{"id":90580,"date":"2026-05-22T09:20:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=90580"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:20:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:20:13","slug":"are-nicotine-pouches-bad-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/are-nicotine-pouches-bad-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicotine pouches are skyrocketing in popularity. Are they bad for you? What experts say about addiction, cancer risk and brain claims."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Oral
Oral nicotine pouches have surged in popularity, but medical experts urge caution. Nicotine is addictive, and there’s little research about how the pouches affect people. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oral nicotine pouches \u2014 including brand names like Zyn, Velo, on! Rogue, and others \u2014 are in the news<\/a> and have become increasingly popular.<\/p>\n

People who use nicotine pouches press them between their lips and their gums, much like others who use chewing tobacco.<\/p>\n

Social media influencers tout tobacco\u2019s highly addictive active ingredient as a brain booster and health preserver. Manufacturers of nicotine pouches \u2014 including the one whose $600 million facility is already producing Zyn<\/a> in Aurora, Colorado \u2014 promote their products as smoking-cessation tools.<\/p>\n

Health experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized<\/a> the sale of nicotine pouches because of their potential to curb smoking, but FDA officials have yet to add nicotine pouches to the agency\u2019s list of approved smoking-cessation products<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since cigarette smoking kills<\/a> nearly half a million people in the U.S. each year \u2014 and e-cigarette vaping, which has its own health impacts<\/a>, is on the rise \u2014 smokeless and vapeless alternatives to cigarettes appear to present potentially healthier alternatives.<\/p>\n

But Dr. Gina Kruse<\/a>, an internal medicine doctor who cares for patients at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>, urges caution.<\/p>\n

Kruse also directs the Colorado Nicotine, E-Cigarettes, and Tobacco Research Alliance (CoNECTR<\/a>) and is a professor<\/a> at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a>. She said the perceived benefits of nicotine come with real costs, and research about the risks and potential harms of nicotine pouches remains in its infancy.<\/p>\n

What are oral nicotine pouches?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Often packed 15 to 20 in colorful containers resembling undersized hockey pucks, nicotine pouches each typically contain 3, 6 or 9 milligrams of tobacco-derived or synthetic nicotine. Like smokeless tobacco \u2014 also called \u201csnus\u201d and pronounced \u201csnoose\u201d \u2014 users place the permeable pouch between their lips and gums, where the oral mucosa absorbs the nicotine.<\/p>\n

Roughly 80-to-90% of the pouch is made of water or microcrystalline cellulose, and most users choose versions with added flavors. Variations of mint-flavored pouches are the most popular these days.<\/p>\n

What makes nicotine pleasurable \u2013 and addictive?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nicotine triggers and enhances<\/a> aspects of the brain\u2019s reward, sensory, and cognitive systems by mimicking a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Nicotine binds to the same neuron receptors that acetylcholine binds to, activating a complex pathway leading to the release of dopamine, glutamine and gamma aminobutyric acid.<\/p>\n

When it comes to effects on the brain or cognition, influencers claim that the nicotine products boost their focus and ability to learn, process, retain and recall information.<\/p>\n

But many of these purported benefits would be short-term, and researchers have not yet fully analyzed the long-term costs of a quick dopamine hit.<\/p>\n

Nicotine\u2019s influence on the brain\u2019s motivation and reward-related processing is the main driver of nicotine\u2019s allure, Kruse said, and probably also influences the perception of cognitive benefits.<\/p>\n

She describes the data on the cognitive benefits of smoking as inconsistent, and many authors of studies measuring cognitive benefits received funding<\/a> from the tobacco industry. Also, these studies typically don\u2019t evaluate the cognitive deficits that happen with nicotine withdrawal between doses or during longer-duration efforts to quit nicotine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I think about it is that it\u2019s a reward, so you get a dopamine surge when you use nicotine, and that\u2019s what keeps you doing it,\u201d Kruse said.<\/p>\n

How addictive are nicotine pouches?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nicotine pouch containers come with a large-print warning: \u201cThis product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an additive chemical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anecdotally, while there\u2019s preliminary evidence<\/a> that nicotine pouches can limit and in some cases curb smoking, quitting nicotine pouches isn\u2019t easy<\/a>, either.<\/p>\n

No surprise there: Nicotine ranks among the world\u2019s most addictive substances<\/a>, and nicotine pouches \u201ccan approximate regular to heavy smoking in terms of the amount of nicotine you get from them,\u201d Kruse said.<\/p>\n

A key driver of addiction is the short span between a drug\u2019s intake and its effects on the brain, Kruse said. With smoking and vaping, it\u2019s a matter of seconds. Oral pouches hit the bloodstream within minutes. The chemical then delivers a rapid reward to the brain of a dopamine surge, Kruse said. But this surge fades quickly and sparks a powerful desire for another dose. Contrast that with the nicotine patches used in in smoking cessation, which deliver low, continuous doses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real driver of addiction with smoking is that you get this rapid reward to your brain as soon as you use it, but then it\u2019s got a very short half-life,\u201d Kruse said. \u201cThe nicotine levels leave our body really quickly, and then you start to get symptoms that your body and those receptors in your brain telling you that you need more nicotine to feel OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Withdrawal symptoms ensue, and include irritability, poor concentration, restlessness, depressed mood, anxiety, increased appetite, and craving, Kruse said.<\/p>\n

How popular are nicotine pouches?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The use of nicotine pouches has skyrocketed since manufacturers introduced them in the U.S. market in 2016. The pouches are especially popular among young adults, and alarmingly, among adolescents and teenagers, Kruse said.<\/p>\n

U.S. nicotine-pouch sales jumped 269%<\/a> from January 2023 to December 2025, from $146.1 million to $539.5 million.<\/p>\n

In 2025, 2.3% of high school students and 0.9% of middle school students said they had used<\/a> a nicotine pouch in the previous 30 days. While nicotine vapes currently are more popular \u2014 with 7.1% of high school students and 2.6% of middle school students saying they use nicotine vapes \u2014 the growth of underage nicotine-pouch users is sparking increasing concerns among health experts, particularly given the known dangers<\/a> of nicotine to adolescent brain development. Among proven impacts, nicotine addiction can wire the developing brain to be more impulsive and to have a shorter attention span.<\/p>\n

Are nicotine pouches safe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nicotine pouches are chemically much more straightforward than tobacco leaves, whose combustion dumps hundreds of potentially harmful compounds into the lungs, including dozens of carcinogens.<\/p>\n

A 2023 study funded by the company, Swedish Match, which makes Zyn pouches, tested<\/a> wet and dry Zyn nicotine pouches for 43 harmful and potentially harmful constituents, or HPHCs. The authors, who are staff members at Swedish Match, found only a few harmful constituents, and they were at low levels. Their analysis found no nitrosamines or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are linked to cancer in smokers.<\/p>\n

But then, an independent German study<\/a> of 44 nicotine pouches representing unique products from 20 manufacturers detected nitrosamines in 26 of them.<\/p>\n

Kruse said data on nicotine-pouch constituents is still \u201cquite limited,\u201d and research findings may be unreliable since manufacturers often sponsor and fund studies on nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n

Do nicotine pouches cause cancer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nicotine itself is not considered<\/a> a carcinogen, and nicotine patches don\u2019t boost cancer risk. But questions about whether nicotine pouches can be carcinogenic or otherwise a health hazard remain open, Kruse said, because there\u2019s just not much data on them yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven how long these products have been on the market, and that the health data we have is largely from industry-funded studies, which should be viewed with skepticism, we really don\u2019t have that much concrete data to say what the harms and risks of these products are yet,\u201d Kruse said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oral nicotine pouches \u2014 including brand names like Zyn, Velo, on! Rogue, and others \u2014 are in the news and have become increasingly popular. People who use nicotine pouches press them between their lips and their gums, much like others who use chewing tobacco. Social media influencers tout tobacco\u2019s highly addictive active ingredient as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":90715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8],"tags":[2597,3357,4798,4698],"class_list":["post-90580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","category-news","tag-comprehensive-lung-and-breathing-program","tag-lung-and-respiratory-care-pulmonology","tag-smoking-cessation-programs","tag-vaping"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAre nicotine pouches bad for you? 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What experts say about addiction, cancer risk and brain claims."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911","name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth"},"description":"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. 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