Key Highlights
- Health experts say the products, which are banned in Germany and the Netherlands, should not be used by anyone who does not already smoke. The percentage of people aged 16 and over using them in England, Scotland and Wales has grown from 0.1% in 2020 to 1% in 2025, equivalent to about 522,000 people.
- The sharpest rise in use was among young people, according to figures published in the medical journal Lancet Public Health. Experts said the dramatic increase in use of nicotine pouches was probably linked to “aggressive” marketing and advertising across social media, billboards and public transport hubs in the UK. Researchers from UCL examined data from the Smoking Toolkit study, including figures on almost 130,000 people aged 16 and over. The figures revealed the prevalence of nicotine pouch use has risen significantly in recent years, particularly among members of gen Z.
- In 2022, 0.7% of 16- to 24-year-olds used these products.
- This grew to 4% in 2025. But there was “no meaningful change” among people aged 35 and over during this time frame, according to the research funded by Cancer Research UK. Researchers said use was higher among men, especially those aged 16 to 24, and among people who smoked or vaped.
- More than two-thirds of those using the pouches also used other nicotine products. However, 16% of users had never smoked regularly. Researchers also found a rising proportion of smokers used pouches during their most recent attempt to kick the habit – from 2.6% in 2020 to 6.5% in 2025. Writing in the Lancet Public Health, the researchers said: “Nicotine pouch use has risen in Great Britain, primarily driven by sharp increases among young people, especially young men.“Most users also smoked or vaped, and a growing proportion of smokers used pouches in attempts to quit smoking.
