Despite gaining support as effective smoking cessation tools, and new standards boosting safety, many remain concerned over teen use and marketing tactics.
Nicotine pouches are emerging as another tool in the tobacco harm reduction kit. Yet, while they do not involve combustion, their rising popularity, especially among youth, is raising both promise and concern.
A recent USC/Keck study reported that U.S. teen use of nicotine pouches nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024. Among highschool students, 5.4% reported lifetime use in 2024, up from 3% in 2023. This agerelated uptake mirrors global trends and underscores the products’ appeal as they bypass smoke and odor—making them less undesirable, as well as easy to conceal from adults.
Teens, trade and tobacco harm
Publichealth experts agree this surge demands attention. The rapid growth—from around 100,000 pouches sold in 2016 to over 46 million by 2020 and influencer marketing strategies suggest these products are being normalized among youth. While nicotine pouches do not burn tobacco and carry far fewer toxins, some experts claim that nicotine itself still carries cognitive and cardiovascular risks, especially for a developing adolescent brain. Others argue that as a stimulant, nicotine carries no more risks than caffeine does.
At the same time, nicotine pouches are proving valuable for adult smokers seeking less harmful alternatives. France has recently implemented AFNOR’s XP V37500 standard—a regulatory framework that limits nicotine to under 16.6 mg per pouch, requires pharmaceuticalgrade ingredients, GMP production, toxicological review, tamperevident packaging, and comprehensive labeling. This structure draws on UK and Swedish regulation models and aims to eliminate lowquality or illicit products while ensuring safety for adult consumers.
Sweden where nicotine pouches and snus have contributed to dramatic smoking rate drops, stands as a leading realworld example. Swedish publichealth officials note that total nicotine consumption is similar to other countries—but smoking deaths are far lower. Swedish Match’s founding of Niconovum in 2000 (later acquired by BAT) pioneered this shift, though some publichealth voices remain firmly against the involvement of the tobacco industry.
In the United States, the picture is evolving. Zyn—the leading pouch brand owned by Philip Morris International—received FDA authorization for adult targeting in early 2025. The agency insists that the product isn’t harmless, but that it poses less risk than smoking. Meanwhile the regulatory bar remains high: each variant requires extensive data and costly testing—around $1.5 million per SKU—slowing broader access.
The next nicotine frontier
This evolving context places adult smokers at a crossroads. Nicotine pouches offer a cleaner, smokefree alternative. Rigorous standards like France’s aim to ensure consistent quality, traceability, and safety. Meanwhile, Sweden’s example shows that switching to smokeless options can significantly reduce public-health harms. However, as youth uptake remains a critical concern, strategies like robust age controls are required to ensure accessibility to the right consumer group.
Technological innovations promise to enhance safety—nonnicotine pathways, controlled dosing, and regulated adultonly distribution—and more research will clarify longterm effects. For now, informed regulation is key. Distinguishing between youth prevention and adult harm reduction allows for balanced policies that suppress illicit sales, protect teens, and still give adult smokers safer choices.
Like other nicotine alternatives, when properly regulated, nicotine pouches can play a pivotal role in reducing harm. The way forward is regulation rooted in evidence: ensuring these products stay away from non-smoking minors, while supporting adult smokers on their journey towards cleaner nicotine use.