The Nicotine Pouch Loophole

ASH Public Affairs and Communications Assistant Halle Breed reflects on new research that shows an increase in the use of nicotine pouches by young people, and the persistent marketing tactics of the tobacco industry.

You may have recently seen lots of media coverage about nicotine pouches, referencing new research about their use by young people, and lack of regulation. New research from UCL has shown that sales of nicotine pouches have increased in recent years, with researchers finding this has been driven ‘almost exclusively’ by young people aged 16-24. The research found that 4% of young people were using nicotine pouches in March 2025, up from less than 1% in 2022.  

When I was reflecting on this increase of use amongst people in my age group, I thought about just how many nicotine pouch advertisements I had seen, and how these advertisements have been targeted towards young people. One thing I quickly learnt when I started working at ASH is just how persistent the tactics of the tobacco industry are- constantly working to expand their markets and protect their profits. As the Tobacco and Vapes Bill makes its way through Parliament, one thing that comes up again and again is the indiscriminate industry marketing of nicotine pouches. The lack of protection for children is shocking.  

Whilst nicotine pouches are less harmful than smoking, they should not be used by people who have never smoked before. Yet, nicotine pouch advertisements are spread far and wide, in plain view of young people and children. Since I learnt more about these products, I have noticed ads everywhere; on the tube on my way to the office, on the sides of buses, in in-flight magazines when I went on holiday, and outside shops in my local village. 

Nicotine pouches exist in a regulation desert. Their contents are not controlled and there is no age of sale. Because nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco, they fall outside the advertising restrictions placed on tobacco products. Nor are they covered by existing vaping regulations, which set an age of sale at 18 and impose strict limits on promotion. While many supermarkets voluntarily enforce an age restriction of 18+, it remains perfectly legal to sell them to a child of any age. 

Nicotine pouches are slipping through a regulatory gap - one the industry is exploiting with aggressive advertising and widespread promotions. This window of opportunity is likely being used to build awareness before tighter laws are introduced, and it appears to be working: awareness among under-18s is at an all-time high, with 43% reporting product awareness compared to 38% in 2024. Trading standards have warned that these products are often marketed like sweets, in ways that directly appeal to children.

It’s not just traditional marketing.  All through last summer I noticed advertisements on Instagram for music festivals that have partnered with nicotine pouch brands, including Reading festival with its notoriously young crowd, who partnered with Nordic Spirit, owned by Japan Tobacco International. Attendees of these festivals will have seen stalls handing out freebies, and marketing materials all over the festival.  British American Tobacco has also been paying Instagram influencers to promote their nicotine pouch brand Velo, in sponsored posts; content that was later removed by the platform. This has raised concerns from campaigners that the pouches are presented as a ‘trendy lifestyle product’ rather than a smoking alternative.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help to fix many of these problems. Among other things it gives the Government powers to:

1. Clamp down on the marketing of nicotine pouches
2. Introduce an age of sale so children can’t legally buy them and giving Trading Standards something to enforce
3. Regulate the contents of pouches, making them safer for adults who want to use them to quit 

The Bill takes broad powers that will prevent the tobacco industry from promoting nicotine pouches in ways designed to appeal to young people, and ensure that the next novel nicotine product that comes along can be regulated swiftly to protect children.