Our Experts: Get to Know Dr. Lindsay Reese 

Can you tell us a bit about your academic background and what's led you to this point?

"I decided to pursue a science career in high school when my dad was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). When he passed away just a few years later, I was at the University of Michigan majoring in Biopsychology and Cognitive Science. There I was able to study neurodegeneration, and one of my first research projects was on how to develop a better model to study ALS.  

When the time came to graduate, I couldn’t see myself as a “people doctor,” so I pursued a PhD in Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, with a specific focus on Alzheimer's. This was followed by a post-doc at the Oregon Brain Bank at OHSU in Portland, where I studied other types of neurodegeneration like Parkinson's and vascular dementia.  

While I liked conducting experiments and doing lab work, I loved writing about it and helping other people understand science. So, I moved to a farmhouse in rural Vermont and started freelancing, assisting scientists with their papers and grant proposals.  

2018 saw me working with Altria Group as they navigated the relatively new Premarket Tobacco Product Application pathway. They own on!, so that happened to be the first nicotine pouch I ever tried. From there, PMI (who now owns ZYN) approached me to help with scientific publications in Switzerland, and I worked on those for a few years before an opportunity came up at Haypp Group (Nicokick’s parent company) and I was able to realize my long-term dream of moving to Sweden—the home of nicotine pouches."

How has your relationship with tobacco and nicotine products evolved over the years?

"I was a smoker for more than two decades and tried to quit at least a dozen times. After 20 years, you wake up in the morning feeling that heaviness in your chest... You’re puffing your way up the stairs... It’s not fun. At a certain point, it just became a question of "is there a different way I can use nicotine?”  

I tried maybe 10 early vapes but never really liked the format. I switched to heated tobacco when I moved to Switzerland in 2022, but was still curious to try nicotine pouches. My first pouch experience in the U.S. was a bit of a misfire. I went straight to 8mg and immediately felt a bit nauseous. It can be hard for people to go from smoking or vaping to an oral format. Purely from a physiological perspective, you absorb nicotine in a different way when it’s in your mouth rather than inhaled.

So, it took some trial and error for me to find the right number of milligrams. As a longtime cigarette smoker, I assumed I’d need a higher strength (kind of like how the nicotine patch box says to start with the 21mg patch), but that wasn’t the case for me and pouches. The first product that didn’t immediately give me hiccups was 1.5mg (the lowest strength we currently stock), and now I use 1.5-8mg depending on the circumstances. The technique of positioning the pouch with my tongue also took a little getting used to, since using my fingers to shove it under my lip really gives me the ick.

I've been using nicotine pouches for 2 years, and haven’t smoked a cigarette in that time. I also haven’t regularly smoked in close to 4 years (but alternative nicotine products are banned in Asia, so I cheated a bit on vacation!) I love not smelling like smoke."  

What does your current role entail, and what excites you most about it?

"As a Senior Scientific Content Manager, I see myself as a bridge between the science and the consumer, making it easier for adults to make more informed choices.

I work closely with Marina Murphy (our Senior Director of Scientific Affairs), Laura Leigh Oyler (our VP of Regulatory Affairs), and our team of writers to make sure Haypp Group is actively sharing our expertise on-stage at conferences, getting our real-world data published in scientific journals, and contributing to the online conversation about harm reduction.  

On any given day, I could be working on a narrative review on the effects of tobacco control measures, breaking down the difference between moist and dry pouches, or writing up a qualitative analysis of how adult nicotine consumers are coping with flavor bans in states like California.

I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to work with nicotine pouches. They’re still considered a relatively “new” innovation in the smokeless space, so 10 years of science is just now coming into the spotlight. These days it’s about more than just explaining the products too—it’s about helping adult consumers understand what's in them and how they work. That matters given how many adults worldwide still use tobacco or nicotine products.

There’s a lot of historical data on Swedish snus use in Sweden, and we’re in the process of building a similar evidence base specifically for tobacco leaf-free nicotine pouches. New studies are being published all the time, and I’m really proud to be a part of the scientific cohort that’s starting to fill in these blanks." 

One of your biggest accomplishments since joining Haypp must be the relaunch of NicoLeaks. Can you tell us a bit more about what that is & why it’s so important?

"The products we sell on Nicokick undergo testing at the Eurofins laboratory in Lidköping, Sweden, and NicoLeaks is the online database where we publish all the results.  

The site was launched back in 2021, and I think of that time as the sort of Cambrian explosion of pouches. There were a lot of new brands, flavors, and formats coming onto the market with zero regulations.  

We stepped up to fill that void as a responsible retailer (led by Haypp Group’s Head of External Affairs, Markus Lindblad) to make sure pouches contained what they said they did, without impurities and within reasonable limits.

Strength was the original basis for testing—confirming that the number of milligrams on the can match what’s inside the pouch—but the results also include other parameters like moisture content, pH levels, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), and trace metals.

Now we have more than 1,200 products tested, with 280+ of those specifically sold in the U.S.  

Actually, we’re the only e-commerce site that currently holds ourselves to these product quality and safety standards, which is a bit worrying. Every time I go back to the U.S., I spot fake ZYNs in bodegas and tobacco shops. The proliferation of these counterfeit products is huge, with potential health implications if you don’t know what you’re putting in your mouth.  

NicoLeaks is the ultimate trust signal for our customers. We source products directly from the manufacturers, and when you shop with us, you know you’re always getting the real deal.

5 years on from launch, and a year since I started working here, it’s a fantastic feeling to see both regulators and customers engaging with the new and improved site."

Finally, we’ve got to ask, what are your favorite nicotine pouches at the moment?  

"Almost 60% of U.S. sales are mint according to our latest Nicotine Pouch Report, so it might come as a shock to hear that I prefer fruit-inspired nicotine pouches! But back when I smoked, it was menthols, so I guess I like to differentiate the experience from that.

If I could pick from any pouch that I’ve ever tried (and I’ve been able to try more of the European assortment since living in Sweden!), I’d say I gravitate toward Helwit because they use nicotine polacrilex with a slower release and their flavors are on point (banana is a personal favorite). My backpack also usually has a can or two of ZYN, just in case.

In terms of U.S. products though, you’ll typically find me using CLEW Blueberry 6mg. They strike my preferred balance of moisture, flavor, and nicotine release. Maybe I’m just Violet Beauregarde at heart."