THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Nicotine pouches are catching on in the U.S., as increasing numbers of Americans try and become regular users of the non-tobacco products, a new study says.
More than 1 in 10 Americans (10.2%) have tried a nicotine pouch, researchers reported Oct. 28 in the journal Addiction.
Further, among tobacco users — people who already smoke, vape or use chewing tobacco, for example — about 1 in every 10 were using nicotine pouches in 2024. That's more than triple the 3% of tobacco users who were using them in 2021, the study says.
That’s a swift increase, given that the pouches only hit U.S. markets a decade ago, in 2016, researchers said.
“Our data show that what was once considered a niche nicotine product is becoming a mainstream product among U.S. adult tobacco users,” said lead researcher Ashley Merianos, a professor of human promotion and education at the University of Cincinnati.
Nicotine pouches contain a powder made of nicotine, flavorings and other ingredients, researchers explained in background notes. The pouch is placed between the upper or lower lip and the gum, where saliva releases the nicotine and it is absorbed into the body.
For the new study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 4,800 people who participated in the YouGov online survey panel in 2021 and 2024.
Results showed more people who use tobacco turning to nicotine pouches as an alternative.
Overall, the study found nearly one-third (31%) of tobacco users have tried a nicotine pouch at least once, nearly double the 16% who’d given them a try by 2021.
“Nicotine pouch use is increasing rapidly,” Merianos said in a university news release.
Use is more common among men and younger adults, between 21 and 45, researchers found.
People who currently use tobacco products also are more likely to be using nicotine pouches, particularly those who already use smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco, SNUS and snuff, the study found.
“Smokeless tobacco users were the most likely to use nicotine pouches, indicating overlap between traditional oral tobacco products and newer nicotine pouch products,” Merianos said. “Dual- and poly-tobacco use remain important concerns, as our study showed that many nicotine pouch users also report using other tobacco products.”
Use among young adults is particularly troubling, researchers said, given that the human brain isn’t fully developed until age 25. Nicotine can affect the developing brain, increasing a person’s ongoing risk of addiction, researchers noted.
“We don’t yet know the long-term health consequences, and we also don’t know the long-term addiction potential,” Merianos said. “If a young adult who has never smoked or used smokeless tobacco starts using nicotine pouches, will they become addicted to nicotine? And will they then switch to other products? That’s what we’re trying to figure out in the long term.”
In the meantime, public health officials must continue tracking new types of nicotine products as they hit the market, Merianos said.
“The tobacco industry is very strategic,” she said. “They are always going to have new marketing tactics and new products. Look at what happened with electronic cigarettes. Now there are these nicotine pouches, which are exploding on the market.”
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on nicotine pouches.
SOURCE: University of Cincinnati, news release, Oct. 28, 2026
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