Objective The aim was to identify and review the research literature on dissuasive cigarettes, including key concepts, types, sources of evidence and research gaps.

Data sources PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched up to January 2023 with no language or date restrictions. All study designs were included. Reference lists of the identified studies were manually searched. Studies on tobacco products other than cigarettes or on external cigarette packaging alone were excluded.

Study selection Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts independently using eligibility criteria. The full text of the selected articles was subsequently screened independently by two reviewers to confirm eligibility.

Data extraction Two reviewers independently extracted data from all studies using data abstraction forms. Results were reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.

Data synthesis We identified 24 original studies, 3 review articles and 4 commentary articles. Research on dissuasive cigarettes was reported from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America. We presented results in four themes: the concept of dissuasive cigarettes; approaches and types; potential benefits, barriers and concerns; and current research gaps.

Conclusions Dissuasive cigarettes represent a promising strategy that could be used in tobacco control. Parallel implementation with plain packaging would be feasible and synergistic.