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Nicotine pouches are rising rapidly in popularity in the UK, particularly among young adults, prompting renewed questions about safety, regulation and whether the products help people stop smoking.
The small pouches are placed between the lip and gum, where they release nicotine gradually. They come in many flavours and often include sweeteners and plant-based fibres. Like vaping, they do not contain tobacco and are widely viewed as a less harmful alternative to smoking — but experts caution they are not risk-free and should not be used by children.
Are nicotine pouches safer than smoking?
Dr Harry Tattan-Birch, lead author of a study led by experts from University College London (UCL), said the risks from nicotine pouches are “substantially less” than from smoking because there is no tobacco and no combustion — the process responsible for most smoking-related disease.
Speaking on Mornings with Ridge and Frost, Dr Tattan-Birch, from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “The risks are substantially less than some other nicotine products like smoking, because there’s no tobacco and there’s no combustion.”
However, he and other researchers also warned the products can still be harmful and “should absolutely not be available to children”.
The NHS says nicotine does not cause serious illness like tobacco can, but emphasises that young people’s developing lungs and brains are more sensitive to nicotine’s effects and that stopping can be difficult.
UCL research fellow Eve Taylor has previously described nicotine pouches as “significantly less harmful than smoking”, while cautioning that they have not been used long enough for researchers to fully understand long-term health effects. She said there is still exposure to some toxicants, even if it is significantly lower than from smoking.
Who is using nicotine pouches — and why is use increasing?
According to the UCL-led study, nicotine pouch use has grown sharply over the past five years, with around 522,000 more people in the UK starting to use them. This represents an increase from 0.1% to 1% of all adults.
Researchers — funded by Cancer Research UK — analysed survey data from 127,793 people in England, Scotland and Wales aged 16 and above, collected between October 2020 and March 2025.
They found that in 2025, 4% of 16 to 24-year-olds were using nicotine pouches, up from 0.7% in 2022. Use was particularly concentrated among young men, with one in 13 (7.5%) men aged 16 to 24 using pouches.
Between 2022 and 2025, researchers estimated that 72% of pouch users were men and 47% were aged under 25. Dr Tattan-Birch said the rise has been driven “almost exclusively by young people, especially young men”, while use among adults over 35 stayed “stable and low”. He added that by “young people” he also meant children.
Regulation gap: no age restrictions and few advertising limits
Researchers warned that nicotine pouches currently sit outside existing rules for tobacco and vaping products, meaning there are no age restrictions at present. They also said there are no restrictions on advertising, which can allow products described as brightly coloured and sweet flavoured to appeal to younger audiences.
Dr Tattan-Birch suggested the growth in use may be “due in part to aggressive advertising targeting this group on social media, billboards, in bars and train stations, and through sponsorships of motorsports and music festivals.”
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, would make it illegal to sell nicotine pouches to anyone under 18. The bill would also restrict advertising and introduce powers to regulate flavours, packaging and nicotine content.
UCL researchers said their findings highlighted the “urgency” of the legislation.
Do nicotine pouches help people quit smoking?
The study also examined whether pouch use is linked to smoking cessation. Among those surveyed from January 2022 to March 2025, 69% of nicotine pouch users reported also using other nicotine products, and 56% of them said they smoked cigarettes.
Researchers found that one in six (16%) nicotine pouch users had never regularly smoked, suggesting use can be unrelated to quitting cigarettes.
Dr Tattan-Birch said the public health impact depends on who is using them. If a young person who would otherwise start smoking uses pouches instead, he said, harm could be reduced. But if someone who would not otherwise use nicotine starts using pouches, the potential for harm rises.
The experts said more research is needed to understand how effective nicotine pouches are for quitting smoking. They also supported age-of-sale restrictions in the new bill but cautioned that any cap on nicotine strength should be “evaluated carefully”, warning that very low limits could undermine any role pouches may have in helping people quit.
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