Use of nicotine pouches has risen substantially in Great Britain over the last five years, particularly among young men, with one in 13 (7.5%) men aged 16 to 24 now using them, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL (University College London).

The study, published in the journal Lancet Public Health and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that use of pouches overall had increased from 0.1 to 1% of all adults, equivalent to about 522,000 people.

Most users (69%) also reported using other nicotine products such as cigarettes or vapes, but one in six (16%) had never regularly smoked, the researchers found.

The team looked at data from 127,793 people in England, Scotland and Wales aged 16 and above who responded to surveys between October 2020 and March 2025.

Currently, there are no age restrictions at all on the sale of nicotine pouches, although the forthcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to ban sales to under-18s.

Nicotine pouches are small white sachets placed between the gum and lip that contain synthetic or extracted nicotine. Unlike snus, a form of smokeless tobacco long used in Sweden, nicotine pouches contain no tobacco. In contrast to the UK, nicotine pouches are banned in Germany and the Netherlands and soon to be banned in France.

The new study provides the most detailed evidence yet on pouch use in Great Britain. The researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, an ongoing survey that interviews a different representative sample of adults in England, Wales and Scotland each month. 

Between 2022 and 2025, 72% of nicotine pouch users were men, the researchers estimated. Just under half (47%) were aged under 25. Most used other nicotine products, with 39% also vaping and 56% smoking. Similar patterns had been observed in US, Denmark, Poland and Australia, the researchers said.

The team also found that use of nicotine pouches as an aid to quit smoking tripled over the study period, reaching 6.5% of recent quit attempts in 2025. This is higher than the proportion involving the prescription drug varenicline (1.1%) and prescription nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (4.5%), but lower than over-the-counter NRT (17.3%) or e-cigarettes (40.2%).

Dr Tattan-Birch said: "We do not currently know if nicotine pouches are effective in helping people quit smoking – our findings highlight the urgent need for more research on this.

"Whether nicotine pouches are good or bad for public health depends on who is using them. If it's a young person who would otherwise start smoking, then the use of pouches might help to reduce harm. However, if it's a person who otherwise would not use nicotine at all, then the potential for harm increases. We need to see how this balance plays out."

The researchers said that, while age-of-sale laws and marketing restrictions were needed to limit youth uptake, further restrictions such as capping nicotine strength should be evaluated carefully, as very low limits could undermine the potential role of pouches in helping people quit smoking.

The team noted that Spain has proposed a maximum of 0.99 mg nicotine per pouch, far below the 3–20 mg typical in current products and below the 2–4mg found in most licenced medicinally licenced oral NRT products.