The European Union Revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) has banned the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes.

The ban includes capsule, click on, click & roll, crush ball or dual menthol cigarettes, and excludes vaping and heated tobacco products.

According to a 2015 study, published in the scientific journal Molecular Pharmacology, menthol in combination with tobacco acts as a local anesthetic, which reduces bodily irritation caused by smoking. As a consequence, people tend to inhale deeper and longer, which eventually increases harm.

Studies have linked menthol, to increased uptake among young people.

A survey in 2018 found that one-in-eight 15-year-olds are smoking regularly. Menthol has also been shown to reduce the likelihood of someone quitting the habit altogether.