Spain’s Nicotine Pouch Sales Reached 5 Million Cans in 2025, Industry Says 2026 Could Hit 8 Million

Key Takeaways

• Spain’s nicotine pouch sales reached 5 million cans of 20 units in 2025.
• The industry expects sales to rise 60% to 8 million cans in 2026.
• There are currently 20 to 30 nicotine pouch brands on the Spanish market.
• Spain’s Health Ministry is proposing to reduce nicotine content to 0.99 mg per pouch, which the industry says would “de facto” ban the category.
• Products currently sold contain 5 to 20 mg of nicotine per pouch, and the average retail price is about EUR 5 per can (approximately USD 5.80, based on 1 EUR = 1.16 USD).

2Firsts, March 19, 2026

According to Efeagro, Mónica Andrade, president of the Asociación de Bolsas de Nicotina (ABN), said nicotine pouch sales in Spain reached 5 million cans last year, with 20 units per can, and are expected to rise by 60% to 8 million in 2026.

Mónica Andrade said that between 20 and 30 brands in this category are currently sold in Spain. She described the category as still being in an early stage of development in the country, having started more than five years ago, initially focused mainly on tourist consumers, with Spanish consumers now also joining the market.

She said the expansion in nicotine pouch sales in Spain mainly took place between 2024 and 2025, and that her organisation wants this growth in demand to happen in a “responsible and regulated” way.

She said the product “does not contain tobacco” and is made from organic cellulose compounds, containing water, nicotine, flavourings and plant-based fibres covering the contents. Consumers place the pouch in the upper gum area for a maximum of about half an hour.

Mónica Andrade said the category should be regulated in a way that is proportionate to the level of risk posed by different nicotine consumption products. These also include traditional tobacco products and e-cigarettes, in both of which nicotine is inhaled and reaches the lungs.

Regarding the regulation being prepared by Spain’s Health Ministry for tobacco products and new reduced-risk formats, she said the proposal to reduce nicotine content to 0.99 milligrams per pouch would “de facto prohibit” the category and “lump them all together.”

She also said that a report by Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, used by the association, concluded that 16.6 milligrams per unit is a blood nicotine concentration comparable to that reached after consuming one cigarette.

Mónica Andrade said that if Spain applies that reduction in nicotine content per pouch, while products are currently sold with nicotine levels ranging from 5 to 20 milligrams, consumers would be left “without alternatives” and would turn to illicit purchases or return to combustible tobacco products.

Her organisation argues that nicotine pouches should be sold only in tobacconists and authorised outlets, never be accessible to minors, always require age verification, and always carry health warnings on the packaging because nicotine is an addictive substance.

The association also called for a “lower and tiered” tax burden. She said that although this category “is not yet regulated,” it is already taxed at EUR 0.10 per gram (approximately USD 0.12, based on 1 EUR = 1.16 USD).

She also said that of a can of 20 pouches costing an average of EUR 5 (approximately USD 5.80, based on 1 EUR = 1.16 USD), 28% of the price corresponds to the special tax set for this category by the Finance Ministry, and when VAT is added, that percentage rises to 49%.

Image source: Efeagro

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Spain’s proposed ban on non-tobacco vape flavors and strict cap on nicotine pouches has evolved from a domestic tobacco control measure into a major dispute at the EU level. This report traces the full trajectory of the controversy—covering policy background, EU review, stakeholder positions, and potential impacts—showing how the debate has moved beyond tobacco control to challenge the fundamental freedoms of the EU single market.

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