The World Health Organization has issued a stark warning about the rapid expansion of nicotine pouches, products it says are being aggressively marketed to young people across Europe and beyond. In a report published this week, the WHO calls for urgent regulation to curb what it describes as a new wave of nicotine addiction targeting adolescents.
Nicotine pouches—small, pre-portioned sachets placed in the mouth to deliver nicotine—have seen global retail sales reach 23.5 billion units in 2024, a 50.5% increase from the previous year. The global market is now worth nearly €6 billion, with the highest sales in North America, but the WHO notes that outside the United States, the products are most popular in European countries, particularly Germany, Poland, and Sweden.
Rising Use Among Young Europeans
The report highlights a worrying trend in the United Kingdom, where nicotine pouch use among 16- to 24-year-olds jumped from 0.7% in January 2022 to 4.0% in March 2025. Similar increases are being observed across the continent, driven by what the WHO calls “aggressive” marketing tactics. These include advertising on social media and digital platforms, often using influencers, and promoting “discreet” or stealthy use that makes it difficult for parents or teachers to detect.
“The use of nicotine pouches is spreading rapidly, while regulation struggles to keep pace,” said Vinayak Prasad, head of the WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative. “Governments must act now with strong, evidence-based safeguards.”
The products come in a wide array of flavours—sweet, fruity, mint, candy, and bubble gum—which the WHO considers “particularly attractive to children.” Some brands even offer flavours mimicking alcoholic drinks such as beer, mojitos, Martini, and bourbon. “Flavours in tobacco and related products enhance their attractiveness and appeal, especially to young people, contributing to experimentation, initiation and sustained tobacco and nicotine use,” the report warns.
Regulatory Gaps Across Europe
Despite the growing popularity, the WHO notes that nicotine pouches often fall through regulatory cracks. In many European countries, they are either unregulated or only lightly regulated, leaving young people vulnerable. The report calls for uniform regulations across all nicotine pouch products, regardless of the nicotine form, a ban on flavours, and a prohibition on all forms of advertisement and promotion.
“Governments are seeing the use of these products spread quickly, especially among adolescents and young people who are being aggressively targeted by deceptive tactics,” said Etienne Krug, director of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention at WHO. “These products are engineered for addiction, and there is a strong need to protect our youth from industry manipulation.”
The WHO’s call comes as European policymakers grapple with broader challenges in public health and cross-border regulation. The report’s findings underscore the need for coordinated action across the EU and the wider continent, including the UK, Switzerland, Norway, and the Balkans, to prevent a new generation from becoming addicted to nicotine.
As the European Union debates its next steps on tobacco and nicotine regulation, the WHO’s warning adds urgency to the discussion. The report’s authors conclude: “Urgent, coordinated, sustained action is critical to safeguard current and future generations from nicotine addiction.”
