Innovation in the nicotine sector is increasingly being shaped by regulation, consumer needs and the ability of companies to test, fail, and iterate, speakers said during the “Supporting Industry” panel at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon.
Sarah Marking, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Sanova, said product-development methods need to be sensitive and that companies should be comfortable with failure as long as they learn from it. The objective, she said, is to fail at the right stage of the development process rather than after a product reaches the market. Alexander Holthuizen, head of sales at The Snus Brothers Distribution, similarly said prototyping demonstrates that a product can be made once, while manufacturing must demonstrate that it can be produced consistently at scale. He described the ability to fail and iterate as central to product innovation.
Regulation is also playing a larger role in determining innovation, according to Tim Phillips, managing director of Tamarind Intelligence. He said regulation can create challenges but can also build consumer confidence and become a competitive advantage. Dean Cirotta, president of EAS Consulting Group, said proposed FDA rules could expand the definition of a manufacturer to include companies elsewhere in the supply chain, making early involvement in the regulatory process increasingly important. Chris Allen, CEO and co-founder of Broughton, said companies need to understand customer needs, product characteristics, nicotine dosing and applicable regulatory guidance. Sairah Salim-Sartoni, managing director of Salim-Sartoni Associates, said innovation requires a combination of consumer demand and regulatory pressure, with consumers ultimately determining whether products succeed. She also cited a UK finding that 56% of people believe nicotine is harmful and said cultural familiarity and consumer understanding remain important factors in adoption. Speakers also pointed to nicotine pouches as an area of continued potential, while Phillips identified artificial intelligence and the growing volume of sector data as both a major challenge and an opportunity for innovation.
