This needs a careful answer, because the intuitive version — menthol is an added chemical, therefore worse — is not quite what the evidence shows.
What menthol does not do
It does not add meaningful toxicity to the smoke. Menthol is a naturally occurring compound, and the combustion products that drive smoking-related disease are broadly the same whether or not menthol is present.
So a menthol cigarette is not “more poisonous” than a non-menthol one in any straightforward sense.
What menthol may do
Two mechanisms, both about behaviour rather than toxicity.
Easier initiation. Menthol’s cooling and mild anaesthetic effect reduce the harshness of smoke, which makes the first cigarettes less aversive. Most people find their first cigarette unpleasant; menthol reduces that barrier. That is the core of the public health argument.
Harder cessation. The sensory masking may reduce the cues that prompt quitting, and some research finds lower quit rates among menthol smokers. The effect size is debated, but the direction is consistent across several studies.
What the regulators concluded
The FDA’s 2022 proposed rule rested on exactly this reasoning: menthol does not increase toxicity per cigarette, but it increases uptake and reduces cessation, so population-level harm is higher. That is a different claim from “more dangerous per cigarette,” and it is the one the evidence supports.
The proposal was withdrawn in January 2025 for policy reasons, not because the evidence changed.
What this means for an individual
If you already smoke menthol, switching to non-menthol is unlikely to reduce your exposure per cigarette. It may make smoking less pleasant, which for some people is a route to smoking less.
If you do not smoke, the distinction is irrelevant — the risk is in the smoke, not the flavouring.
What we will not claim
We are not going to suggest any cigarette is a safer choice. There is no menthol product, light product or slim product that carries a lower health risk because of its formulation.
Our sensory comparison covers what actually differs in the experience.