What Are Nicotine Pouches?

Nicotine pouches are small packets whose dissolvable contents contain nicotine and flavoring. The pouches are often marketed as a smokeless alternative to smoking, which can be attractive to users who want to consume nicotine in places where smoking and vaping are prohibited, such as restaurants, offices, and schools.

While chewing tobacco is usually placed between the cheek and lower lip near the back of the mouth, nicotine pouches are typically placed between the upper lip and the gum, allowing nicotine to absorb into the body. The pouches often contain large amounts of nicotine that can be either synthetic or derived from tobacco.

How Widespread Is Nicotine Pouch Use?

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found a sharp increase in nicotine pouch sales in recent years. Overall sales increased from about 126 million units from August to December 2019 to more than 808 million units from January to March 2022.

Furthermore, pouches with higher concentrations of nicotine seem to be growing in popularity. While sales of pouches with 3 to 6 mg of nicotine were most common, researchers found the sharpest increase in 8 mg pouches.

Use among youth appears to be holding steady or growing. According to the CDC, even though youth vaping is down in 2024, the use of nicotine pouches among youth remains stable

Nicotine Pouches Are Drawing FDA Scrutiny

Because nicotine pouches come in a variety of flavors that can appeal to youth they have drawn intense regulatory scrutiny. In 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to about 120 retailers that engaged in the underage sale of nicotine pouches between October 2023 and February 2024. This included online merchants, who the FDA cited for the sale of unauthorized ZYN nicotine pouches, a popular brand that sells flavors such as Espressino, Black Cherry, Lemon Spritz, and Cucumber Lime.

Youth tobacco use remains a high priority for the FDA. In the agency’s 2024 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey, nearly 2% of students reported current use of nicotine pouches (about one-quarter of the 8.1% who reported any type of current tobacco use). Of those who use pouches, nearly 86% used flavored nicotine pouches, the most popular flavor being mint followed by fruit.

What to Watch Out For

• Know how to spot pouches. Nicotine pouches are typically sold in round tins that look similar to containers for mints or gum.
• Always read a product's ingredient label to see if it contains nicotine.
• Be wary of flavors. Avoid nicotine products with flavors that may appeal to youth, as these pose the greatest risk of drawing regulatory scrutiny.
• Check its authorization.

According to the Public Health Law Center, the FDA said it would only allow companies to sell their products if they submitted premarket tobacco product applications by August 2020. Because the FDA has not made a final decision on nicotine pouches, companies who submitted applications have only temporary permission to continue selling their products.

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