Oral nicotine pouches – like Zyn and Velo in the U.S. – appear to be less toxic than cigarettes and deliver comparable levels of nicotine.
This makes them an alternative for people who smoke. However, people who’ve never smoked are using them, too, and youth are open to trying them. These are key findings of our recent systematic review , published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
Oral nicotine pouches are preportioned pouches sold in various flavors and nicotine strengths. They are similar in appearance and use to traditional ‘snus’ , a form of smokeless tobacco placed between the gum and lip, which is popular in Scandinavia. However, unlike snus, nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco leaf.
As a result, they are often marketed as “tobacco-free.” One of the studies in our review found that the “ tobacco-free” label is confusing to some and may lead people to think nicotine pouches do not contain nicotine. On average, studies in our review showed that nicotine pouches had fewer harmful chemicals, present at lower levels, than in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, like snus.
This varied by product, though. It could be that different flavorings have different levels of harmful chemicals . The most common reasons given for using pouches were curiosity, flavors and the perception that they were discreet and could be used where other tobacco products could not.
More people are using nicotine pouches than ever before . While manufacturers claim to tar.
