BAT Reynolds American Introduces Nicotine-Free Sensa E-Cigarette

According to The Wall Street Journal's report on June 30th, Reynolds American, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT), has released a disposable e-cigarette called Sensa that does not contain nicotine.

Raynolds America announced that Sensa will be available for sale starting from July 1st. Sensa will come in six flavors, including watermelon frost, passionfruit frost, and berry fusion. It offers up to 5000 seconds of suction time and comes with a rechargeable battery, with a recommended retail price of $19.99.

The packaging of Sensa also includes a warning label designed by Rayno: "Zero nicotine does not mean this product is safe.

Raynolds stated that Sensa is targeted towards adults aged 21 and above who use tobacco or e-cigarette products. The brand aims to provide adults with an option for when they want to vape but do not want to ingest nicotine.

The company stated that they will market Sensa with the same restrictions as their Vuse e-cigarette brand, such as using models aged 35 and above and advertising on age-restricted social media channels. Raynolds said they will require retailers to only sell Sensa to those aged 21 and above, even though the law may not mandate retailers to do so. Sensa will be displayed alongside age-restricted tobacco products in stores, according to Raynolds.

We do not want our products to end up in the hands of teenagers, absolutely not," Shay Mustafa, Senior Vice President of Business Communication and Sustainability at Raynolds, said. "For us, this is not a gray area. It is very clear: we want to act responsibly.

Any new e-cigarette containing nicotine must obtain federal authorization before being brought to market. Manufacturers must prove to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that their e-cigarette products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, and that the benefits of helping adult cigarette smokers transition to a lower-risk alternative outweigh the risks for youth.

The FDA has only approved e-cigarettes in tobacco and menthol flavors at the moment. However, fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes imported from China have become popular in the United States without approval, making it difficult for US authorities to prevent their sale. Reynolds and other tobacco companies complain that the government is moving too slowly in clearing these illegal products from the market, which are eroding sales of cigarettes and e-cigarettes from tobacco giants.

Raynolds stated that it does not intend to seek federal approval for Sensa. Since these devices do not contain nicotine and are not compatible with any other tobacco products, they are not within the jurisdiction of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. The FDA, in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal, declined to specify whether nicotine-free e-cigarette products like Sensa fall under its regulatory authority.

Previously, British American Tobacco Japan (BAT Japan) announced that it will launch its new nicotine-free disposable e-cigarette product "Vuse Zero Nic Sensations" globally on July 1st.