Market overview

WS-3 (N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide) is a menthane carboxamide that cools without the smell, taste or burn of menthol. It is used mainly in chewing gum, toothpaste and mouthwash, and increasingly in nicotine pouches and e-liquids. Supply is concentrated in Chinese specialty producers that sell to global flavour houses and gum makers.

The question this report answers
How large is the WS-3 market across gum, oral care and nicotine products, who supplies it, and how will Chinese capacity and coolant restrictions in nicotine products shape demand to 2035?

1. Demand: who uses WS-3 and where it is growing

Chewing gum and oral care are the largest uses, led by North America and Europe; nicotine pouches grow fastest.

Demand by application (share of 2025 consumption, Market Krystal analysis)
– Chewing gum and confectionery: 35%
– Toothpaste and mouthwash: 25%
– Nicotine pouches: 12%
– Skin, lip and personal care: 10%
– Beverages, pharma and other: 10%
– E-liquids and heated tobacco: 8%
No published application split exists, so shares are Market Krystal estimates based on producers' stated main uses (WS-3 mainly in oral care and gum, per Asia Aroma and Chinaherb) and the customer mix disclosed by Asia Aroma (Mars Wrigley, IFF).

Demand by region (share of 2025 consumption, Market Krystal analysis)
– North America: 32%
– Europe: 28%
– China: 20%
– Rest of Asia-Pacific: 12%
– Rest of world: 8%

Where demand grows fastest to 2035
– Nicotine pouches: FDA's January 2025 authorisation of 20 ZYN pouch products supports pouch growth in the US, a key outlet for odourless coolants (NACS)
– Oral care: Odourless cooling blends such as Symrise's Optacool Fuji (2025) lift coolant loadings in toothpaste and mouthwash (Symrise)
– E-liquids in China: China's e-cigarette standard GB 41700-2022 permits WS-3 and WS-23 as e-liquid additives, creating new demand (Chinaherb prospectus) (Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances)

2. Supply: who makes WS-3 and how much

Chinese makers dominate, including Kunshan Asia Aroma, Anhui Chinaherb and Anhui Fengle; Symrise sells odourless coolants under Symcool. Global WS-3 output is an estimated 800-1,100 t (Market Krystal estimate); Chinaherb's phase 1 project adds 900 t/yr of amide coolants (WS-3, WS-23) and Asia Aroma runs 800 t/yr of WS-23 at full use (Chinaherb prospectus; Asia Aroma).

Main producers and capacity
– Kunshan Asia Aroma (China (plus Thailand site)): WS-3 producer; 800 t/yr WS-23; coolant revenue CNY 285.1 mn in 2025
– Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances (China): 900 t/yr amide coolants (WS-3, WS-23) in 2,600 t/yr project
– Symrise (Germany/USA): Symcool odourless cooling range; l-menthol at Holzminden and Bushy Park
– Anhui Fengle Perfume (China): not published (Market Research Forecast producer list)
– Anhui Yinfeng Pharmaceutical (China): not published (Market Research Forecast producer list)
– Juhui Flavor (China): not published (Market Research Forecast producer list)

Production by region (share of 2025 output, Market Krystal analysis)
– China: 80%
– India: 8%
– Europe and North America: 8%
– Other Asia: 4%

Trade and supply-demand balance
China is the net exporter, supplying flavour houses and gum makers in Europe and North America; Asia Aroma made 75.2% of 2025 revenue overseas and sells coolants mainly to Mars Wrigley and IFF (Asia Aroma).

3. Value chain: from feedstock to end market

l-Menthol or menthone-derived p-menthane intermediates + Ethylamine + Cyanation or carboxylation reagents → WS-3 → Chewing gum and confectionery, Toothpaste and mouthwash, Nicotine pouches

Raw materials
– l-Menthol or menthone-derived p-menthane intermediates: Sets the chiral backbone and the largest share of raw-material cost (Market Krystal estimate)
– Ethylamine: Amidation reagent; minor cost share (Market Krystal estimate)
– Cyanation or carboxylation reagents: Nitrile and acid intermediates are made in-house by integrated Chinese producers such as Chinaherb (630 t/yr nitriles for own use) (Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances)

Production route
Menthol is converted to p-menthane-3-carboxylic acid (via the nitrile or a Grignard carboxylation), activated to the acid chloride and amidated with ethylamine, then crystallised.

Downstream
Sold mainly to flavour houses (Givaudan, Firmenich, Symrise, IFF, Takasago) and gum makers such as Mars Wrigley, who blend it with menthol and other coolants for gum, toothpaste, pouches and e-liquids.

Price, cost and margin
New Chinese capacity is cutting prices; Chinaherb's coolant gross margin fell 7.4 points to 26.1% in 2025 (Chinaherb). Average Chinese coolant realisation is about USD 35-45/kg (Market Krystal estimate from Chinaherb disclosures). Margin sits with flavour houses that sell blended systems; producer margins fell in 2025, with Chinaherb at 26.1% and Asia Aroma at 31.1% gross margin on coolants (Chinaherb; Asia Aroma).

Where the chain is tightest
Few qualified food-grade producers, mostly in China, supply global flavour houses, so audits and regulatory change in nicotine products are the main exposure.

Who sits where in the chain
– Producer: Kunshan Asia Aroma, Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances, Anhui Fengle Perfume
– Producer and formulator: Symrise
– Formulator: Givaudan, IFF
– End user: Mars Wrigley, Philip Morris International (Swedish Match)
– Regulator: BfR

4. Market size: what demand, supply and price add up to

Market Krystal preliminary estimate (2025)
Market Research Forecast sizes WS-3 at USD 138 mn in 2025 (6.6% CAGR), above Global Info Research's USD 115 mn for all WS-series coolants in 2024, so published figures conflict. Market Krystal sets 2025 consumption at about 800-1,100 t, scaled against Chinaherb's 900 t/yr amide-coolant line, Asia Aroma's 800 t/yr WS-23 unit and China's 1,346 t of WS-23-type demand in 2022, and applies an average realisation of about USD 35-45/kg derived from Chinaherb's disclosed coolant revenue and tonnage. Published figures are not used as anchors because the WS-3 estimate exceeds the publisher's own figure for the whole WS series. On this basis we use USD 28-48 mn. Confidence grade C: no published estimate; built bottom-up from capacity, trade and price data.

How published estimates compare
Market Research Forecast's WS-3 figure exceeds Global Info Research's figure for the entire WS series, and its page carries conflicting base years. Market Krystal works from disclosed producer capacity, tonnage and revenue, which points to a smaller ingredient-level market.

Key figures at a glance (third-party, cited)
– WS-3 market of USD 138 mn in 2025, growing 6.6% a year (Market Research Forecast)
– WS-series synthetic cooling agents worth USD 115 mn in 2024, reaching USD 175 mn by 2031 (Global Info Research)
– Kunshan Asia Aroma cooling-agent revenue CNY 285.1 mn in 2025 at a 31.1% gross margin (Kunshan Asia Aroma)
– Chinaherb cooling-agent revenue CNY 161.2 mn in 2025 at a 26.1% gross margin (Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances)
– China's WS-23-type coolant demand was about 1,346 t in 2022, up over 40% a year since 2019 (Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances prospectus)

5. Outlook to 2035 and scenarios to 2047

Regulation and substitution
Food use is cleared (FEMA GRAS 3455; EU flavouring list), but BfR flagged WS-3 in e-liquids in 2025 and Germany is drafting a ban on cooling substances in e-cigarettes (BfR; Deutsches Arzteblatt).

Recent developments among key stakeholders
– Jan 2026: Germany's food and agriculture ministry drafted an amendment to the Tobacco Products Ordinance to ban 13 flavouring and cooling substances in e-cigarettes (Deutsches Arzteblatt)
– Sep 2025: Anhui Chinaherb started trial production of phase 2 of its 2,600 t/yr cooling agent and aroma project (Anhui Chinaherb Flavors & Fragrances)
– Mar 2025: BfR opinion 010/2025 said WS-3, WS-23 and WS-5 in e-liquids are poorly researched and not recommended, and that government can ban coolants in e-cigarettes (BfR)
– Feb 2025: Symrise launched Optacool Fuji, a patented cooling blend for toothpaste and mouthwash (Symrise)
– Jan 2025: FDA authorised marketing of 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products, the first pouch authorisation in the US (NACS)
– Jan 2025: FDA withdrew its proposed rule to ban menthol cigarettes, removing a near-term US driver for synthetic coolant substitution in cigarettes (Public Health Law Center)

What this means for the market
Gum and oral-care buyers face falling WS-3 prices as Chinese capacity ramps up, but rely on a narrow pool of audited producers. Nicotine-pouch growth adds volume, while Germany's draft ban signals that inhaled uses could shrink in Europe. Flavour houses keep the margin by selling patented blends.

Strategic scenarios to 2047
– Base: Volume grows about 5-7% a year on gum, oral care and pouches, while real prices ease as Chinese capacity fills.
– Constrained supply: Environmental or audit actions at a few Chinese plants tighten food-grade supply and lift prices for flavour houses.
– Technology transition: Inhaled-use bans in the EU and new patented coolants (WS-23 successors, TRPM8 blends) cap WS-3 growth outside gum and oral care.
The swing factor for WS-3 is Coolant rules for nicotine products. Signposts: German Tobacco Products Ordinance amendment, EU Tobacco Products Directive revision, FDA pouch authorisations, Chinese coolant capacity start-ups, Mars Wrigley and IFF sourcing shifts.

What this report delivers
Annual volume (tonnes) and value (USD) for 2026-2035, segmented by application: Chewing gum and confectionery, Oral care, Nicotine pouches, E-liquids and heated tobacco, Personal care, Beverages and pharma; end use: Sugar-free gum, Toothpaste, Mouthwash, Nicotine pouches, Lip balm, Throat lozenges; region: North America, Europe, China, Rest of Asia-Pacific, Rest of world. Each segment is backed by a producer capacity map, trade data and the Market Krystal estimate log, with scenarios to 2047 and strategic recommendations.