JTI Launches PERLZ Nicotine Pearls as China Ends Export Rebates

Japan Tobacco International has expanded its alternative nicotine portfolio in the United Kingdom with PERLZ, a fully dissolvable oral nicotine product, while China plans to remove export value-added tax rebates for selected vaping-related goods in 2027. The developments highlight changes in product offerings and trade conditions across international nicotine markets.

According to product information published by UK retailer Haypp and reported by 2Firsts, PERLZ entered the UK retail market with Mint and Berry flavors in two nicotine concentrations. The product uses small, multilayer pearls designed to dissolve under the tongue, distinguishing it from conventional nicotine pouches that users remove after use.

The initial range comprised four dispenser variants, each containing 30 pearls, listed on July 31, 2026. Haypp subsequently added a mixpack on August 13 and three individual 10-pearl sachet products on August 17, bringing the total listed product entries to eight.

Each pearl contains approximately 0.3 milligrams of nicotine at the 1mg/g concentration or 0.5 milligrams at 2mg/g, according to Haypp. The manufacturer describes the multilayer structure as providing gradual nicotine release for up to approximately 12 minutes. The pearls are marketed as tobacco-free and sugar-free.

The 30-pearl dispenser is listed at £6.50, while a 10-pearl sachet costs £2.50. All four flavor-and-strength combinations are available in dispensers, but the sachet range includes Mint at both concentrations and Berry at 2mg/g. The mixpack contains one sachet of each of those three variants.

JTI already participates in the oral nicotine market through Nordic Spirit. PERLZ extends its product range into a format designed to dissolve completely during use rather than leave pouch material that requires removal.

Separately, China's Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration announced that export VAT rebates will end on April 1, 2027, for specified electronic cigarette devices, nicotine, nicotine salts and certain other inhalation products. The measure applies to designated product categories and customs codes.

The removal of rebates could raise export costs for Chinese manufacturers and suppliers serving international vaping and nicotine markets. The actual effect will depend on which products fall within the covered categories, companies' cost structures and their ability to adjust prices or supply chains.

In a separate analysis published by The Conversation on October 13, 2026, an addiction medicine physician examined differences in the health risks associated with cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and oral nicotine products. The analysis distinguished nicotine dependence from the toxic exposure caused by burning tobacco.

The article noted that cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, including toxic and carcinogenic substances, while noncombustible products generally avoid the combustion process. However, it emphasized that vaping and oral nicotine products are not risk-free and that the long-term health effects of newer products, particularly nicotine pouches, remain incompletely established.

US adult cigarette smoking prevalence fell from 42.4% in 1965 to 11.6% in 2022, according to figures cited by The Conversation. The same analysis reported that 6.5% of US adults used electronic cigarettes in 2023, while past-year nicotine pouch use increased from 3.4% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024.