Study reveals more than 4x increase in oral nicotine pouch use amongst young people in recent years
Young men are the group that has seen the highest increase in use.
A study from a leading public health journal has shown that young people, aged 16-24, are using oral nicotine pouches at rapidly increasing rates, with disproportionately higher rates for men in the age group.
Oral nicotine pouches are small rectangular sachets containing pharmaceutical-grade nicotine, which absorbs into the bloodstream when they are placed on the gums.
The pouches do not contain tobacco, distinguishing them from the popular Swedish product “snus”, which is banned in the UK; however, many people refer to them with the same name.
According to the study, they are currently used by over half a million people in the UK.
The report, published in The Lancet earlier this year, examined recent trends in nicotine pouch use in Great Britain, unpicking data from the Smoking Toolkit Study to analyse the use of nicotine pouches specifically.
It found an overall increase in use of nicotine pouches amongst all age groups, from 0.1% of those surveyed in 2020 to 1.0% in 2025. The study found that this increase has been concentrated among young people, with a more than 400% increase in use among 16-24 year olds, as shown below.
A line graph showing the increase in nicotine pouch use (%) by age group. Data from Oral nicotine pouch use in Great Britain: a repeat cross-sectional study 2020-2025. (Please note: age group-specific figures for October 2020 are all marked as 0, as data was not collected on nicotine pouch use by age demographic until 2022).
Just under half of pouch users were younger than 25, and 72% were men.
% of Nicotine Pouch Users by Gender
A bar chart showing the number of nicotine pouch users by gender. Data from Oral nicotine pouch use in Great Britain: a repeat cross-sectional study 2020-2025.
% of 16-24 year olds using nicotine pouches
A bar chart showing the percentage of 16-24-year-olds using nicotine pouches by gender. Data from Oral nicotine pouch use in Great Britain: a repeat cross-sectional study 2020-2025.
A potential reason for young men leading the trend in increased use of nicotine pouches is targeted marketing campaigns from the companies that produce them.
Legislation to restrict marketing of the products was passed last month under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, and is currently being put into action.
However, advertising and sponsorship were previously unrestricted, and nicotine pouches were promoted at places like festivals and football games, which see a high concentration of younger people.
The Act will ban the advertising and sponsorship of pouches and other nicotine products like vapes, including banning free distribution and sale from vending machines, mirroring pre-existing restrictions on tobacco products.
It will also close loopholes to ban the sale of pouches, vapes and other nicotine products to under 18s, as well as giving ministers powers to regulate flavours, packaging and display.
"My gums actually receded"
Ben's Story
Ben Ormonroyd, 21, first used the pouches when he received a free pack from a pop-up stall at a train station near a football game he was going to watch.
He had already seen the pouches advertised on Instagram and thought it made sense to try them out at the match, as he wouldn’t be able to vape or smoke in the stadium.
Mr Ormonroyd had vaped beforehand and saw the pouches as a healthier alternative.
“When I would vape, I’d wake up and I couldn’t breathe,” he said, “I know pouches are still bad for you, but they’re the best of the three.”
He also believes that using the pouches improves his ability to focus at work.
According to a study by academics at Loughborough University, nicotine can enhance some abilities in cognitive tests involving fine motor skills, attention and memory.
The study found that 1 in 5 football players (male and female) currently use nicotine pouches, and the majority of these reported mental readiness as the biggest performance benefit.
However, there are also a number of negative side effects associated with oral nicotine pouch use; something that Mr Ormonroyd is all too familiar with.
“My gums actually receded from using really strong (snus*),” he explained, “I don’t use products that strong anymore.”
Alongside dental conditions like gum recession and tooth decay, the pouches can cause gastrointestinal issues, allergic reactions, and are highly toxic if swallowed.
There are also concerns about nicotine dependence and normalising nicotine use amongst young people, which has led to the products being banned in several European countries, including Belgium, France and Germany.
* Nicotine pouches are often referred to as "snus" despite being the tobacco-free equivalent
Are pouches helping smokers to quit, or creating more nicotine dependence?
Whether or not the pouches are an effective tool to help people to stop smoking is a hotly debated topic.
According to the same study in The Lancet, the proportion of people using oral nicotine pouches in attempts to quit smoking rose from 2.6% in October 2020 to 6.5% in March 2025, but use of the products for this purpose remained relatively low compared to using vapes or over-the-counter products like nicotine patches or chewing gum.
The study also raised concerns that the smokeless nature of pouches risks increasing nicotine dependence by allowing people to consume nicotine in contexts where smoking or vaping is prohibited and they may have otherwise abstained.
Researchers say the actual effectiveness of nicotine pouches to support the reduction or complete stopping of smoking or vaping still needs to be established.
A line graph showing trends in the self-reported reasons for using nicotine pouches over time. Data from Oral nicotine pouch use in Great Britain: a repeat cross-sectional study 2020-2025.
A spokesperson from Nic Pouch UK, one of the leading online retail sites for oral nicotine pouches, said that pouches can be a beneficial tool for people who want to stop smoking if used effectively.
He said: “We should not lose sight of the fact that nicotine pouches, when used properly, can be an effective aid to quitting smoking.
“As a former 40-a-day smoker myself, I can say from personal experience that nicotine pouches enabled me to completely quit smoking, which has changed my life in so many positive ways.”
“Nicotine pouches are not risk-free,” he admitted, “But they are considerably less harmful than smoking tobacco, and that distinction matters when weighing the evidence.”
The spokesperson did, however, agree with the main points of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the ban on advertising and restrictions on nicotine strength per pouch.
“It should never have been legal for anyone under 18 to use any addictive substance including nicotine,” he said.
The Department for Health and Social Care was unavailable to comment.
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