Nicotine “pouches”: new nicotine products emerging in the US market

Les « nicotine pouches » : de nouveaux produits nicotinés émergents sur le marché américain

What is “nicotine pouch”?

They contain tobacco-derived nicotine or synthetic nicotine, but no tobacco leaf, dust, or stem. Available data indicate that sales of these products in the United States have increased since 2018, however the extent of use among U.S. youth and adults is uncertain.

Also, a study sought to assess the chemistry of these emerging tobacco products. 37 brands from a total of six manufacturers were analyzed. Nearly all of the products had flavor descriptors such as mint, licorice, coffee, cinnamon and fruit. The amount of free nicotine, the most easily absorbed form, was calculated for each product using total nicotine, product pH.

These analyses showed that the total nicotine content and pH values found in some of these pouches are similar to those of conventional tobacco products, such as moist snuff.

S Stanfill & all. Characterization of Total and Unprotonated (Free) Nicotine Content of Nicotine Pouch Products. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2021, 1590–1596 doi:10.1093/ntr/ntab030