12.6.7.1 Additives in cigarettes sold in Australia since 1st July 2025
New rules that regulate additives in tobacco products sold in Australia became mandatory on 1st July 2025 under the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023.1,2 This legislation restricts the addition of chemicals that enhance the appeal of tobacco products, aiming to make them less appealing to users.
Added flavourings are banned to reduce the appeal of the taste and aroma of smoke and reduce the smoothness of taste. Menthol and other coolants are banned to reduce the masking of the harsh taste of tobacco by these compounds (see Section 12.7 for more details). Colouring agents are regulated to reduce the extent to which tobacco manufactures can make their products seem more visually appealing. Caffeine, taurine, amino acids, essential fatty acids, mineral nutrients, probiotics and other additives are banned to reduce the implications of health or other benefits, and any other modifications these may have for tobacco products.
The additives that cannot legally be used in tobacco products sold in Australia are listed in Table 12.6.7.1 and additives that are currently permitted in Table 12.6.7.2.
The Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023 also prohibits tobacco product features that may contain flavouring or coolant chemicals, such as crush balls and flavour beads.1,2
12.6.7.2 Additives in cigarettes sold in Australia prior to 1st July 2025
There has been little regulation of additives in tobacco products sold in Australia prior to the July 1st 2025 implementation of additive regulation under the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023.1,2 Of note, the promotion and sale of fruit and confectionary flavoured cigarettes have been prohibited for some time in all states and territories in Australia.
Since the year 2000 there has been a voluntary agreement between the Commonwealth and the tobacco manufacturers for the disclosure of the ingredients in Australian cigarettes.3 These disclosures continued until the year 2020. Disclosures are composite lists of hundreds of ingredients that companies say they potentially use. There are also brand-by-brand disclosures that list the major ingredients in descending order by weight. However, the industry claims that it cannot disclose all of the additives used in particular brands because that would mean giving up trade secrets and losing competitive advantage. Thus, it is not currently possible for consumers to know all of the ingredients used in each brand or the levels at which they are added.
Table 12.6.7.3 lists the additives in Australian cigarettes that were voluntarily disclosed to the Australian Government in 2020 by BAT Australia, Philip Morris and Imperial, the three main companies supplying cigarettes in Australia. The tobacco companies refer to these additives as ‘ingredients’. These include additives in the tobacco filler as well as other parts of the cigarette, such as the filter, paper wrap, adhesives and inks (see Sections 12.8.1 and 12.8.2 for further information on these components). Additives to the tobacco filler are designated as flavour (non-water-soluble mix of flavourings), casing (a water-soluble mix of favours and other additives), binder or humectant (chemicals that retain moisture).
Most of the additives listed in Table 12.6.7.3 are burned and their burned products become part of the emissions that are inhaled by people who smoke and those near them. Exceptions are the filter, tipping paper and inks used on these components. However, unburned chemicals from these components may still be inhaled. As most of the toxic chemicals in smoke are produced by the burning process (see Section 12.4) the toxic chemicals produced from the burning of these additives are not in the list of additives.
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References
1. Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023 No. 118. 2023; Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2023A00118/latest/text.
2. Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Regulations 2024 made under the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023, Office of Parliamentary Counsel C. 2024. Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00415/latest/text.
3. Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Voluntary agreement for the disclosure of the ingredients of cigarettes. December 2000 Canberra: Australian Government, 2000. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/australian-cigarette-ingredient-information.
4. British American Tobacco Australia. Australia Ingredients Report 1 March 2019 - 1 March 2020. 2020. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/british-american-tobacco-australia-cigarette-ingredients.
5. Philip Morris Ltd. Australia ingredients report composite list of tobacco ingredients for reporting period March 1 2019 to March 1 2020. Canberra, Australia 2020. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/philip-morris-ltd-cigarette-ingredients.
6. Philip Morris Ltd. Australia ingredients report composite list of non-tobacco ingredients for reporting period March 1 2019 to March 1 2020. Canberra, Australia 2020. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/philip-morris-ltd-cigarette-ingredients.
7. Imperial Tobacco Australia Limited. Australia ingredients report for reporting period 2nd March 2019 to 1st March 2020., Canberra, Australia 2020. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/imperial-tobacco-australia-ltd-cigarette-ingredients.