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Category: Science & Innovation

  • Haypp Working to Increase Efficiency, Sustainability in Industry

    Haypp Working to Increase Efficiency, Sustainability in Industry

    Haypp released its latest Sustainability Report, outlining measured progress in product quality controls and supply chain transparency as the company expands in the tobacco-free nicotine category. The report notes that all new nicotine pouch products launched since 2024 have been tested against internal and relevant standards, reflecting efforts to improve consistency and information availability in a fast-growing segment.

    “As the global leader in consumer insights within our field, we are uniquely positioned to influence and support the development of more sustainable products and services throughout the supply chain,” said Markus Lindblad, Haypp’s head of legal and external affairs. “Our ambition is to make sure that our growth can help positively influence the evolution of the nicotine pouch category towards a responsible and sustainable future.”

    The company also reports advances in mapping transport-related emissions, with data now collected from most logistics and last-mile delivery partners, and ongoing supplier screening under its Business Partner Code of Conduct.

  • Eagle Eye’s Solution Helps Retailers Maximize Conversion, Engagement

    Eagle Eye’s Solution Helps Retailers Maximize Conversion, Engagement

    Eagle Eye launched Personalized Promotions, a new AI-powered solution designed to help retailers move from broad, manual discounting to real-time, one-to-one promotional execution at scale. The SaaS company said the platform uses AI and machine learning to automatically create and deliver individualized offers aligned with shopper behavior, retailer objectives, and budget controls, addressing a long-standing challenge in retail personalization. Eagle Eye said the solution can boost promotional efficiency, deepen customer engagement, and improve measurement for supplier brands, adding to its AI Personalization Science suite as retailers increasingly seek scalable, data-driven ways to personalize offers across omnichannel environments.

  • Truth Initiative Report Says Industry Targeting Youth

    Truth Initiative Report Says Industry Targeting Youth

    A new report from Truth Initiative claims that the tobacco and nicotine industry continues to market youth-appealing products, including high-tech “smart” vapes, flavored disposable e-cigarettes, and oral nicotine pouches, which raises concerns about addiction and a potential reversal of recent prevention gains. The report says these products often deliver higher nicotine levels, come in sweet flavors, and are sold at low prices, while recent cuts to federal prevention and cessation funding heighten the public health risk.

    According to the report, data show that about one-third of youth and young adults used “smart” vapes in the past month, while nicotine pouches became the fastest-growing nicotine category, with sales nearly tripling between 2023 and 2024. Flavored products dominate youth use, despite limited FDA authorization, and rising nicotine concentrations have driven a 249% increase in total nicotine sold in e-cigarettes since 2020.

    The report also points to growing dependence and co-use of multiple nicotine products among youth and young adults. Truth Initiative called for stronger enforcement against illegal products, expanded regulation of flavored nicotine products, and greater investment in youth-focused quitting support.

  • Cannabis Use Growing, Intertwined with Nicotine

    Cannabis Use Growing, Intertwined with Nicotine

    A new study published in Tobacco Induced Diseases finds that cannabis use—both vaping and smoking—has increased over time, with more young adults initiating use than quitting, and high levels of co-use with nicotine and tobacco products. Researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health report that simultaneous cannabis and e-cigarette use is especially common among young adults who vape nicotine, with similar rates observed across genders. The findings highlight that cannabis consumption is not only growing but increasingly intertwined with nicotine use.

    Analyzing data from the VapeScan longitudinal study of 372 adults in the New York City area between 2021 and 2024, researchers found cannabis users often consume multiple product types, including vapes, edibles, smoked products, CBD, and topicals. By the second year of follow-up, nearly 60% of participants reported cannabis use, with cannabis vaping and smoking both rising. Notably, 21% of participants were new cannabis vape or smoke users over the study period, while only 6% of earlier users quit, underscoring a net increase in use.

    The authors say the expanding variety of cannabis products, rising frequency of use, and widespread cannabis–nicotine co-use pose growing public health and regulatory challenges.

  • Charlie’s Holdings, IKE Tech Launch AI Verification for Vapes

    Charlie’s Holdings, IKE Tech Launch AI Verification for Vapes

    Charlie’s Holdings announced a licensing deal to bring what it describes as the first AI-powered, blockchain-based age-verification system for vape products to the U.S. market. The California–based company said it signed a definitive agreement with IKE Tech to commercialize the technology, which is designed to prevent underage access to vapor products while allowing compliant sales to adults.

    The company positioned the move as a response to regulatory pressure on flavored vaping products, which it said are preferred by 80–90% of adult consumers and play a key role in helping smokers switch away from combustible cigarettes. Charlie’s noted that despite broad recognition of vaping as a lower-risk alternative to smoking, the FDA has yet to authorize a single flavored vapor product, while state-level flavor bans in markets such as California and Massachusetts have reshaped the legal landscape.

    According to Charlie’s, those restrictions have contributed to growth in illicit products and reduced legal options for adult smokers seeking alternatives. The company said its age-gating system is intended to address youth-access concerns directly, potentially offering regulators a technology-based compliance tool that could support more balanced oversight of the flavored vapor category.

  • Report: Non-U.S. Manufacturers Capture 75% of Pouch Search Visibility

    Report: Non-U.S. Manufacturers Capture 75% of Pouch Search Visibility

    Although North American consumers drive the majority of the nicotine pouch industry’s revenue (78.4%), a new report from eCig One finds that manufacturers outside the United States capture the majority (75%) of modeled search visibility for white-label production queries. The study estimates search-driven demand by capturing the rankings of 29 white-label pouch manufacturers across 14 high-intent search keywords. A modeled click-through rate is then applied to each ranking. The analysis uses a ranking snapshot from December 2025 and sources monthly search volumes from Ahrefs.

    chart visualization

    Number of White-Label Nicotine Pouch Manufacturers by Nation


    The top six contract manufacturers hold about 76% of modeled search-driven demand for white-label nicotine pouch manufacturing, according to the report. The top three manufacturers—NicoKickers (24.9%), Daily Manufacturing (15.5%), and TJP Labs (13.4%)—account for more than half of modeled search visibility across the 14 tracked keywords.


    “The data suggests a gap between where demand is forming and where manufacturers are capturing it,” said study author Jason Artman. “There may be an opening for white-label manufacturers to attract more business by meeting clients where they are.”


    The report notes that the model estimates relative share of search-driven opportunities and that conversions and revenue depend on many other factors in addition to search visibility.

  • BAT Piloting Facial Age Verification in Italy

    BAT Piloting Facial Age Verification in Italy

    BAT Italia announced that it is partnering with digital identity firm Yoti to pilot facial age-verification technology aimed at preventing minors from purchasing nicotine products. The collaboration uses Yoti’s age-estimation service, which verifies whether a customer is over 18 through facial scanning without storing images or identifying individuals, in line with privacy regulations. The testing phase has begun in 119 BAT pop-up stores across Italy. Customers scan a QR code with their smartphone to initiate the process, adding an additional layer to standard ID checks. BAT said the system is designed to strengthen responsible sales practices for nicotine products.

    According to BAT, data from an earlier rollout in Croatia showed a 99% accuracy rate. BAT Italia said the introduction of the technology supports compliance with age-restriction laws and reflects the company’s stated commitment to preventing youth access to nicotine products.

  • Study Finds All Nicotine Products Pose Heart Health Risks

    Study Finds All Nicotine Products Pose Heart Health Risks

    A new review published in the European Heart Journal finds that nicotine, regardless of how it is consumed, raises blood pressure, harms blood vessels, and increases the risk of heart disease, challenging perceptions that vaping or other alternatives are safer for cardiovascular health. The researchers said all nicotine products—including vapes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, shisha, and cigarettes—can damage the heart and blood vessels, with risks extending to both users and people exposed to secondhand smoke or vapor.

    After analyzing decades of research, the authors warn that the rapid growth of vaping, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouch use—especially among teens and young adults driven by flavors and social media marketing—could worsen public health outcomes. Researchers found that secondhand exposure to smoke and vapor can impair vascular function in non-users, prompting calls for stricter regulation.

  • Study Focuses on Tobacco and Cannabis Habits of Young Americans

    Study Focuses on Tobacco and Cannabis Habits of Young Americans

    A University of Michigan study of 8,722 Americans aged 12–34 who had used a tobacco, nicotine, and/or cannabis product within the last month found that traditional smoking remains prevalent even as vaping and edibles grow in popularity. Researchers identified six main usage patterns: combustible tobacco (31%), multiple forms of cannabis (27%), nicotine vaping (18%), combined use of nicotine, tobacco, and cannabis (14%), cannabis edibles only (5%), and multiple forms of nicotine and tobacco (5%).

    The study also highlighted narrowing gender differences and higher usage rates among Black and African American youth and young men, suggesting targeted prevention and cessation programs are needed. The study appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and was funded by the National Cancer Institute and NIH.

  • Youth-Focused Bans Hurt Older Vapers: Haypp Survey

    Youth-Focused Bans Hurt Older Vapers: Haypp Survey

    “Much of the debate on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is focused on restricting youth access to vapes,” Haypp Group said in a press release announcing its latest survey. “While there are legitimate concerns around underage access to vapes, the introduction of broad product restrictions or bans may inadvertently exclude older segments of the population and impact the number of older smokers switching to vapes.” 

    In surveying 501 adult vape users in the UK, Haypp data found 87% of vapers aged 55 and over started vaping to quit smoking, compared with much lower rates in younger groups. The over-55 cohort was also the most positive about switching, with 92% saying they felt better after moving from cigarettes, and 55% citing health as the main benefit.

    The findings suggest older smokers—who face higher long-term health risks—could be disproportionately affected by product bans that limit access to regulated alternatives. Haypp said policymakers should consider more targeted youth protections while preserving access and accurate information for adult smokers seeking to switch.