The market for tobacco and nicotine stretches back to 6,000 BC and came to the height of its popularity during the First and the Second World Wars.
Marketing tactics associated tobacco and cigarettes with strength and portrayed them as stress relievers for male soldiers and their wives waiting at home.
Decades later, the discussion around the toxicity of cigarettes would take center stage. As both market competition and regulations grow tighter, cigarette giants like Marlboro have announced that they are investing in research to reduce the toxic content in tobacco and make the product more appealing to an increasingly health-conscious market.
The same trends have given birth to the rise of alternatives. One of the more popular ones to date is electronic cigarettes.
Allowing users to inhale nicotine through vapor instead of smoke, e-cigarettes were marketed as a healthier substitute that the CDC notes has grown in sales, with a 122.2% increase from 2014 up to 2020.
However, as recent studies reveal the risks of chemicals in vapor like diacetyl, a gap in the market for smokeless nicotine products was opened. This is where nicotine pouches come into play — a smoke, spit, and stain-free alternative to cigarettes or vapes.
Nicotine pouches: An overview
Nicotine pouches are small pouches containing nicotine, flavorings and food-grade fillers. Similar to chewing tobacco, these pouches are tucked between the gum and upper part of the lip and last for about 30 minutes to an hour as users receive their nicotine, before the pouches are then thrown in the trash.
Advantages of nicotine pouches
The rise of nicotine pouches has made things easier for consumers because of their smoke-free features. They allow users to enjoy the pouch at their own convenience, even in smoke-free areas.
For one, nicotine pouches are not fired hazards — from storage down to disposal, these products do not require heat or electricity. They can be used discreetly just about anywhere, which is very accessible as more than 29 states in the United States have imposed a smoking ban on enclosed workplaces, as well as public parks and beaches.
Because nicotine pouches are ready for consumption without heat, they can also be used on public transportation. With aircrafts strictly banning the use of cigarettes and vapes in-flight, the use of these nicotine pouches can bring comfort to the user, without them having to experience withdrawal symptoms throughout transit.
Additionally, nicotine pouches come in a wide variety of flavors. Catering to various audiences, the nicotine pouches from VELO include an expansive range of 11 flavors to choose from. Younger adults can enjoy the fruity and zesty flavors that mimic candy, whereas older consumers may prefer the classic mint or the unadulterated taste of nicotine in unflavored pouches, which are also available from other brands like On!
Trends in the industry
It also helps that the FDA has recently banned the use of vapor products such as JUUL as well as synthetic nicotine vapes. This makes it an opportune time for users to make the switch from smoking or vaping to using nicotine pouches. Companies can effectively market brands like ZYN, Rogue, and VELO by focusing on how these products use concentrated nicotine that was extracted directly from the tobacco plant, assuring users of purity and quality.
Thanks to their continuous growth in both marketing and production, adult smokers in the US from ages 18-44 are most likely to know about nicotine pouches as a convenient alternative.
Smokers who are hoping to quit may also opt for pouches as a means of suppressing their cravings. This expansive target market makes nicotine pouches a very noteworthy investment in the cigarette alternatives industry for the foreseeable future.
