'Invisible' nicotine grips young people and raises alarm among public health experts
After the WHO warned that nicotine pouches may be addictive and harm brain development, their use is rising in Portugal amid legal limbo, while officials and experts debate regulation of a booming market.
Small, discreet and smokeless. Nicotine pouches are gaining ground in Portugal, even before a full legal framework exists for their sale and advertising.
Placed between the gum and the lip, they release nicotine without combustion, a feature that sets them apart from conventional cigarettes and is at the centre of a growing debate between industry, authorities and public health experts.
For months, these products were sold in tobacconists and kiosks in a legal vacuum. The situation began to change this year, when they were added to the list of tobacco and nicotine products subject to excise duty (source in Portuguese). It was against this backdrop that Tabaqueira, a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, moved ahead with the official launch of nicotine pouches on the Portuguese market.
"These products were available on the Portuguese market, but unregulated. From the start of this year in Portugal a tax regime was introduced for these products; they are now subject to excise duty. Before the start of this year, any product on the market was in a legal limbo. That is why we did not enter the market until the beginning of this year," Tabaqueira’s managing director, Marcelo Nico, told Euronews.
The executive, who is originally from Argentina, frames the company’s launch within a broader strategy to replace conventional tobacco: "Our vision is to create a smoke-free world, where less harmful, smoke-free alternatives replace the traditional cigarette," he says. According to Marcelo Nico, this is "a product aimed at adult smokers looking for an alternative".
Recognising that nicotine is an addictive substance, Marcelo Nico argues that regulation is essential: "All nicotine products have to be regulated, because nicotine is addictive. The key is to have regulation that allows these products to be sold to adult smokers, but also ensures that minors have no access to them, and that they are not attractive to this group, which is not the target audience for these products."
Marketing, flavours and concern about young people
With flavours such as mint, red berries or mango, nicotine pouches raise concerns among experts, particularly because of their potential to become more appealing to younger people and non-smokers.
Speaking to Euronews, Sofia Belo Ravara, a pulmonologist at the Cova da Beira Local Health Unit and professor of Preventive Medicine at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Beira Interior, warns about the role of marketing and the absence of early regulation.
"These products were introduced with extremely aggressive marketing, with eye-catching packaging and a strong presence on social media. All of this contributed to an increase in consumption, especially among young people," she says.
The specialist stresses that flavours play a central role in dependence and believes that only by banning them will it be possible to put the brakes on consumption of these products.
"Flavours make the experience more pleasant, increase nicotine absorption and intensify dependence. That is one of the reasons why young people are attracted to these products," the pulmonologist explains.
She also points out that this form of consumption does not eliminate risks: "Nicotine is rapidly absorbed through the oral mucosa and also continuously via saliva, which leads to constant levels in the body, increasing its addictive potential."
Health risks and impact on the brain
Currently in Portugal, each pouch may contain up to 12 mg of nicotine (source in Portuguese), while a cigarette contains approximately8 mg of nicotine, but only about 1 mg is absorbed when smoking.
Although they do not contain tobacco, the potential for dependence remains, as do the health risks, particularly with regard to effects on the central nervous system.
"The effects on the brain are perhaps the most worrying, especially because the people who are going to use these products are mainly children and adolescents and also young adults. Nicotine harms brain development, interferes with cognitive abilities and triggers changes in behaviour. It interferes with memory, attention and impulse control, and also increases the risk of anxiety and depression," warns Sofia Belo Ravara.
She also stresses that the debate should not focus solely on comparing them with cigarettes. "The question is not whether they are less dangerous than tobacco, but whether they are safe, and they are not. They are toxic and highly addictive products," she reiterates.
The example of Denmark: rapid growth and a delayed response
Experience in other countries also shows that this market can grow quickly and is difficult to rein in. Danish doctor Charlotta Pisinger helps to illustrate this challenge, drawing a parallel with the Danish case.
"In Denmark, nicotine pouches started being marketed around 2018–2019, at a time when there was no specific legislation. They were everywhere, especially on social media and at festivals, and were often handed out for free," she explains to Euronews.
The result was a sharp rise in consumption among young people: "Within just a few years they became very popular. In 2025, around 14% of young people in Denmark aged between 15 and 29 were using nicotine pouches."
According to Charlotta Pisinger, the regulatory response also came late. "By the time we managed to introduce stricter rules, the products were already widespread. It is much harder to control once dependence has taken hold," she stresses.
Denmark has adopted measures such as limiting flavours, plain packaging, advertising restrictions and caps on nicotine content – each pouch may contain a maximum of 9 mg of nicotine and each tin can hold only 20 units. Even so, challenges remain, especially in the control of online sales, where there is no age verification of consumers through the presentation of an identity document.
The specialist in tobacco-related health issues also has a warning for the Portuguese authorities: "It is essential to act quickly. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to control the phenomenon. The industry claims these products are for smokers, but in practice it is recruiting new consumers among young people."
The same warning was repeated by the World Health Organization (WHO) (source in Portuguese) this month, when it stressed that nicotine pouches "should not be considered risk-free", and that nicotine "is extremely addictive and harmful, particularly to children and adolescents", whose "brain development may be affected".
According to WHO, early exposure to nicotine can affect attention and learning, increase the long-term likelihood of dependence and future use of tobacco products and increase cardiovascular risks.
In a report analysing the marketing techniques of the industries producing these pouches, published to mark World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, WHO also notes that these products are being "aggressively marketed to adolescents and young people" and that the tactics used by the industry to win over younger audiences "are designed to normalise nicotine use and play down perceptions of risk".
The UN agency cites as examples packaging that mimics sweet packets, bubble-gum flavours, promotion on social media, sponsorship of concerts, festivals and sporting events, including Formula 1.
Is regulation on the way?
In response to requests from countries seeking expert guidance on nicotine pouches, WHO has urged governments to adopt a set of measures to curb their use.
The recommended measures include bans or strict restrictions on flavourings; bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including on social media and through influencers; strict age-verification checks; clear health warnings and standardised packaging; maximum limits on the amount of nicotine allowed; taxation to reduce affordability and discourage use among young people; as well as monitoring patterns of use and industry tactics.
In Portugal, the government approved at the beginning of the month, in the Council of Ministers, a draft law creating a legal framework for nicotine pouches (source in Portuguese) and is now preparing new rules to keep pace with the market’s expansion. Measures under consideration include restrictions on advertising, limits on points of sale and a possible ban on flavours and eye-catching packaging.
For Marcelo Nico, regulation is necessary but must be balanced. "It is important to have a clear framework that allows adult smokers to access alternatives, while protecting minors," he argues.
Sofia Belo Ravara, meanwhile, favours a more restrictive approach: "We have to apply the precautionary principle. We know nicotine is harmful and that these products are reaching younger people. That should be enough to act," she says, stressing that the "path from experimentation to regular use is extremely rapid".
