Company News
ZYN Owner Issues Cease-and-Desist to Congresswoman Over 'Glue-ZYN-Kamp' Campaign Tin
Philip Morris International (PMI), the company behind ZYN nicotine pouches, forced a sitting member of Congress to pull a piece of campaign merchandise this month. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat from southwest Washington, briefly sold a $50 metal tin styled after a ZYN can and printed with the pun "Glue-ZYN-Kamp." Within about a day, PMI's U.S. arm said the tin violated its trademark and demanded the campaign stop using the brand. The tin disappeared from the campaign store on the afternoon of September 9, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
What the campaign sold
The Gluesenkamp Perez campaign rolled out a batch of new merchandise on Tuesday, September 8, through her Marie for Congress website. Alongside the usual coffee mugs, tote bags and T-shirts was a metal storage tin shaped like a nicotine pouch can and labeled "Marie Glue-ZYN-Kamp Perez," priced at $50, the Washington Examiner reported. The item quickly circulated on social media, which is likely what the campaign wanted. The congresswoman, 38, is defending a swing seat in Washington's 3rd District against Republican John Braun in one of the most competitive House races of the 2026 midterms.
How ZYN's owner responded
PMI did not treat it as a joke. In a statement carried by OPB, the company's U.S. branch said it appreciates enthusiasm for its brands from adults 21 and older, but that the tin violated the ZYN trademark and the campaign "must cease and desist" using it. The campaign did not respond to reporters' requests for comment over the following two days, but the tin was removed from the online shop on Wednesday afternoon, roughly 24 hours after it went on sale. The Washington Times followed up on September 16 with a report confirming that PMI had told the lawmaker to quit using its brand.
Trademark owners in the nicotine business generally have to police their marks or risk weakening them, and ZYN is now one of the most recognizable consumer brands in the category.
PMI acquired ZYN's maker, Swedish Match, in 2022 and has spent heavily on the brand since, including a new U.S. production plant and a national advertising campaign this year. A cease-and-desist over a novelty tin is a routine legal step for a company protecting an asset that size, even when the target is a member of Congress.
Why a nicotine pouch became campaign merch
The episode says as much about ZYN's cultural position as it does about trademark law. Nicotine pouches have become shorthand for a certain kind of young, male, online-savvy voter. OPB noted that pouch use among young adults nearly quadrupled between 2022 and 2025, and that roughly three quarters of young users are men, a group that shifted toward Republicans in 2024.
ZYN has been a political prop before: in 2024, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for federal scrutiny of the brand's marketing, and Republican lawmakers responded with a wave of pro-ZYN messaging that The Hill dubbed the "Zynsurrection." A Democrat in a Trump-leaning district borrowing that imagery is a deliberate play for those voters. Political consultant Dean Nielsen told OPB that Democrats are catching up to Republicans on creative merchandise and predicted more campaigns would try similar stunts.
What it means for pouch users
Nothing about this changes the product on the shelf. ZYN's lineup, pricing and availability are unaffected, and the dispute was settled quietly once the tin came down. What the story does highlight is how mainstream the brand has become, and how aggressively its owner defends it. Shoppers who buy ZYN Nicotine Pouches will keep seeing the same cans, the same strengths and the same flavors, and any "ZYN-style" merchandise from third parties should be treated as unofficial unless PMI says otherwise. Users often wonder Which ZYN Strengths Are Right for You? when browsing the various options available today.
It is also a reminder that ZYN sits in the middle of an ongoing public-health debate. The FDA has authorized ZYN products for sale after concluding they present lower exposure to harmful chemicals than cigarettes, but the agency and health groups continue to warn about rising use among young adults. Nicotine is addictive regardless of how it is delivered. In some regions, regulatory changes are already impacting the market, such as how New York’s 75% Nicotine Pouch Tax affects local pricing.
The bottom line
A congresswoman tried to turn ZYN into a campaign punchline, and ZYN's owner shut it down within a day. PMI's fast response shows how carefully the company guards the brand, while the campaign's gamble shows how deeply Tobacco-Free Nicotine Pouches & Alternatives have worked their way into American political culture. For adult pouch users, the products themselves are unchanged, whether they prefer ZYN Peppermint Nicotine Pouches or ZYN Wintergreen Nicotine Pouches.