Nicotine pouch rise is driven by young men, study finds

Young men are behind the growing popularity of nicotine pods in the UK, research shows.

About 7.5% of men aged 16 to 24 use small pouches that are placed under the upper lip, compared with 1.9% among young women and 1% among adults overall.

Researchers from University College London found that the majority of pad users – around half a million – also smoke or vape, and a growing number of people are using them to quit smoking.

They say research is needed to determine whether nicotine-filled pouches can help people quit smoking cigarettes, which contain harmful tobacco and other chemicals.

Small white bags, similar to tea bags, are sold in round, brightly colored jars. They contain synthetic nicotine, not tobacco, and young people told the BBC that they could create a powerful hit.

Sales of nicotine pods have been growing rapidly in recent years, with the rise driven “almost exclusively” by their use by young people, especially young men, researchers say.

Less than 1% of young men and women used nicotine pods in 2022, a figure that increased to 4% in March 2025.

This is due to the “aggressive and targeted” way the packages are sold, the study said.

“Marketing of nicotine pods is heavily focused on spaces and platforms that disproportionately reach young people, including sponsorship of Formula 1 teams, advertising at music festivals, messages about their use among professional footballers and influencer marketing aimed at male audiences,” says Dr Harry Tattan-Birch, a UCL researcher and author of the study.

Social media advertising also tends to reach young men more than young women, he adds.

In contrast, adult drug use has remained low and fairly constant over the past three years.

The results are based on a survey of 127,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales between 2020 and 2025, published in the journal. Public Health Lancet.

But the rules for selling nicotine pouches are about to change.

Legislation through Parliament, called the Tobacco and Vaping Bill, would ban their sale to under-18s, limit how they are advertised and provide powers to regulate flavours, packaging and the nicotine they contain.

The study says this new regulation should be considered carefully to ensure it does not undermine the potential of smoking harm reduction packages.

The researchers found that nearly three-quarters of current nicotine pod users are men, half of whom are under 25 years of age.

According to them, about 6.5% of attempts to quit smoking in 2025 involved the use of pods.

They may also be used to cut down or quit vaping, which is more popular among young people than smoking.

There has also been an increase in their use in places where smoking is prohibited.

“The key is to find the right balance, preventing the spread among young people and not creating such limited packages that people turn back to more harmful products such as cigarettes,” Dr Tattan-Birch said.

Although they carry fewer health risks than cigarettes and e-cigarettes, there are cardiovascular risks for people using high-nicotine pods. growing concern about the damage nicotine pods cause to gums.

Other countries have much stricter rules regarding bags. Nicotine pouches are banned in Germany and the Netherlands, and will soon be banned in France.