Dive Brief:
- Helix Innovations, the oral nicotine company owned by Altria Group, has expanded its On! Plus nicotine pouches to 120,000 stores across the U.S., Altria CEO Salvatore Mancuso said during the company’s Q2 earnings call on July 30.
- The company has also increased On! Plus’s shipment volume by 5.1% year over year in the first half of 2026, according to the company’s earnings presentation.
- Altria and Helix received marketing approval for six varieties of On! Plus pouches from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late 2025.
Dive Insight:
While six On! Plus products have been approved for marketing by the FDA for a little over half a year, the brand is growing steadily. In addition to now being available in 120,000 locations, On! Grew its retail share to 8.6% in the second quarter, up 0.8% quarter over quarter and 0.3% year over year, Mancuso said during the earnings call.
Altria expects to add more products to the On! Plus line later this year, Mancuso noted in the call, and hopes the company will see more products get the green light in the near future.
“The On! Plus authorizations received last year create the potential for a faster supplemental [pre-market tobacco product application] pathway for future line extensions,” said Mancuso.
Not all products the company sells in the U.S. have received FDA marketing approval. For example, Helix started shipping 12-milligram products in Florida, North Carolina and Texas during the second quarter, with plans to sell those products nationwide in the third quarter, Mancuso said. It’s also looking to start selling Blueberry Mint and Mango Pineapple flavors in the fourth quarter, as the company seeks to meet consumer demand for higher-strength options and more flavors.
“Competitive activity in the nicotine pouch space is intensifying,” Mancuso said in the call.
