a combustible cigarette grown from tobacco engineered to contain a small fraction of the usual nicotine. In December 2021, the FDA granted it a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) authorization — a first for any cigarette — allowing 22nd Century to market it with specific claims.
"VLN is authorized on reduced exposure to nicotine, not reduced harm. It still burns, and its smoke carries the same tar and toxicants as any other cigarette."
The pitch is aimed at smokers who want to step down their nicotine intake, not at anyone looking for a "safer" smoke — no such cigarette exists. The FDA-authorized claims include "95% less nicotine," "helps reduce your nicotine consumption," and "helps you smoke less."
The Expansion, by the Numbers
According to the company's second-quarter release, Pinnacle-branded VLN products are now in more than 2,000 stores across 20 states. Recent additions include roughly 150 stores in the metro New York and northern New Jersey market and about 60 stores in California — the company's first commercial presence in what CEO Larry Firestone called the largest tobacco market in the country.
The path to 5,000 outlets runs through convenience stores, drug stores, and tobacco specialty retailers, though the company hasn't named specific chains. Firestone noted that the second quarter marked a period of "disciplined execution" and pointed to encouraging early same-store sales. The company also teased a second product, Pinnacle Pure, a "tobacco and water-style" cigarette it expects to push through the same distribution network.
The Honest Caveat
The ambition currently outruns the sales. Of 22nd Century's $2.9 million in second-quarter revenue — itself down about 30% year over year — only about $30,000 came from VLN products. The company posted a $3.3 million operating loss and holds $6.1 million in cash with no debt. In other words, the 5,000-store target is a plan built on distribution, not yet on proven consumer demand.
There's also a bigger regulatory backdrop: the FDA has for years floated a rule that would cap nicotine in all cigarettes at minimally addictive levels. If that ever advances, VLN's technology becomes the template for the entire category — which is the long game 22nd Century has been playing all along. This regulatory landscape is further detailed in our 2026 Mid-Year Regulatory Reality Check.
What It Means for Shoppers
If VLN reaches its 5,000-store goal, adult smokers in far more states will encounter a cigarette that looks, lights, and smokes like a regular one but delivers a fraction of the nicotine. While some smokers use it to taper, others may find it defeats the purpose of smoking entirely. As pouches take over the backbar, traditional shelf space for combustibles continues to shift.
For those looking for alternative nicotine delivery systems, products like nicotine pouches have seen significant market growth, though they offer a different experience than combustible tobacco. It remains a fact that the smoke itself is the harm; anyone thinking about quitting nicotine altogether has better-proven routes through cessation products and counseling. Recent studies, such as how nicotine gum outperforms counseling, highlight these evolving options.
Shoppers interested in traditional tobacco experiences can still find a wide variety of cigarillos & small cigars, including popular options like Swisher Sweets Little Cigars or Cheyenne Full Flavor Filtered Cigars, which remain staples in the market alongside filtered cigar options.
The Bottom Line
A four-year-old FDA authorization is finally turning into a real retail push. Whether America's smokers actually want a low-nicotine cigarette is the multi-million-dollar question 22nd Century is now testing, 3,000 additional stores at a time. This trend mirrors broader shifts seen in earnings season splits for Big Tobacco, where smoke-free pivots are becoming the primary focus.