At 11 o'clock on the afternoon of April 5th, the organizers of the Spanish new tobacco exhibition EVO NXT held a forum on the European Union's nicotine pouch market analysis at the exhibition venue.
The main speakers at this forum are CEO Jonas Lundqvist of the Nordic Nicotine Pouches Alliance (NNPA.EU) and editor-in-chief Robert Casinge of pouchforum.eu.
Henry Kissinger pointed out that the attitudes of EU member states towards nicotine pouches vary, but the overall trend is towards regulation rather than prohibition. Currently, 11 EU member states have announced legislation to regulate nicotine pouches, but only France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands have opted for a ban. The update to the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD3) is underway and is expected to come into effect in 2027, with nicotine pouches potentially being included.
European Union member states have some flexibility in transposing the TPD3 into national law, so the regulation of nicotine pouches may vary. It is expected that many countries will wait until TPD3 is implemented before creating specific national laws to avoid conflicts with EU law.
Although the European Commission is inclined to ban nicotine pouches, according to TPD3, nicotine pouches may also be considered in the same manner as tobacco snuff and subject to restrictions. It is expected that the majority of countries will choose to regulate rather than ban them.
The EU nicotine pouch market is enormous, with the top five markets being Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Germany. However, the most popular brands vary across different markets, for example in Sweden Velo and Zyn are popular, in Finland Skruf and Killa are popular, in Czech Republic Velo and Dope are popular, in Denmark Velo, Killa, and Ace are popular, in Spain Nos, Thor, and Loop are popular, and in Austria Velo, Skruf, and Lyft are popular.
As the nicotine pouch market matures, large markets like Germany and the Czech Republic are growing rapidly, while mature markets in Northern Europe will grow at a more stable pace.
The trends in nicotine pouch products include new intake forms, such as gum and film, as well as new packaging and taste experiences.
In terms of sales channels, the proportion between online and traditional channels is approximately 1:2.
Outside of the Nordic countries, countries with large populations and high smoking rates, such as Poland, France, and Spain, have seen the fastest growth in the use of nicotine pouches.
In 2023, the EU's share of online nicotine pouch sales declined, mainly due to Finland imposing a ban on online sales. It is expected that by 2027, with the emergence of new markets and the expansion of brands in the EU, the online market share will increase once again.
Kissinger concluded that although nicotine pouches are an important alternative to traditional tobacco products with better economic benefits and lower prices (except in the Czech Republic), they face strong regulatory threats. Currently, most supporters are from the public and expert levels, while governments in the European Union still hold negative attitudes at the policy-making level, calling for bans or strict regulation.
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