The Nicotine Pouch & Oral Nicotine Report: 2024

We have collaborated with Northerner for the 3rd time to produce this report. Its aim is to create the best evidence-based summary of nicotine consumption and nicotine pouch use in the United States. The report is aimed at consumers and interested members of the public, but also at authorities, decision-makers, and opinion formers, to promote a fact-based public dialog on tobacco and nicotine—enabling all interested parties to follow developments over time.

The report is based on statistics pulled from both Nicokick and Northerner, related to nicotine purchase habits, and the thousands of decisions nicotine pouch users make daily. In addition, insights from a consumer survey have complemented this rich evidence base. The consumer survey was conducted from March to April, 2024, and is based on responses from a total of 1,970 individuals. 

According to our survey, on a 10-point risk scale, where 1 is “completely harmless” and a 10 is “very dangerous,” tobacco snus users on average rate their tobacco leaf-free nicotine portions at 3.0. This is a marginal decrease compared to the previous year of 0.1.

Alternatives to nicotine pouches are rated significantly more dangerous, with cigarettes rated the most dangerous (9.5), followed by heat-not-burn products such as IQOS (7.9), chewing tobacco (7.8) and e-cigarettes (7.4).

One innovation that is growing from low levels is nicotine-free pouches, which is rated even lower on the risk scale (2.0) than regular nicotine pouches.

Survey estimates suggest that a flavor ban may influence some users to revert to previous nicotine habits.

Why are most nicotine pouch users against a flavor ban? There are 3 main reasons that weigh heavily for the majority of pouch users. However, the arguments range from the protection of freedom to public health and concerns about increased crime and illegal markets.

Almost 2 out of 3 opponents of a ban (54%) cite the taste of tobacco-flavored products as a reason for their opposition. Almost as many (52%) argue that a flavor ban would lead to greater consumption of products that are worse for one’s health. Concerns about the emergence of a black market, dependent on rogue traders and smuggling, also emerged as an argument among almost half of respondents (45%). However, by far the most powerful argument among US pouch users—and one that 76% see as central—is the view that government should not interfere with what individuals consume.

The average consumer of nicotine pouches goes through 4.97 cans a week in 2024 on a 20-pouch per can equivalent (Note: As the top-selling brand has 15 pouches per can, the actual number of physical cans is higher). The highest proportion of "high-frequency pouch users," or those who use 5 or more 20-pouch cans per week, is found among men aged 35-54. The highest average of 4.0 cans is found in the Southeast, while the lowest average of 3.6 cans is found in the Midwest. The Southeast also has the highest proportion of “heavy pouch users” with 1 in 4 users there (42%) reporting they use 5 or more cans per week.

By far, the most common reason given by respondents for beginning to use nicotine pouches is their desire to switch from cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. 8 out of 10 nicotine pouch users (80%) cite this reason for starting. 3 in 10 cite “quitting smoking” as an explicit reason, and 5 in 10 have switched to non-cigarette nicotine products (mainly chewing tobacco or e-cigarettes). Some differences are seen between genders. Women start using nicotine pouches mainly as a way to switch from cigarettes, while men report their reason as switching  from other types of tobacco, such as chewing tobacco.

By far, the biggest brand in 2024 was ZYN, followed by On! and Rogue. These Top 3 brands dominate the US market and together account for 85% of all cans purchased on Nicokick during the year. The brand share ranking of the Top 3 is unchanged in 2024 vs 2023, but there are significant movements further down the list. VELO and Lucy each climbed one place on the top list while Sesh and Juice Head each dropped a place. zone made a strong debut on the list in 2024. What all the brands on the top list have in common—for both those climbing and those losing position—is that the growth rate is strong.

The Top 3 best-selling brands in the country are also the top for both men and women. 4th place among women is held by VELO while FRE is 4th among men.

The top list of the most purchased brands illustrates the dominance of ZYN, the country's most popular brand. In fact, ZYNholds all the Top 10 positions for individual cans. At the top is ZYN Wintergreen 6mg, followed by ZYN Spearmint 6mg. The order of the 7 most popular cans is unchanged since 2022 rankings. The top list also shows how popular mint is as a flavor category—with 9 out of 10 cans at the top are flavored with some form of mint.

The most common flavor of nicotine pouches in the United States is mint, which comes in different varieties such as Mint, Wintergreen and Peppermint. Together, these mint flavors are found in 6 out of 10 cans (59%) on the top-seller list.