Guide

What are nicotine pouches?

A straight definition of the white pouch under everyone's lip, what it contains, how it compares to the alternatives and the UK rules.

By Hektor Jonsson · Updated October 2026

VELO Bright Spearmint nicotine pouch tin on a white square

Quick answer: A nicotine pouch is a small white pouch of plant fibre, nicotine, flavouring and water that you place between your upper lip and gum. There is no tobacco leaf in it, nothing to light and nothing to spit. It is legal for over-18s in the UK and gives a steady nicotine release over 20 to 40 minutes.

You will also hear them called "white pouches", "nic pouches", "all-white snus" or just "ZYN" after the best known brand. They all mean the same thing. This guide explains what is in one, how it differs from the products it gets confused with, who uses them and what the law says. Nicotine is addictive, and if you do not already use it there is no good reason to start.

What a pouch is made of

Open a tin and you find 20 or so soft, flat pouches that look like small tea bags. The fabric is a food-grade cellulose material. Inside, the filling is mostly plant fibre, usually microcrystalline cellulose, which is a refined plant pulp with no taste of its own. The fibre carries the nicotine.

The nicotine is either extracted and purified from tobacco plants or made synthetically. Either way, no tobacco leaf, stem or dust goes into the pouch. That is the definition of tobacco-free. Alongside the nicotine and fibre there is water, salt, a pH adjuster (sodium carbonate or similar) that helps the nicotine absorb through your gum, flavouring and a sweetener. We go through each one in what's inside a nicotine pouch.

The pouch sits between your lip and gum and the nicotine passes through the lining of your mouth into your bloodstream. Nothing is swallowed and nothing is inhaled. Our how do nicotine pouches work guide explains the absorption in more detail.

Nicotine pouches vs snus, vapes and gum

Pouches get lumped in with snus, and the word "snus" is often used loosely in the UK to mean pouches. They are not the same thing. The table shows where each product sits.

Product	Contains tobacco	How you use it	UK legal to sell
Nicotine pouch	No	Under the lip, 20 to 40 minutes	Yes, 18+
Swedish snus	Yes	Under the lip, 30 to 60 minutes	No (banned from sale since 1992)
Vape	No	Inhaled as vapour	Yes, 18+
Nicotine gum	No	Chewed, parked in the cheek	Yes, licensed as a medicine
Cigarette	Yes	Smoked	Yes, 18+

Snus is a moist tobacco product from Sweden. Oral tobacco of that kind cannot be sold in the UK. Nicotine pouches were designed to give the same under-the-lip experience without the tobacco, which is why they are legal here and snus is not. The snus hub and our snus vs nicotine pouches guide go into the history and the differences.

Against vaping, the obvious difference is that there is nothing to inhale and nothing to charge or refill. A pouch is quieter and works where a vape would not, on a plane, in an office or in a car with the kids. Against nicotine gum, pouches are not a licensed medicine and are not sold as a quitting aid. They are a consumer nicotine product, like vapes.

Formats, strengths and flavours

Every brand makes its pouches a little differently, but they fall into a few groups.

Format is the size and moisture of the pouch. Mini pouches are small and discreet. Slim pouches are longer and thinner and are the most common size in the UK. Large or original pouches are wider and hold more. Within each size, a pouch is either dry (slower release, less drip) or moist (faster release, more flavour).

Strength is the milligrams of nicotine in each pouch. UK tins run from 1.5mg to 50mg. We group them into four bands: low (up to 6mg), medium (6mg to 9mg), strong (9mg to 12mg) and extra strong (12mg and up). Beginners belong in the low band. The strength guide explains how to read the numbers, because some brands print mg per gram rather than mg per pouch.

Flavour is mostly mint in one form or another, then fruit, berry, citrus, cola and coffee. Mint dominates because it hides the slightly peppery taste of nicotine.

Who uses them

In the UK, pouch users are mostly adults who already smoke or vape and want a nicotine option that is smoke-free, vapour-free and invisible. Ex-smokers like that there is no smell. Vapers like that there is nothing to charge and nothing to leak. Shift workers, drivers and office staff like that they can use one in places where smoking and vaping are not allowed.

Pouches are not for under-18s, not for pregnant women and not for anyone who does not currently use nicotine. They are not a medicine and we do not make health claims about them. If you want to stop smoking, the NHS stop smoking service is free and your GP can point you to it.

What the UK law says

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are legal to buy, sell and use in the UK if you are 18 or over. Shops are expected to age-check. There is no ban on using them indoors, at work or on public transport, though an employer or venue can set its own rules.

The government is tightening the rules through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which brings pouches under the same kind of controls as vapes, including on advertising, flavours and where they can be displayed. Our guide to whether nicotine pouches are legal in the UK tracks the current position.

How to try one

If you have read this far and want to try a pouch, pick a low strength tin (3mg to 6mg) in a mini or slim format from a brand with a wide range, so you can move up or down without changing flavour. VELO, ZYN and Nordic Spirit all qualify. You can compare them on the VELO nicotine pouches page and its neighbours. Then follow our beginner's guide for the first one.

Frequently asked questions

Are nicotine pouches the same as snus?

No. Snus contains tobacco and cannot be sold in the UK. Nicotine pouches contain no tobacco and are legal here. The confusion comes from the fact that both sit under the lip and both come from Sweden.

Do nicotine pouches have tobacco in them?

No. The nicotine may be extracted from the tobacco plant, but the pouch contains no tobacco leaf. That is what tobacco-free means on the tin.

Do you smoke nicotine pouches?

No. There is nothing to light. You place the pouch under your upper lip and it releases nicotine through your gum.

How much nicotine is in a nicotine pouch?

Anywhere from 1.5mg to 50mg per pouch depending on the tin. Most mainstream tins sit between 3mg and 12mg. Not all of it is absorbed.

Are nicotine pouches safe?

They contain nicotine, which is addictive and not harmless. Because there is no tobacco and no combustion, they avoid the smoke that causes most of the harm from cigarettes, but that is not the same as safe. The NHS website is the place for health guidance.

Written byHektor Jonsson

Nicotine pouch specialist · Updated October 2026

Hektor has been buying, testing and writing about nicotine pouches since the first Swedish tobacco-free brands reached the UK. He has worked through hundreds of tins across every major brand and strength, from gentle 3mg minis to the extra strong slims, and writes the guides here at snus & pouches. His focus is simple: honest, jargon-free help that gets you to the right pouch faster. He writes about products and flavour, not medical advice. For health questions he points readers to the NHS.

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