# Nicotine Lozenges Without Aspartame: 275 Labels Checked

> Want a nicotine lozenge without aspartame? 189 of 275 US labels don't list it. See which kinds do, and the one line on the box that tells you.

By Liam Day · November 11, 2026

## Key takeaways

Yes. 189 of the 275 nicotine lozenge labels on file in the US don't list aspartame. They use acesulfame potassium, sucralose or both.

The aspartame is mostly in plain mint lozenges: 55 of 63 regular mint labels list it. No cherry, citrus, cinnamon or coated ice mint label does.

Every lozenge label lists some artificial sweetener. For none at all, nine nicotine gum labels are sweetened with xylitol alone.

No nicotine gum label lists aspartame: 0 of 237.

Yes, you can get a nicotine lozenge without aspartame, and you have plenty to choose from. About two in three US [nicotine lozenge](/blog/nicotine-lozenges/) labels don't list it, including Nicorette's mini Lozenge and every cherry, citrus and cinnamon lozenge we found.

The ones that do are mostly plain mint: original Nicorette and many store-brand copies of it.

We didn't spot-check a few boxes. We read every nicotine lozenge and gum label in [the DailyMed database](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=nicotine+polacrilex), where the National Library of Medicine publishes drug labels filed with the FDA. That came to 275 lozenge labels and 237 gum labels from about 50 companies, all read on November 10, 2026.

BRST isn't a lozenge. It's a [2mg peppermint melt](/product/nicotinemelts/) that dissolves under the tongue. Its ingredient list has sucralose and acesulfame potassium, and no aspartame.

## Which nicotine lozenges list aspartame?

Two things on the front of the box tell you most of it: the size and the name. Regular-size plain mint lozenges mostly list aspartame, about seven in eight. Mini mint lozenges mostly don't; about one in four does.

Cherry, citrus, cinnamon and coated ice mint lozenges never did in our count. Not one of those 114 labels lists aspartame.

![Regular mint nicotine lozenge labels mostly list aspartame (55 of 63); no cherry, citrus, cinnamon or coated label does. Source: NIH DailyMed, November 2026.](https://www.datocms-assets.com/110197/1794408863-fig1-aspartame-by-variety.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=1200)

So if the box says cherry, citrus, cinnamon or coated, every label we read was clear. If it only says mint, turn it over and read the back.

Want regular-size mint without it? Eight labels fit, among them [Habitrol's mint lozenge](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=836bae74-076b-3c92-dee9-22b8519b529d), updated July 2026, and the Rugby, Leader and Good Neighbor Pharmacy ones.

No label mixes the two camps. Each of the 275 lists either aspartame on its own, or acesulfame potassium, sucralose or both.

## Does Nicorette lozenge have aspartame?

The original one does. The others don't. Haleon, which makes Nicorette, has two labels on file for the regular lozenge, and both list aspartame, [the April 2025 label](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ffeb8286-860d-49f5-8df3-724afb4aaad8) included.

Source: Haleon's labels on DailyMed for the [original lozenge](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=991704ed-781a-489b-8b56-0b558e8fc385), updated March 2024, and the [Coated Ice Mint lozenge](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=f350e050-2173-43e0-8738-848382ce0700), June 2025. The minis are the [mini Lozenge](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=c7f32ab1-f6bd-46f5-9852-8eb5b78a3326), April 2025, and the [Peppermint mini](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=990a4a65-d573-46a9-889d-60afb0018944), July 2025. All four also list mannitol, a sugar alcohol.

That split explains the store brands. Most store-brand boxes are sold as copies of a Nicorette lozenge, and the plain mint ones mostly follow the original down to the aspartame.

## Do store-brand nicotine lozenges have aspartame?

Some do, and they're the plain mint ones. You may have read that store-brand mint and cherry lozenges list aspartame. The cherry half is wrong: none of the 56 cherry labels lists it.

Source: [DailyMed](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=nicotine+polacrilex), labels read November 10, 2026. A chain can have several labels for one product, so these are labels on file, not boxes in the store.

At seven of these eight chains, most lozenge labels don't list aspartame, and the ones that do are plain mint. Costco is the exception: Kirkland Signature's two lozenge labels are both plain mint, and both list it.

## How to spot a nicotine lozenge without aspartame

"Sugar free" on the front won't help. Of the 275 labels, 242 say it, including 63 that list aspartame. Two lines in the Drug Facts panel on the back will:

1. **Inactive ingredients.** If aspartame is in the lozenge, it's named here.
2. **"Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine."** All 86 labels that list aspartame carry this line, and none of the other 189 do.

The second line is the easier one to spot. It's a notice for people with phenylketonuria, or PKU, which the [FDA describes](https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food) as a rare genetic disorder. If it's there, so is aspartame. It also gives an amount, from 2.8 to 5.1 mg per lozenge.

## What if you want no artificial sweetener at all?

Then no FDA-approved nicotine lozenge fits. Every one of the 275 labels lists aspartame, acesulfame potassium or sucralose, three of the six sweeteners the [FDA lists as approved food additives](https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food). All 275 also list mannitol.

Nicotine gum has the exception. Nine gum labels, sold under names such as Walgreens, Rugby and Good Neighbor Pharmacy, list xylitol as their only sweetener. Nicorette's Original gum is another: [Haleon's gum label](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=673fd19f-69b3-4f73-b9b4-18b5f4cbf69c) lists sorbitol as that variety's only sweetener.

Xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol are sugar alcohols, which the FDA calls "another class of sweeteners."

Outside the pharmacy aisle, Nic Nac sells a nicotine lozenge that [its FAQ](https://nicnac.com/pages/faqs) says "is not an NRT," short for nicotine replacement therapy. The FAQ lists xylitol as its only sweetener.

## Does nicotine gum or ZYN have aspartame?

[Nicotine gum](/blog/nicotine-gum/) doesn't: none of the 237 labels lists aspartame. Gum leans on acesulfame potassium instead. It's on 227 labels, Nicorette's White Ice Mint included.

Pouches don't carry a Drug Facts panel, so you depend on what each maker publishes. Among the makers that publish a list, none names aspartame.

[ZYN's FAQ](https://www.zyn.com/us/en/faq.html) lists acesulfame K, another name for acesulfame potassium, as the sweetener, with maltitol among the fillers. [VELO's FAQ](https://www.velo.com/us/footer-links/faq.html) lists maltitol and acesulfame K for VELO, and sucralose for VELO MAX and VELO PLUS. [Rogue's product page](https://www.roguenicotine.com/products/pouches/nicotine-pouches-5-pack-wintergreen) says its pouches are sweetened with acesulfame K.

Use on!, zone, ALP or Juice Head? We couldn't get an ingredient list from their sites. For the rest of a ZYN pouch, see [what's in ZYN](/blog/zyn-ingredients/).

![Of eight nicotine products checked, only Nicorette’s original lozenge lists aspartame. Sources: drug labels and each maker’s ingredient list, November 2026.](https://www.datocms-assets.com/110197/1794408879-fig2-sweeteners-by-product.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=1200)

## FAQ

### Do nicotine mini lozenges have aspartame?

Most don't. Of the 125 mini lozenge labels on file, 23 list aspartame, and all 23 are mint minis or minis that name no variety. Nicorette's own mini Lozenge lists acesulfame potassium and sucralose, and no cherry, citrus or cinnamon mini lists aspartame.

### How much phenylalanine is in a nicotine lozenge with aspartame?

It depends mostly on the size. All 23 mini labels that list aspartame say 2.8 mg per lozenge. Of the 63 regular-size ones, 52 say 5.1 mg and the other 11 say less. Nicorette's two labels for its original Lozenge differ: the March 2024 one says 3.4 mg, the April 2025 one 5.1 mg. Lozenges that don't list aspartame carry no phenylalanine line at all.

## A note from BRST

BRST is a [2mg peppermint melt](/product/nicotinemelts/) that dissolves under the tongue. It is not a lozenge and not FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy. To see how a melt differs from gum, lozenges and pouches, read [our format comparison](/blog/nicotine-tablet-vs-gum-lozenge-pouch/). Adults 21+. Nicotine is addictive.

Which box is in your cabinet right now, and does the back say "Phenylketonurics"?