Generation Snus: One in 25 Gen Z’s now use extremely addictive nicotine pouches figures present – regardless of Europe ban over coronary heart well being fears

Trendy nicotine pouch use has soared among young people despite fears they could raise the risk of a raft of serious health problems including cancers and heart disease. 

One in 25 Gen Z’s have now taken the tiny, pillow-shaped packages containing synthetic nicotine powder and flavourings, scientists at University College London found. 

By comparison, usage sat at just 0.7 per cent among 16 to 24-year-olds in 2022. 

Half a million Britons overall, now use the pouches, ten times the number logged in 2020, researchers also discovered. 

Discreetly placed between the top lip and the gum, the pouches release a steady flow of addictive nicotine that’s absorbed into the bloodstream over a 20 to 60-minute period through the hundreds of tiny blood vessels in the tissue lining.

They are different from snus – a teabag-style product that also sits in the mouth and releases nicotine but is made with tobacco.

Experts, who today called for a ban on sales of the addictive pouches, said their popularity stems from people wanting the buzz that comes from nicotine without the toxic harm of the tobacco in cigarettes, or the chemicals that can go into vapes.

Many teens are also believed to be influenced by their popularity with footballers. 

Former England and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, 38, who now plays for Italian club Cremonese, has admitted using pouches

Discreetly placed between the top lip and the gum, the pouches release a steady flow of addictive nicotine that’s absorbed into the bloodstream over a 20 to 60-minute period through the hundreds of tiny blood vessels in the tissue lining 

Former England and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, 38, who now plays for Italian club Cremonese, has admitted using pouches.

Meanwhile, a study last year by the Professional Footballers Association found that one in five top players uses pouches or snus, saying they help to calm them in matches.

In the fresh research, published in the journal, The Lancet Public Health, researchers tracked the smoking habits of 128,000 British adults aged 16 and over between October 2020 and March 2025.

They found prevalence of nicotine pouch use has risen significantly from an estimated 0.1 per cent of the population being users in 2020 to one per cent in 2025.

In 2022, an estimated 0.7 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds used these products. This rose to 4 per cent in 2025.

But there was ‘no meaningful change’ among people aged 35 and over during this time frame, according to the study, which was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Researchers said that use was higher among men, especially those aged 16 to 24, and among people who smoke or vape.

More than two thirds of people using nicotine pouches also used other nicotine products like cigarettes or vapes — mirroring trends across the US, Denmark, Poland and Australia.

Snus is increasingly packaged with appealing colours and designs, making them more attractive to young people 

But 16 per cent of users had never smoked regularly.

They also found that a rising proportion of smokers used the pouches during their most recent attempt to kick the habit – from 2.6 per cent in 2020 to 6.5 per cent in 2025. 

Nicotine pouch use has risen in Great Britain, primarily driven by sharp increases among young people, especially young men,’ they wrote in The Lancet Public Health.

‘Most users also smoked or vaped, and a growing proportion of smokers used pouches in attempts to quit smoking.

‘These findings underscore the importance of implementing age-of-sale legislation for nicotine pouches and conducting research on their effectiveness for smoking cessation.’

Dr Harry Tattan-Birch, a senior researcher in behavioural science at UCL and the study’s lead author, added: ‘The rise in nicotine pouch use has been driven almost exclusively by young people, especially young men, while use among adults over 35 remained stable and low.

‘This may be due in part to aggressive advertising targeting this group on social media, billboards, in bars and train stations, and through sponsorships of motorsports and music festivals.

‘Pouches have a substantially lower risk to health than cigarettes and are likely less harmful than e-cigarettes.

‘However, they are not harmless and can currently be sold to children with no marketing restrictions and no cap on nicotine content.

‘Proportionate measures are important to limit uptake among teenagers.’

Concerns about the pouches being a ‘gateway’ to smoking have led to them being banned in some countries, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

In others, such as Australia, they’re available only on prescription.

In the UK, because they do not contain tobacco, nicotine pouches can legally be sold to under-18s and are often placed near sweets in corner shops.

The UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill is expected to clamp down on sales of nicotine pouches and vapes to young people – but it’s not likely to take effect for many months. 

And some researchers have expressed alarm at how marketing for pouches is targeting young people on social media.

US studies have linked nicotine pouches with a rise in nicotine poisoning in young children.

Others have suggested that the pouches may increase heart disease risk in people not already using nicotine products and could pose a risk of oral cancers but more research is needed. 

Short term side effects of the products can include lightheadedness, nausea, bleeding gums and vomiting.