RICHMOND, Va. — Another curiously strong mint-flavored product will soon hit the market, but this one delivers more than a breath-freshening burst of flavor.

        Ariva, a lozenge consisting mostly of powdered tobacco, provides a jolt of nicotine when smokers can't smoke — on airplanes, in movie theaters or smoke-free offices.

        Star Scientific Inc., a small tobacco company based in Chester, Va., plans to test consumer reaction to the product in Richmond and Dallas beginning in late summer or early fall. A box of 20 lozenges will sell for about $3 — roughly the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes.

        Paul L. Perito, the company's chairman, said Ariva is for “adult smokers who want an alternative to cigarettes in the many smoke- free environments they confront on a daily basis.”

        Although it contains eucalyptus and mint flavoring, Ariva is not to be confused with mints such as Altoids — a brand owned by the food division of Philip Morris Cos. Inc., which also owns the world's biggest tobacco company.

        Ariva is a tobacco product, not a food product, and therefore is not subject to federal Food and Drug Administration regulation, Star Scientific says.

        That worries some tobacco-control advocates.

        “Keep in mind that nicotine is a poison, yet there apparently is no governmental oversight of this product,” said Edward L. Sweda Jr., senior attorney for the Tobacco Control Resource Center at Northeastern University in Boston.

        Critics also worry that Ariva will be attractive to children, although the packaging is child-resistant and the product will be sold only to adults.

        Another concern: Smokers who might otherwise quit because of the hassles of increased smoking restrictions will have the lozenges to ease their discomfort until they can light up again, Mr. Sweda said.

        “On the plus side, at least this doesn't affect other people nearby the way environmental tobacco smoke does,” he said.

        Star Scientific, which has as its main mission the development of less toxic tobacco products, calls the lozenges “cigalettes” to make clear their relation to cigarettes, company spokeswoman Sara T. Machir said Friday.

        “It's not a candy, not a mint. It's compressed tobacco,” she said. “The prototype product has mint flavoring, but the user will be able to discern it's a tobacco product.”

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