The popularity of nicotine pouches is experiencing a dramatic surge across the United Kingdom, particularly among young adults, according to new research. These small, tobacco-free sachets are placed between the lip and gum to release nicotine and are currently sold without age restrictions.
What Does The New Research Show?
A significant study led by experts from University College London (UCL), funded by Cancer Research UK, has uncovered a rapid increase in usage. The research, which analysed survey data from 127,793 people across England, Scotland, and Wales aged 16 and above between October 2020 and March 2025, found a marked uptick.
In the last five years, approximately 522,000 more people in the UK have started using the pouches. This represents an increase from 0.1% to 1% of all adults. The rise is most pronounced among the young, with 4% of 16 to 24-year-olds using them in 2025, up sharply from just 0.7% in 2022.
Use is particularly high among young men, with the study estimating that one in 13 (7.5%) men aged 16 to 24 now uses nicotine pouches. Overall, 72% of users were men and 47% were under the age of 25.
Are They Safer Than Smoking?
Speaking to Sky News, lead author Dr Harry Tattan-Birch from UCL's Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care stated that the risks are "substantially less" than smoking. "There's no tobacco and there's no combustion. And we know the combustion of tobacco is the thing that causes most of the diseases related to smoking," he explained.
UCL research fellow Eve Taylor echoed this, calling the pouches "significantly less harmful than smoking." However, she and other researchers issued strong cautions. The products have not been around long enough for a full understanding of long-term effects, and they are not risk-free, still exposing users to some toxicants.
The NHS warns that while nicotine itself doesn't cause serious illnesses like tobacco, young people's developing brains and lungs are more sensitive to its effects, and addiction can be difficult to break.
The Call for Regulation and Concerns Over Marketing
A major concern highlighted by the UCL team is the current lack of regulation. As nicotine pouches are not classified as tobacco or vape products, there are no legal age limits on their sale. There are also no restrictions on advertising, allowing brands to market sweet-flavoured, brightly-coloured products directly to a young audience.
Dr Tattan-Birch suggested the increase 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 findings underscore the urgency of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently progressing through Parliament. This legislation would make it illegal to sell nicotine pouches to anyone under 18 and grant powers to restrict advertising, flavours, packaging, and nicotine content.
The researchers also examined whether pouches help people quit smoking. Their data showed that among users surveyed from January 2022 to March 2025, 69% were also using other nicotine products, with 56% smoking cigarettes. Notably, one in six (16%) pouch users had never regularly smoked, indicating the habit is attracting new nicotine consumers.
"Whether nicotine pouches are good or bad for public health depends on who is using them," Dr Tattan-Birch concluded. They could reduce harm for a smoker looking to quit but increase it for a young person who would otherwise never have used nicotine.
