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Tag: nicotine pouch

  • Luxembourg Tightens Rules on Tobacco Products, Pulls Pouches In

    Luxembourg Tightens Rules on Tobacco Products, Pulls Pouches In

    Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies adopted Bill No. 8333 on tobacco control yesterday (October 31), introducing stricter regulations for both traditional and emerging nicotine products. While the law transposes EU Directive 2022/2100, its most notable feature is the formal inclusion of nicotine pouches under tobacco-style rules, a category previously unregulated. Health authorities have welcomed the measure, whereas business groups have expressed concerns over potential economic impacts.

    Under the new law, nicotine pouches are now subject to advertising bans, sales restrictions to minors, labelling and notification requirements, and a strict nicotine cap of 0.048 mg per pouch or per gram. Additives such as caffeine and CBD are also prohibited. The use of these products will be restricted in public spaces, particularly in areas frequented by young people. These measures aim to curb access and prevent the perception of nicotine pouches as harmless alternatives.

    The new bill also “bans flavorings for heated tobacco products and requires health warnings on their packaging. It also sets out the rules for the labelling, presentation, and marketing of these products, including electronic cigarettes and nicotine-free liquids. Vending machines will now have to display health warnings and will no longer be allowed to display promotional graphics. Cigarette packs may only be sold in multiples of five, a measure aimed at limiting fragmented sales and making consumption less accessible to younger people,” according to Delano.

    Public health organizations hailed the legislation as a necessary step to protect youth and curb addiction; however, the Chamber of Commerce criticized the rules as overly restrictive, warning that the low nicotine limit could function as a de facto ban, potentially fostering black market sales and cross-border purchases. The law will take effect on the first day of the month following its publication in the Journal Officiel, with vending machine display requirements delayed by three months.

  • Altria Reports Q3 Results, Narrows 2025 Guidance

    Altria Reports Q3 Results, Narrows 2025 Guidance

    Altria Group, Inc. reported third-quarter 2025 net revenues of $6.1 billion, down 3% year-on-year, while adjusted diluted EPS rose 3.6% to $1.45. The company reaffirmed its resilience in core tobacco and smoke-free products and announced an expansion of its share repurchase program from $1 billion to $2 billion, set to run through 2026.

    CEO Billy Gifford highlighted “exciting progress” across Altria’s portfolio, including the U.S. launch of on! PLUS nicotine pouches, regulatory submissions for Ploom heated tobacco, and a strategic collaboration with KT&G to pursue international and non-nicotine growth opportunities. The company also marked its 60th dividend increase in 56 years, underscoring its continued focus on shareholder returns.

    Altria narrowed its full-year 2025 adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $5.37–$5.45, representing 3.5%–5.0% growth from 2024. Management said it expects performance to moderate in Q4 as it laps prior share reductions and continues to invest in its smoke-free strategy amid a dynamic regulatory environment.

  • Swedish Innovator Eyes U.S. Launch with Fast-Acting Nicotine Pouch

    Swedish Innovator Eyes U.S. Launch with Fast-Acting Nicotine Pouch

    As nicotine pouch use soars in the United States, Swedish biotech firm Emplicure AB announced plans to seek U.S. regulatory approval for its patented nicotine delivery system, Seratek. Designed to deliver nicotine more rapidly at lower strengths, the company says the technology could mark a new chapter in smokeless alternatives for adult nicotine users.

    According to a 2025 pharmacokinetic study, Seratek released 80% of its nicotine within five minutes under controlled conditions, outperforming existing pouch brands even at lower strengths. In a consumer taste test in Sweden, 123 adult pouch users preferred Seratek over international leaders for flavor, comfort, and discretion. Emplicure says it will file a Premarket Tobacco Application (PMTA) to authorize sales in the U.S.

    Emplicure CEO Mattias Josander, a former executive at Swedish Match, Red Bull, and L’Oréal, said the company’s goal is to “accelerate the transition to a smokeless world.” He added, “If vaccines were the breakthrough of the 20th century, nicotine pouches could represent the public-health breakthrough of the 21st.”

  • Haypp Survey Tracks UK Nicotine Pouch Explosion

    Haypp Survey Tracks UK Nicotine Pouch Explosion

    According to research by Haypp, the UK nicotine pouch market grew 95% between 2023 and 2024, spurred by the recent ban on disposable vapes. The perceived social acceptability of pouches compared to other products also appears to be a factor driving the market growth, as 78% of nicotine pouch users surveyed believed that nicotine pouches were socially acceptable, compared to 30% who felt vapes were socially acceptable, and 13% who believed cigarettes were socially acceptable. 

    According to survey respondents, the main advantages of pouches compared to other nicotine products are that they are discreet (68%), they feel healthier (64%), and they do not affect others (54%). 

    Based on survey responses, the typical first-time user of nicotine pouches is 33 years old. Only 3% of those surveyed report having started using nicotine pouches before the age of 18. The research also found 57% of UK nicotine pouch users say they began using pouches as a way to quit smoking and 27% to transition from other nicotine products, primarily vapes.

    “These results suggest that while the nicotine pouch market is growing rapidly, users are typically a more mature demographic that value the more discreet nature of the product,” Markus Lindblad, director of Haypp, said. “It is also notable that many people have started using pouches to transition away from vaping. This could become an important trend in the UK’s drive to go smoke-free while introducing ever stricter regulations on vaping.”

  • Industry-First ‘Assured Advice’ on Nicotine Pouch Packaging Published

    Industry-First ‘Assured Advice’ on Nicotine Pouch Packaging Published

    Arcus Compliance Limited, a leading UK regulatory consultancy, today (June 11) published the first ever Assured Advice on nicotine pouch packaging requirements in England — a major development for businesses operating in the evolving nicotine alternatives market.

    Authored by John Donoghue, commercial director at Arcus Compliance, with oversight from Jennifer Harker of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Trading Standards, the guidance provides much-needed regulatory clarity for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of nicotine pouches.

    Assured Advice is available to businesses under Arcus Compliance’s coordinated Primary Authority Partnership (PAP) scheme, representing a critical step toward regulatory certainty in an increasingly scrutinized product category. The advice offers a comprehensive interpretation of: General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR); Great Britain Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) legislation; and PAS 8877:2022 — the British Standards Institution’s guidance for oral nicotine products.

    “This document will become the de facto standard for packaging compliance across the UK,” said Shem Baldeosingh, director at the Global Institute for Novel Nicotine (GINN). “GINN members will directly benefit from this excellent resource and leadership.”

    Click here to request a copy of Assured Advice.

  • JTI Adds Three Flavors to Pouch Line

    JTI Adds Three Flavors to Pouch Line

    Japan Tobacco International UK has expanded its Nordic Spirit nicotine pouch line by introducing “three on-trend flavor variants designed to elevate the consumer experience and cater to the growing demand for berry and tropical flavors.” With Nordic Spirit already delivering £4.5m in value sales each month

    Available now for independent retailers and symbol groups, the new Raspberry, Tropical Mix, and Forest Berries offerings feature a quicker and stronger flavor release, along with increased moisture content. The packaging and pouch size has also been changed to be more convenient for the user.

    “Consumers in this space are seeking bolder flavor experiences and greater variety from nicotine pouches,” said Bruce Terry, Portfolio Brand Manager at JTI UK. “That insight guided the development of our latest Nordic Spirit range, where we placed a strong emphasis on both intensity and diversity of flavors.

    “With enhanced taste profiles and a more impactful sensory experience, our new variants are set to excite the category, creating a valuable opportunity for retailers to drive sales and maximize profitability.”

    Retailers can purchase the new Nordic Spirit flavors through wholesalers or via the JTI360 website.

  • UAE Points to Sweden in Approving Nicotine Pouches

    UAE Points to Sweden in Approving Nicotine Pouches

    The UAE approved the sale of synthetic nicotine pouches—subject to sellers meeting safety standards set out by the government—with the hope that the smoke-free nicotine alternatives entering the market would be helpful in helping people quit smoking. Smoking rates remain relatively high in the UAE and Middle East in general, with 12% and 20% of the people smoking, respectively.

    The UAE vaping market is expected to be worth $78 million this year, according to market analysts Statista.

    UAE officials pointed to the potential nicotine pouches showed elsewhere, particularly in Europe. With the help of alternative nicotine products, Sweden slashed smoking rates and transitioned toward harm-reduction public health policies on tobacco, reducing rates of lung, lip and oral cancer, as well as oesophageal, and stomach cancers considerably since 1980.

    “We have replaced cigarette smoking with alternative nicotine products, pouches, and that has really had a dramatic impact on the public health here in Sweden,” said Patrik Hildingsson, director of oral category communication at Philip Morris, producers of the globally popular Zyn nicotine pouch. “Cigarette smoking is harmful to health, there is no doubt about that. To reduce the harm, you need to quit, but many people just don’t, they stay with their cigarettes. For these people, we need to give them alternatives to get out of the combustions, the smoke process, and the chemicals that come with burning a crop.”