Young men consume nicotine pouches to a large extent, usually as an alternative to smoking.
One study found that about 7.5% of 16 to 24-year-old men use the small pouches that fit under the upper lip, compared to 1.9% among young women and 1% among adults in general.
Most pouch users (estimated to be around half a million people) also smoke or vape, and a growing number are using them to quit smoking, researchers from University College London revealed.
They say research is needed to determine whether the nicotine-filled pouches can help people quit smoking, which contains harmful tobacco and other chemicals.
Sales of nicotine pouches have risen rapidly in recent years, with the increase driven “almost exclusively” by young people using them, especially young men, the researchers say.
Less than 1% of young men and women used nicotine pouches in 2022, rising to 4% in March 2025.
This is due to the “aggressive and targeted” way in which the pouches are marketed, the study said.
“Nicotine pouch marketing is heavily focused on spaces and platforms that disproportionately reach young men, including sponsorship of Formula 1 teams, promotion at music festivals, messaging about use among professional footballers and influencer marketing aimed at male audiences,” said Dr Harry Tattan-Birch, UCL researcher and study author.
But the rules around how nicotine pouches are marketed will change.
Legislation passed by Parliament, called the Tobacco and Vape Act, would ban their sale to anyone under the age of 18, limit how they are advertised and give powers to regulate the flavours, packaging and amount of nicotine they contain.
The study also states that these new regulations should be carefully examined so that they do not undermine the pouches’ ability to reduce the harm from smoking.
In other countries, the rules for nicotine pouches are much stricter: they are banned in Germany and the Netherlands, and soon also in France.
