The strategy: Frito-Lay is making a pitch for Gen Z consumers by rolling out limited-edition versions of three of its chip brands—Cheetos, Doritos, and Ruffles—and flavoring each with one of its other iconic snacks.

The lineup brings Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue flavor to Cheetos, puts Ruffles’ Cheddar & Sour Cream flavor on Doritos, and gives Ruffles the Cool Ranch Doritos treatment. Each of the flavor-swapped varieties is free from artificial colors and flavors, aligning with PepsiCo’s broader push to offer more ingredient-conscious options.

While Lay’s has previously sold Doritos Cool Ranch–flavored Lay's, Cheetos Cheese–flavored Lay's, Funyuns Onion–flavored Wavy Lay's, and Lay's Sour Cream & Onion–flavored Smartfood popcorn, this marks the first time it has extended flavor swaps to Doritos and Cheetos.

And, for the first time, the company is selling them on TikTok Shop before it rolls them out nationwide on March 1.

Zooming in: Lay’s is using a limited-time offering to spark interest and drive sales.

Cheetos teamed up with influencer Madison Beer, Doritos partnered with IShowSpeed, and Ruffles worked with Dude Perfect to promote the mashups in the brands’ social posts and on their bags.

The approach appears aimed at convincing Gen Z consumers, who are far more likely than other consumers to discover products via influencers, per YouGov. As PepsiCo noted in its press release, the “first-of-its-kind” experiment is “designed to meet consumers exactly where they are: on social, with creators they trust.”

Implications for Frito-Lay and other brands: With private labels eating into CPG brands’ share, PepsiCo-owned Frito-Lay is deploying a two-pronged effort to reignite growth: drive excitement through innovation while addressing value and ingredient concerns head-on.

On the one hand, flavor swaps lean on brand equity, influencer reach, and scarcity to spur trial and incremental purchases. On the other, PepsiCo is also lowering suggested retail prices on select snacks—including Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, and Tostitos—by up to 15% to counter persistent concerns around affordability. Together, the moves show PepsiCo is pulling multiple levers at once to drive volume growth this year.