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Are Nicotine Pouches Safe? Learn More at NicoLeaks

Are Nicotine Pouches Safe?

Nicotine Pouches contain no tobacco and currently fall under no regulations. But what are the ingredients and are they safe to use? Keep reading to find out more!

Nicotine Pouches – What Are the Rules?

Nicotine pouches (also called all white or nicopods) are tobacco free oral nicotine products that have been growing massively in popularity in the recent years. New brands and products are frequently appearing on the market.
Since they are tobacco-free, they are not regulated by Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) and since they do not have medicinal claims, they are not regulated by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) either. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has published a preliminary paper discussing oral nicotine pouches and assessment of risk to users, but as for now no regulations are in place. This means that there are currently no clear regulations on for example the nicotine concentrations allowed in nicotine pouches.

How Strong are Nicotine Pouches?

Haypp Group, which Northerner is part of, has together with other leading actors within the business on several markets established a digital service called NicoLeaks. The intention is to increase transparency on a product category that lacks proper regulations. The independent laboratory Eurofins have been performing tests on over 250 products from various manufacturers so far, enabling the creation of an extensive library of content reports.
Nicotine strength and pH value have been especially analysed, making sure the products comply with the market standard we at Northerner are committed to follow.
The nicotine strength is not allowed to be higher than 20mg per pouch, and the pH value must be lower than 10. The pH is important because it determines how effectively the nicotine is absorbed through the oral mucosa.
Products that pass the test and meet our standards are marked green in the database, and those that do not are marked red and removed from our assortment.
For the manufacturers these tests can serve as a certification or stamp of approval, and it gives consumers valuable insights on the products.

Most Nicotine Pouches Meet the Requirements

Testing a large quantity of products like this is both time consuming and costly, but fortunately most manufacturers have proven to stay within the margins. Only a few products have been red-listed and taken out of assortment. The ones that are close to the edge of the scale are marked yellow. A dialogue with the manufacturer is then initiated in order to give them the opportunity to correct any remarks and improve the product. After a few months the product is tested again, and a follow-up report is published. Red-listed products are however not given this opportunity.
” We want to increase transparency within the industry and see it as our mission to help consumers be aware of what they are putting under their lips. This is especially important as there are currently no regulations on nicotine portions. If the authorities do not manage to regulate these types of products, then we as retailers must take a greater responsibility
– Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at Haypp Group.
Visit NicoLeaks today to see how your favourite nicotine pouch measures up to our standards.


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