Are Some Nicotine Pouch Flavours More Addictive Than Others?

Nathan Chilcott

Published Studies

In recent years, governments have dramatically increased the taxes and regulations on cigarettes and other forms of traditional tobacco use.

It’s hardly surprising that people like you and me are looking for smoking alternatives.

Nicotine pouches have stepped in to fill the void. They’re cheaper than cigarettes, discrete, easy to use, and they come in a huge selection of flavours.

Of course, you can’t keep everyone happy all the time. Advocates for tobacco harm reduction strategies are in favour of the nicotine pouch industry and the assorted nicotine pouch flavours.

It may not address nicotine addiction, although it can help if you want it to. But, studies show that most of the harm from smoking is a result of tobacco being burned.

"Any tobacco-free product, such as nicotine pouches, will be better for your health.”

Nicotine Pouch Flavours

One of the greatest things about nicotine pouches is the array of flavours. Cigarettes are basically tobacco or menthol. You can get these in pouches, but you can also sample things like Puff & Pouch Berries, or Velo Mango Flame.

There’s a whole host of flavours in between and some impressive deals to be had.

What Studies Say About Nicotine Pouch Flavours And Addictiveness

The first thing to note is that the number of studies undertaken so far is limited. However, there is a very interesting one done with rats.

The study shows that the amount and type of sweetener can make a difference to how desirable a specific flavour is.

This study found that female rats were more interested and more likely to crave a nicotine hit if the nicotine was combined with sweeteners, such as sucrose or saccharin.

Nicotine pouches have a variety of sweeteners, making them more appealing to females. Naturally, sweet-flavoured nicotine pouches will have more sweeteners in them than tobacco or mint flavours.

In short, this study would suggest that sweet flavours are more addictive because users are likely to crave the sweeteners as much as the nicotine.

However, it should be noted that the study was completed on rats. Further studies using humans will be needed to confirm the results.

The study also found that male rats were less interested in sweeteners and more likely to go for pouches combined with cinnamon.

What This Means

In the first instance, the study suggests that females will be more tempted by sweet flavours. Therefore, the sweeter the nicotine pouch the more likely it will appeal to women. Of course, sugar and sweeteners are themselves addictive as they trigger the release of ‘happy’ chemicals in your body.

In short, you feel good and want to feel good again.

Males, on the other hand, are more driven by the flavour as opposed to the sweetener content.

That effectively explains why nicotine pouch manufacturers are creating so many pouch flavours and adding plenty of sweeteners.

Summing Up

It seems likely that the sweeter the flavour, the more addictive it will be. This is interesting as the nicotine isn’t directly responsible for the addiction; it just aids it.

Of course, as mentioned, these studies have been done on rats. We need another study on humans to confirm that some nicotine pouch flavours are more addictive than others.

The bottom line remains the same: nicotine pouches are addictive, but they’re still healthier than traditional tobacco-based products.

• Disclaimer

We make every effort to ensure the information published on our website is accurate and up-to-date. Our blog is provided for information only. It is not intended as medical advice.