Nicotine pouch use surges tenfold in five years, research reveals
New research has revealed that the use of nicotine pouches in the UK has increased tenfold in just five years, with almost 700,000 Britons now using the products.
The study showed that an estimated 0.1 percent of the population were users in 2020, compared to 1 percent in 2025, with a significant increase seen especially among young people aged 16-24.
Experts from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) warned that the increased use of nicotine pouches was due to “intensive and indiscriminate” marketing of the products and said they should not be used by children or people who are not current smokers.
Nicotine pouches are placed between the lips and gums to slowly release nicotine and come in a wide variety of flavors.
Researchers examined data from the Smoking Toolkit study, which included figures for nearly 128,000 people aged 16 and over, to assess levels of use in Britain and found that the prevalence of nicotine pouch use has increased significantly in recent years.
The increase in use has been concentrated among young adults; While an estimated 0.7 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds were using these products in 2022, just three years later, that rate had risen to 4 percent.
But there was “no significant change” among people aged 35 and over over this time period, according to research funded by Cancer Research UK.
Use was higher among men, particularly those aged 16 to 24, and those who smoked or vaped, with more than two-thirds of people using nicotine pouches and also using other nicotine products, the researchers said.
However, 16 percent of users had never smoked regularly.
The research team, led by experts from University College London (UCL), also found that an increasing proportion of smokers are using pouches in their latest attempt to kick the habit; This rate increased from 2.6 percent in 2020 to 6.5 percent in 2025.
“Nicotine pouch use has increased in Great Britain, mainly due to sharp increases among young people, especially young men,” they wrote in The Lancet Public Health.
“The majority of users also smoke or vape, and an increasing number of smokers are using sachets to quit smoking.
“These findings underscore the importance of enforcing age-of-sale legislation for nicotine pouches and conducting research on their effectiveness in smoking cessation.”
Lead author Dr D., from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Healthcare. Harry Tattan-Birch said: “The rise in nicotine pouch use has been driven almost exclusively by young people, particularly young men, while use among adults over 35 has remained steady and low.
“This may be due in part to aggressive advertising targeting this group on social media, on billboards, in pubs and train stations, and sponsorships of motorsport and music festivals.
“Jabs pose a much lower health risk than cigarettes and are likely less harmful than e-cigarettes. However, they are not harmless and can currently be sold to children with no marketing restrictions and no limits on nicotine content.”
“Our findings underline the urgency of the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Bill, which will close this regulatory gap by ending sales to under-18s, restricting advertising and giving power to regulate flavours, packaging and nicotine content. Proportionate measures to limit uptake among young people are important.”
Caroline Cerny, Ash’s executive vice president, said of the research: “The increasing use of nicotine pouches is due to the intense and indiscriminate marketing of these products. Last year, advertising and giveaways took place on buses, trains and on social media at events popular with young people, such as music festivals and shopping centres.
“Although they are less harmful than cigarettes, they should not be used by children or non-smokers due to the addictive properties of nicotine.
“The Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, will give the Government new powers to restrict the sale of nicotine pouches to adults only and limit the way they are marketed. It is therefore vital that this bill becomes law as soon as possible to protect children’s health.”
