Nicotine pouches in Australia

“Lip pillow, upper decky, nicopods”… What’s the go with nicotine pouches?

Nicotine pouches have recently emerged in the Australian market.

With the changes to vaping rules, it’s no surprise the tobacco industry is finding new ways to adapt.¹

In this article, we talk about what nicotine pouches are, their effects and the law.

We also provide tips on what to do if you’re worried about your own nicotine use or someone you care about.

What are nicotine pouches?

Nicotine pouches are small bags that contain nicotine and sometimes other ingredients, such as sweeteners and flavours.²

They are also called Zyn®, Velo®, ziz, lip pillow/cushies, upper/lower decker, nics, nicopods, and all-white snus.

The pouches are placed in the mouth, between the lip and gum, and the nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream.²

Anyone using a nicotine pouch should remove it from their mouth after 30 minutes and safely discard it.³ They should never be chewed or swallowed.

Could nicotine pouches be an option for nicotine replacement therapy?

There are claims that nicotine pouches may help to reduce the harms for adults who smoke or vape, as a form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).^4,5

But, there are a few things to consider about these claims:

• there hasn’t been enough research to know if they help reduce harms for people who currently smoke⁵
• no pouches available in Australia are currently evaluated for quality, safety or effectiveness, and are not included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG)
• nicotine pouches are marketed to and used by young people.^6,7

What’s in a nicotine pouch?

Pouches often contain synthetic nicotine rather than nicotine from the tobacco plant.

Unregulated products can also contain additives that may be harmful to the body.⁵

Pouches are sometimes marketed as ‘tobacco-free’, which is true.⁵ But, it can cause people to think they’re harmless or don’t contain nicotine, which is false.⁵

The strength of unregulated pouches can also vary a lot.

One German study found a range from 1.79 to 47.5mg nicotine per pouch.⁸ Out of the 44 pouches they tested from 20 different manufacturers, only a few clearly labelled the actual nicotine content.⁸

Are nicotine pouches legal in Australia?

Under Australian law, nicotine pouches are only legal with a prescription to help quit smoking or vaping.²

Unlike NRT patches, lozenges and gums, pouches aren't evaluated or approved for quality, safety and efficacy by the TGA.²

They also can’t legally be bought or sold from retailers, such as tobacconists or convenience stores.²

But, like vapes, there are reports of them being illegally sold online and in retail stores.⁹

What are the harms of nicotine pouches?

While there isn’t much research yet on the harms of pouches, we know nicotine use can cause unwanted short-term effects including:

• increased heart rate and blood pressure
• dizziness
• nausea or upset stomach
• reduced appetite.^4,10,11

There’s also concern that nicotine pouches may cause longer-term harms to oral (mouth) health, but we still don’t know what these may be.¹²

Nicotine dependence and withdrawal

People who regularly use pouches can quickly become dependent on nicotine.¹³ They may feel they need nicotine to go about their normal activities like working, studying and socialising, or just to get through the day.

They may also develop a tolerance, which means they need more nicotine to get the same effect.¹⁴

Giving up nicotine after regularly using it is challenging, and withdrawal symptoms usually start within 24 hours after last use.

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include:

• cravings
• changes in mood (irritability, frustration, anger, feeling depressed, anxiety)
• trouble concentrating
• difficulty sleeping.¹³

These symptoms are usually strongest in the first week, but should go away after two to four weeks.¹³ The cravings may last for months, even after the other symptoms are gone.¹⁴

‘Nic-sick’ (overdose)

Consuming a large amount of nicotine can result in overdose (being ‘nic-sick’).^15,16

Nicotine overdose can cause death.

Call triple zero (000) and request an ambulance if you or someone else has any of the following symptoms (ambulances are there to help and can provide more instructions):

• vomiting
• difficulty breathing
• rapid heartbeat
• weakness
• hallucination
• seizure.^15,17

Swallowing a nicotine pouch can also be harmful to your health.^15,18 If someone has swallowed a nicotine pouch, call the Poisons Information Centre immediately on 13 11 26.

Why do people use nicotine pouches?

Despite knowing the risk of harms and legal status of nicotine pouches in Australia, some people will still use them.

Like alcohol or any other drug, people use nicotine for many reasons. These include:

• relaxation
• enjoyment
• to feel like they belong
• experimentation and curiosity
• to cope with problems or relieve stress
• to overcome boredom.¹⁹

The way people use nicotine (e.g. cigarettes vs vapes vs nicotine pouches) varies according to what products are available, their price, purity and the attitudes people have to one method over another.²⁰

Nicotine pouches and young people

Early insights into why young Australians are using nicotine pouches suggest there’s many reasons for use. These include:

• to enhance sport performance
• as a party drug
• as a ‘less harmful’ substitute to smoking/vaping
• to manage nicotine cravings when quitting or not able to use vapes
• as a result of vapes being less available.^1,20

We know that young people are more sensitive to nicotine’s rewarding effects, which can lead to increased use and dependence.^21,22

This means even a young person’s occasional use of nicotine can significantly increase their risk of future dependence.²³

Monthly nicotine use increases the likelihood of dependence in young people by 10-fold, when compared to adults.²³

And, most adults who are dependent on nicotine started using it as a teenager, so preventing and reducing young people’s nicotine use is essential to reducing long term harms.²⁴

Talking with a young person about nicotine pouches

Talking to young people about nicotine pouches, alcohol or any other drugs can reduce the chances they’ll experience alcohol or other drug harms later in life.²⁵

If you’re a parent or guardian of a young person, check out the Parenting section on our website for tips on having these conversations.

Other resources include:

• Raising Children’s list of helplines (for parenting advice or support)
• Positive Choices vaping resources page
• Dovetail’s vaping resources
• Helping young people quit vaping

What we still don’t know about nicotine pouches

As nicotine pouches are relatively new to the market, there is still a lot we don’t know.

More research is needed to help us understand:

• Why they are used and how often they are used, especially for:
• young people
• people who have never used other nicotine and tobacco products
• people who swap from other nicotine or tobacco products to nicotine pouches.
• The longer-term health effects.^1,5,12

Support for nicotine dependence and quitting nicotine pouches

With limited research on support specifically for nicotine pouch use, support options for dependence on nicotine pouches are the same as for vaping, cigarettes or any other nicotine products.¹³

You can reach out to your trusted health professional or call the Quitline on 137848 (13QUIT).

More information

• ADF Drug Facts - Tobacco
• Nicotine pouches | Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
• What do we know about nicotine pouches? - Positive Choices
• The use of nicotine pouches among people in Australia who regularly consume illicit substances, 2024
• Nicotine pouches are being marketed to young people But are they safe - The University of Sydney
• Nicotine pouches | Cancer Council NSW