5 Best Selling Ultra-Light Cigarettes in the World

For those of you who are in the process of quitting smoking and/or cutting down on the potency of your cigarettes, we bring you this list of the 5 best selling ultra-light cigarettes in the world.

Despite awareness of the dangers of smoking being widespread, smoking rates are remaining fairly steady around the world, though they have fallen by several percentage points over the past two decades. Among other things, tobacco companies continue to entice consumers with new products and offerings, spurred on by increased competition and an evolving tobacco landscape that is being threatened by marijuana legalization and the rise of e-cigarettes (which many big tobacco companies are also diving into). Yet despite many governments also increasing the price of cigarettes by imposing higher taxes to discourage smoking due to the health concerns, tobacco companies continue to weather the storm. For more on that topic, don’t miss the list of the 10 Most Expensive Countries to Buy Cigarettes in the World.

For those consumers who are trying to quit smoking or for those who simply cannot handle stronger flavors, ultra-lights are suitable for them, as they are relatively mild and lighter than regular cigarettes. Moreover ultra-lights are considered to have a toned down flavor as well as lower amounts of tar and nicotine than a regular cigarette. Lights and ultra-lights also come in menthol and other flavors as a substitute for the strong tobacco smell and taste. Various flavors come in handy, as there is diversity in user preferences. It is safe to say that the global tobacco market has been in the throes of heated competition since the mid-1900s, spurring a wide variety of flavors and varying intensities of tobacco being introduced over the decades.

By the way, you can watch the video below to find out 7 cigarette brands that contain the lowest tar and nicotine.

When it comes to ultra-lights, there are restrictions on the amount of nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide which they may contain, which varies from country to country. For instance, the measurement standards in the UK are far more stringent than those in the U.S. These regulations are issued by a state’s legislation and health ministries based on their personal standards of what qualifies as reasonable tobacco usage.

Tobacco companies like British American Tobacco PLC (ADR) (NYSEMKT:BTI) are investing heavily in the search for reduced risk smoking products, with the company having spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing them. After all, if a company could figure out how to make cigarettes relatively safe while maintaining their taste, they would open the smoking world up to billions of potential customers that have shunned cigarettes primarily due to their health hazards. While e-cigarettes have been found to be as much as 95% safer than traditional cigarettes (including ultra-lights), it hasn’t been enough to sway many people to either drop their light cigarettes for them, or to start smoking.

Getting back to our list, we based our findings on data collected by The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Using a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest, each product was ranked with an average score after being measured on factors such as their ingredients’ strength (very weak, weak, medium, strong), taste (very poor, tolerable, pleasant, very pleasant) and price (low, fair, high). Although preferences and choices will vary among cigarette users, here is the unbiased list of the 5 best selling ultra-light cigarettes in the world.

5. Marlboro Silver

Strength: Strong

Taste: Very Pleasant

Price: High

Score: 8

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) is an American company which is estimated to have control over 15% of the international tobacco market, with its reach extending to 180 countries on the planet. Philip Morris is the seller of 6 of the top 15 best selling cigarette brands in the world, including Marlboro. With Marlboro Silver (ultra-light), the blended tobacco has a very mild but signature Marlboro aroma. The ingredients (6mg of tar, 0.5mg of nicotine) are on the strong side for ultra-lights, though lower than those of our next entry.

4. Mervius (Formally Mild Seven)

Strength: Strong

Taste: Pleasant

Price: Fair

Score: 8.5

We are continuing our list of best selling ultra-light cigarettes in the world with Mervius Sky Blue, from Japan Tobacco Inc., that has 7mg of tar and 0.6mg of nicotine, and ranks as the second-best selling product in the tobacco market. Japan Tobacco Inc. operates in 120 countries and is a leading brand in Central Asia, where smoking rates tend to be higher than in the West. Mervius Sky Blue has decent body with a charcoal filter and smooth flavor. For those tobacco consumers who prefer ultra-light and airy smokes, Mervius Sky Blue may be the product they’re looking for.

3. L&M Blue

Strength: Weak

Taste: Pleasant

Price: Low

Score: 8.5

Produced by Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM), L&M’s are relatively low-priced ultra-lights. In terms of popularity, Philip Morris’ L&M is the third-best selling brand in the tobacco industry. L&M is considered to have a decent smooth taste and light amount of chemicals like nicotine (0.4 mg), tar (5 mg) and CO (6 mg) and hence it is on our list of the best selling ultra-light cigarettes in the world.

2. Winston Blue

Strength: Medium

Taste: pleasant

Price: Fair

Score: 9

From the same producer as Mervius, Japan Tobacco Inc. proves it knows how to make popular, high-quality light cigarettes (the brand is owned by Imperial Brands PLC (ADR) (OTCMKTS:IMBBY) in the U.S). With a smooth caramel flavor, and mild amounts of nicotine (0.5 mg), tar (6 mg) and CO (7 mg) in its ultra-lights, it’s clear why Winston Blue is one of the top choices for ultra-light cigarette smokers. And now, let’s see the number one in our list of best selling ultra-light cigarettes in the world, shall we?

1. Camel Turkish Silver

Strength: Weak

Taste: pleasant

Price: Fair

Score: 9

For an ultra-light cigarette, Reynolds American, Inc. (NYSE:RAI)‘s Camel Turkish Silver is very similar to Camel Turkish Gold; it maintains its intensity while being quite sweet and having a strong filter. Although it’s a bit airy and has a lot less density, that’s expected of an ultra-light. With such a powerful presence in the market and less nicotine (0.4 mg), tar (5 mg) and CO (6 mg) than most of the others on this list, Camel Turkish Silver is worth considering if you’re looking for a quality ultra-light cigarette.

That wraps up our list of the best selling ultra-light cigarettes in the world. If you have been a user of any of these brands and want to share your experience with us, feel free to comment below.

Disclosure: None