Appeal, sensory characteristics and puffing topography of ‘cool non-menthol’ cigarettes among young adults who smoke: a randomised cross-over pilot trial

BACKGROUND: Synthetic cooling additives (eg, Wilkinson Sword (WS)-3) in tobacco products may provide menthol-like sensory effects without characterising flavour. This randomised, double-blind crossover pilot study evaluated sensory attributes, appeal and puffing topography of three market-available cigarettes that differ in menthol and WS-3 content among young adults (YAs) who smoke regularly (≥100 cigarettes lifetime and either ≥5 cigarettes daily or weekly use in the past 3 months). METHODS: YAs aged 21-29 years (n=30) were randomly assigned to conditions (WS-3, menthol and non-menthol control cigarettes) across three visits. Products were chemically analysed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Between-product measures, including sensory and appeal post ad-libitum smoking, were assessed and puffing topography was recorded. Inferential analyses accounted for the within-participant crossover design using mixed-effects regression models with random participant effects. RESULTS: =25.5, SD=2.1) on average smoked 15.8 cigarettes per day (SD=25.0), for 7.8 years (SD=4.4), and used non-menthol cigarettes (63%). Between-product appeal ratings did not significantly differ (p values >0.05), and WS-3 cigarettes were rated as significantly cooler (p<0.001), sweeter (p=0.005) and less harsh (p=0.003) compared with the control. Participants smoked menthol (p=0.035) and WS-3 (p=0.004) significantly faster than the control cigarettes. Fewer puffs were taken from WS-3 compared with control (p=0.038) and menthol cigarettes (p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that WS-3 cigarettes may offer similar sensory effects as menthol cigarettes, providing further evidence to support regulatory agencies' consideration of synthetic cooling additives in flavour regulations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06230159.