12.6 Additives and flavourings in tobacco products

Tobacco products additives include any substance that is added to the tobacco during the manufacture of a tobacco product, with the exception of water.¹ Many different flavouring chemicals are added to tobacco products. Menthol as an additive is described in Section 12.7.

This section describes non-menthol additives and flavourings and the regulation of these in the topics below:

• Why are chemicals added to tobacco products?
• Additives that increase the addictiveness of tobacco products
• Additives that increase the attractiveness of tobacco products
• Additives that modify the processing, shelf-life and burn rates of tobacco products
• Toxicity of tobacco product additives
• Priority additives for reporting in Europe
• Additives in Australian cigarettes
• Perceptions of additives among the community
• Consumer perceptions of flavoured tobacco products
• Flavoured tobacco products used by specific groups of people
• Effects of flavoured tobacco products on smoking initiation and cessation
• Regulation of flavourings and flavoured tobacco products
• Regulation of other additives

References 

1.  Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). Addictiveness and attractiveness of tobacco additives. Brussels, Belgium 2010. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/emerging/docs/scenihr_o_031.pdf.