In the last three years, Nicotine Pouches have seen a rise in popularity, with many people now opting to use these white pouches as their preferred method of Nicotine Replacement Therapy after they have either given up smoking, or moved on from using something like an E-Cigarette and wanting to use a smoke and vapour free alternative for Nicotine.
But whilst they are popular, there are still many sceptics out there that do not believe that these white pouches are here to stay, and just think they’re nothing more than the “current fad” of Nicotine Replacement Therapy. In this article, I’m going to look at the history of Nicotine Pouches, and just how popular they currently are and see if I can determine whether these are here to stay or nothing more than a flash in the pan.
What are Nicotine Pouches?
Nicotine Pouches are small white pouches that are filled with a powdered Nicotine solution, comprised of essential ingredients needed to make the solution that are all safe for human use, and on top of this flavouring is added as well, sometimes mint or fruit flavourings are the most popular.
The pouch itself is made up of soft natural fibres so that it will sit comfortably in the mouth when being used, and the Nicotine is then released from the pouch, and absorbed through the gum and into the bloodstream in a slow release for around 45-60 minutes, before the Nicotine Pouch can be removed and disposed of.
What Nicotine Strengths Do They Come In?
Nicotine Pouches come in varying Nicotine Strengths to cater for everyone’s individual Nicotine needs, and start as low as 4mg for people who are new to trying Nicotine Pouches and may have a relatively low tolerance to Nicotine, stretching to a medium strength of around 8mg and going all the way up to a strong strength like 12mg or higher, which is only recommended for people who have a high tolerance to Nicotine and has previously either used Nicotine Pouches in the past, or smoked a high volume of cigarettes or used a higher nicotine strength vape juice in their E-Cigarette.
The varying Nicotine levels of the white pouches is useful for people to try different strengths until they find one that is best suited for them. I would recommend starting on a lowering strength and working your way up gradually if you’re wanting to get a stronger Nicotine hit, rather than starting off with a strong strength and the effects of the Nicotine being too overwhelming for you.
Why Do People Use Nicotine Pouches?
Opting to use Nicotine Pouches comes with many different benefits and these benefits constitute to the reasons as to why Nicotine Pouches are becoming so popular on today’s market.
- Smokeless/Vapourless– Nicotine Pouches do not emit any form of smoke or vapour like what a cigarette/e-cigarette does. This make them very convenient to use if you travel or commute a lot, or work in an environment you cannot get out frequently for a break. You can simply pop a Nicotine Pouch in your mouth and let the Nicotine absorb without it disrupting your routine.
- Odourless – Nicotine Pouches do not give off any odour when being used, nor do they leave a horrible smell on your breath and in your mouth. There’s nothing worse than speaking to someone who’s recently had a cigarette and all you can smell is the smoke lingering on their clothes and breath! Nicotine Pouches does not cause these issues.
- Small and Discreet– Nicotine Pouches are purposefully designed to be small and discreet in size so it’s unnoticeable to the naked eye that you have one in place, and it doesn’t cause any discomfort to you when they’re in place either. This means if you’re working in an office or doing a presentation, you can easily have one of these pouches in place and nobody would even notice!
Are Nicotine Pouches Actually Popular?
Globally, Nicotine Pouch usage has seen a rise gradually across the years, but the country with the most notable difference is without a doubt the United States of America, where the sales figures and usage of Nicotine Pouches amongst their patrons has grown at rapid pace which cannot be ignored.
Other Nicotine Replacement Therapy options have been widely available to people who are wanting to quit smoking, such as Nicotine Patches, Gum, Lozenges and Nicotine Sprays as well as E-Cigarettes that use E-Liquid that contains varying levels of Nicotine, but with the recent introduction of Nicotine Pouches onto the market, and more brands becoming available to choose from, they really have boomed somewhat in popularity.
Nicotine Pouches are made by various different companies around the world, and lately there has been a rise in the addition of UK Made Nicotine Pouches entering the market and gaining popularity from customers opting to use Nicotine Pouches as their form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
Very recently, a report was published by the Management Science Associates who are a company based in the USA focusing solely on analytics and informatics of different topics and subjects. And they took a deep dive look into the whole to retail shipment data looking at the volumes to which they were being shipped out and sold in the USA.
The MSA tracked that Oral Nicotine products growth level had increased by 80% which is astounding numbers, and obviously with retailers ordering in such high volumes, this clearly means that the pouches are selling just as well also. To back this theory up, it’s reported that Nicotine Pouch sales in the USA went from 126 million units sold between August and December 2019 to 808 million units between January and March 2022 which is absolutely mind blowing that the rates had increased so dramatically in what’s a relatively short space of time.
The MSA also does say that experts believe the Covid-19 pandemic did constitute to a lot of people opting to quit smoking or vaping and trying alternative methods for Nicotine, with Nicotine Pouches considered the most popular option.
Are Nicotine Pouches Here to Stay?
Now we conclude this blog, and come to answer the question in topic on whether or not Nicotine Pouches are just a fad or if they are here to stay, and in my honest opinion, I think they’re here to stay and aren’t going to be going anywhere any time soon.
The rates of sales in the USA is a pretty good indication of how popular they are, and on top of this, the biggest name in the Tobacco industry has recently acquired Swedish Match, who are the manufacturers of the most popular selling brand of Nicotine Pouches in the USA currently, so it goes to show that they must have faith in the market by investing heavily into an already existing leading brand.
And it’s not just in the USA that sales are increasing, it’s worldwide and in the UK, Nicotine Pouches are the most available they have ever been with them being sold in nearly all major supermarkets, petrol stations and convenience stores.
