Nicotine Pouch Statistics 2026: New National Survey Data
Roon Team
Nicotine Pouch Statistics 2026: New National Survey Data
In 2025, 1.7% of US middle and high school students (about 460,000) had used nicotine pouches in the past 30 days, and 69.2% of those students named ZYN as their brand. E-cigarettes were still the most used product at 5.2%. These are the latest nicotine pouch statistics from Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026, a new analysis of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey published October 5, 2026. Youth nicotine pouch use was about the same as in 2024.
Key Takeaways:
- 1.7% current use, about 460,000 students. That is roughly one in 59 middle and high school students reporting any nicotine pouch use in the past 30 days (Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026).
- ZYN accounted for 69.2% of pouch users, or about 310,000 students. No other pouch brand exceeded 15%.
- 90.8% of pouch users reported non-tobacco flavors. Mint was the most common at 60.9%, followed by fruit (25.0%) and menthol (18.1%).
- Stable vs. 2024, while e-cigarettes declined over the longer term. Current pouch use was 1.8% in 2024 and 1.7% in 2025. E-cigarette use among students fell from 2022 to 2025 (annual percentage change -18.1, P<.001), per Park-Lee et al., Nicotine Tob Res 2026.
Nicotine Pouch Statistics at a Glance (2025)
The table below puts the two most discussed youth nicotine product categories side by side. All figures are weighted national estimates from the 2025 NYTS (Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026; supplementary appendix).
| Measure | E-Cigarettes Overall | E-Cig HS | E-Cig MS | Nicotine Pouches Overall | Pouches HS | Pouches MS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ever use | 13.4% (3,730,000) | 17.9% (2,860,000) | 7.2% (850,000) | 4.1% (1,020,000) | 5.7% (840,000) | 1.7% (180,000) |
| Current use (past 30 days) | 5.2% (1,440,000) | 7.1% (1,130,000) | 2.6% (300,000) | 1.7% (460,000) | 2.3% (350,000) | 0.9% (100,000) |
| Daily use (among current) | 27.5% (390,000) | 29.6% | 17.2% | 17.6% (80,000) | 17.9% | 15.6% |
| Frequent use, 20+ of past 30 days (among current) | 41.2% | 43.1% | 31.7% | 26.3% | 26.4% | 24.8% |
Student counts rounded down to the nearest 10,000. HS = high school (grades 9-12); MS = middle school (grades 6-8). "Daily" and "frequent" are different measures; daily use is a subset of the frequent-use category.
About the Study: Who Was Surveyed and How
The 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey is an annual cross-sectional, school-based survey of students in grades 6 through 12, administered by the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products and the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. The 2025 cycle surveyed 23,630 students from January 6 to April 4, 2025, with an average school response rate of 36.0% and a student response rate of 82.6% (Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026).
The data are public and de-identified. The study was funded by the CDC Foundation via Bloomberg Philanthropies (Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use), with two authors partly supported by an NCI/FDA grant (U01CA278695). The funders had no role in the study's design or analysis.
Limitations the authors flag: the school response rate (36.0%) was low, and all data rely on student self-report, which is subject to recall and reporting bias. Weighted estimates help adjust for nonresponse, but confidence intervals were not adjusted for multiple comparisons.
This NEJM Evidence paper is a second, more detailed analysis of the same 2025 NYTS data. The primary report, covering all tobacco product categories and trend tests, was published earlier by Park-Lee et al. in Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2026 and accompanied by an FDA release.
How Many Middle and High School Students Use Nicotine Pouches?
About 460,000 students (1.7%) reported current nicotine pouch use in 2025. "Current" means any use on at least one day in the past 30 days, drawn from the survey question: "During the past 30 days, on how many days did you use a nicotine pouch?" (Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026).
High school students reported higher rates than middle school students: 2.3% (350,000) vs. 0.9% (100,000). About 1,020,000 students (4.1%) had ever tried a nicotine pouch.
Among current pouch users, 17.6% used daily and 26.3% used on 20 or more of the past 30 days (frequent use). The majority, 52.8%, used on only 1 to 5 days of the past 30, and 20.9% used on 6 to 19 days (supplementary appendix).
Which Pouch Brands and Flavors Students Reported
Brands
Students who used nicotine pouches in the past 30 days were asked to select all brands they used. Because students could choose more than one, percentages sum past 100%.
| Brand | Overall | HS | MS |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZYN (Swedish Match) | 69.2% (~310,000) | 77.1% | 43.8% |
| on! (Altria Group) | 14.6% | 13.9% | * |
| Rogue (Swisher International) | 12.3% | 13.8% | * |
| ZONE | 10.5% | * | * |
| Grizzly (Reynolds American) | 9.1% | 7.9% | 13.5% |
| Juice Head | 7.3% | * | * |
| FRE | 7.1% | * | * |
| Black Buffalo | 4.1% | * | * |
| Not sure of brand | 15.0% | 8.6% | 35.9% |
Asterisks (*) indicate cells suppressed due to small sample size. Source: Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026, supplementary appendix. For background on which companies own each brand, see who owns nicotine pouch brands.
ZYN's share was much higher among high school students (77.1%) than middle school students (43.8%). Over a third of middle school pouch users (35.9%) said they were not sure which brand they used.
Flavors
| Flavor | Nicotine Pouches | E-Cigarettes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-tobacco (any) | 90.8% | 89.4% |
| Mint | 60.9% | 29.7% |
| Fruit | 25.0% | 62.1% |
| Menthol | 18.1% | 15.5% |
| Spice | 9.6% | * |
| Non-alcoholic drinks | 9.5% | * |
| Candy, desserts, or other sweets | 8.0% | 32.8% |
| Chocolate | 5.3% | * |
| "Ice" or "iced" in flavor name | 18.2% | * |
Flavors are select-all, so columns exceed 100%. Source: Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026, supplementary appendix.
The split is clear: pouch users lean mint (60.9%), while e-cigarette users lean fruit (62.1%) and candy/desserts (32.8%). Nearly one in five pouch users (18.2%) reported a flavor with "ice" or "iced" in the name, and 11.3% reported a concept flavor name (e.g., "solar" or "jazz").
E-Cigarettes Are Still the Most Used Product
E-cigarettes remain the most commonly used nicotine product among US students. In 2025, 5.2% (1,440,000) reported current use, with high school students at 7.1% and middle school at 2.6%. Among current e-cigarette users, 27.5% used daily and 41.2% used on 20 or more of the past 30 days. Disposable devices accounted for 66.3% of e-cigarette use (Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026).
The brand picture shifted. Geek Bar (including Geek Bar Pulse) was reported by 64.1% of current e-cigarette users (HS 66.3%, MS 54.7%), followed by Elf Bar (21.5%), Lost Mary (19.8%), Raz (19.5%), and Vuse (15.9%). The authors suggest that Geek Bar's animated digital screen, which displays flavors and nicotine strength, may add to its appeal among young users.
E-cigarette flavor use was similar to pouches in one respect: 89.4% reported non-tobacco flavors. But the mix differs: fruit dominated at 62.1%, candy/desserts at 32.8%, and mint at 29.7%. For a product-level comparison of how pouches and e-cigarettes work differently, see nicotine pouches vs. vaping.
2025 vs. 2024: What Changed and What Did Not
The table below compares 2025 figures from Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026 with 2024 figures from Park-Lee et al., MMWR 2024.
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Current e-cigarette use (overall) | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Current nicotine pouch use (overall) | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| HS pouch use | 2.4% | 2.3% |
| MS pouch use | 1.0% | 0.9% |
| Daily e-cig use (among current) | 26.3% | 27.5% |
| Frequent e-cig use, 20+ days (among current) | 38.4% | 41.2% |
| Daily pouch use (among current) | 22.4% | 17.6% |
| Frequent pouch use, 20+ days (among current) | 29.3% | 26.3% |
| Disposable e-cigs (among current) | 55.6% | 66.3% |
| Top e-cig brand | Elf Bar 36.1% | Geek Bar 64.1% |
| Top pouch brand (ZYN) | 68.7% | 69.2% |
| Non-tobacco pouch flavors | 85.6% | 90.8% |
| Mint (pouch users) | 53.3% | 60.9% |
These years used different fieldwork windows and response rates. Neither the NEJM Evidence paper nor the MMWR report tested these year-over-year differences for statistical significance.
The headline: nicotine pouch use was about the same in 2025 as in 2024. Both the FDA and Park-Lee et al., Nicotine Tob Res 2026 describe youth pouch use as stable from 2024 to 2025. Over the longer 2022-to-2025 window, e-cigarette use declined (annual percentage change -18.1, P<.001), while high school pouch use increased (APC +17.3, P=.012), though it held steady in the most recent year. The e-cigarette brand list turned over almost entirely: Elf Bar led in 2024 at 36.1%; Geek Bar led in 2025 at 64.1%.
How Youth Use Compares With Adult Nicotine Pouch Use
Youth and adult data come from separate surveys with different questions, populations, and years. They cannot be compared directly. The table below lays them side by side only to show the separate estimates.
| Population | Survey | Current or Recent Use |
|---|---|---|
| Middle and high school students (2025) | NYTS 2025 | 1.7% current (past 30 days) |
| US adults 18+ (2022-2023) | TUS-CPS | 0.42% current (past 30 days) |
| US adults aged 19-30 (2024) | Monitoring the Future Panel | 9.5% past 12 months |
Different surveys, definitions, and years. Do not compare directly.
The adult picture from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS, n=110,084): 0.42% of adults reported current nicotine pouch use, and 0.18% used daily. Use was near zero among adults who had never used any tobacco product (ever use 0.09%, current 0.03%) and highest among adults who had recently quit another tobacco product since 2019 (ever 13.57%, current 2.07%, daily 1.41%) (Delnevo et al., JAMA Netw Open 2025).
The Monitoring the Future Panel Study at the University of Michigan (about 20,000 participants per year, NIDA-funded) found that past-12-month nicotine pouch use doubled from 2023 to 2024 and reached 9.5% of adults aged 19 to 30 (University of Michigan, Aug. 26, 2025). Use also rose among adults aged 35-50 and 55-65.
ZYN's FDA Authorization and Modified-Risk Claim
ZYN is the only nicotine pouch brand that holds both a premarket tobacco product authorization (PMTA) and a modified-risk tobacco product (MRTP) order from FDA. Here is the timeline:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Dec. 20, 2019 | Tobacco 21 signed into law; federal minimum sale age rises to 21 for all tobacco products |
| Jan. 16, 2025 | FDA authorizes 20 ZYN products via PMTA |
| Jan. 6 to Apr. 4, 2025 | NYTS 2025 fieldwork |
| June 30, 2026 | FDA issues MRTP orders for the same 20 ZYN products |
| Aug. 21, 2026 | FDA authorizes 11 ZYN ULTRA products; total authorized nicotine pouches reaches 43 |
| Oct. 5, 2026 | NEJM Evidence publishes the Seaman Jones et al. report |
The authorized modified-risk claim, verbatim from FDA: "Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis."
A few points matter for reading this claim correctly. "Authorized" is not the same as "approved." FDA authorized these products for marketing; it did not approve them the way it approves drugs. The MRTP orders last five years, with required postmarket surveillance and studies. FDA has stated it may withdraw the orders if marketing them no longer benefits public health, "such as if there is a significant increase in youth uptake." The claim compares ZYN with cigarettes only; it says nothing about ZYN vs. other tobacco or nicotine products.
One timing detail: the 69.2% ZYN share among student pouch users was measured in early 2025, before the June 2026 MRTP order. These survey data say nothing yet about the order's effect on youth use.
For more context, see the full list of 43 FDA-authorized nicotine pouches, what the evidence says about ZYN vs. cigarettes, and what tobacco harm reduction means.
Flavor Rules and What the Authors Recommend
The authors of the NEJM Evidence report recommend four strategies to reduce youth nicotine product use: price increases, smoke-free laws that include e-cigarettes, countermarketing campaigns, and broad restrictions on the sale of flavored products. These are the authors' recommendations, reported as such.
Flavor restrictions are a patchwork. According to the Truth Initiative's Q1 2026 report, 435 jurisdictions (7 states, 217 cities, 174 towns, 13 full counties, 22 unincorporated counties, 2 villages) had some form of flavored tobacco sales restriction in effect as of March 31, 2026. About 27.02% of the US population lives under one of these policies.
Only California and Massachusetts restrict all flavored tobacco products statewide (California exempts loose leaf, hookah, and premium cigars; Massachusetts exempts smoking bars). Four other states restrict flavored e-cigarettes or vapes: New Jersey, New York (except FDA-authorized products), Rhode Island, and Utah (except menthol). Maine restricts flavored cigars (except premium). None of these state laws specifically name nicotine pouches as a separate category.
What These Numbers Mean for Parents
The data show that the most common nicotine product among students is still the e-cigarette, not the pouch. But pouches are small and discreet (they sit between the gum and lip), and mint is the most reported flavor among student pouch users at 60.9%.
Federal law sets 21 as the minimum sale age for all tobacco and nicotine products, including nicotine pouches (FDA Tobacco 21).
For what nicotine pouches do in the body, see known side effects of nicotine pouches.
Free resources for parents and families:
- CDC tip sheet: Talk with Your Teen About E-cigarettes
- NCI quit support for young people: teen.smokefree.gov (quit plans, quitSTART app, SmokefreeTXT)
- Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (free, confidential)
Conclusion
Youth nicotine pouch use in 2025 was low and stable compared with 2024: 1.7% of middle and high school students, with ZYN dominant among those who named a brand, flavored products near universal, and e-cigarettes still the most common product despite a multi-year decline. FDA's PMTA and MRTP decisions for ZYN were made during or after the 2025 survey window, so these data do not yet reflect any effect of those orders. The next NYTS cycle will be the first to capture a full year under the modified-risk authorization. Adults who use nicotine pouches and want help stopping can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit smokefree.gov; for a practical walkthrough, see how to quit ZYN nicotine pouches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many teens use ZYN?
In 2025, 1.7% of US middle and high school students reported current nicotine pouch use (about 460,000), and 69.2% of those students named ZYN. That puts the estimated number of students who used ZYN in the past 30 days at roughly 310,000, according to Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026. ZYN's share was higher among high school students (77.1%) than middle school students (43.8%).
What is the most used vape among middle and high school students?
Geek Bar (including Geek Bar Pulse) was reported by 64.1% of current e-cigarette users in the 2025 NYTS (Seaman Jones et al., NEJM Evidence 2026). Elf Bar was second at 21.5%, followed by Lost Mary (19.8%), Raz (19.5%), and Vuse (15.9%). In 2024, Elf Bar led at 36.1% (Park-Lee et al., MMWR 2024).
Did youth nicotine pouch use go up in 2025?
No. Current pouch use was 1.8% in 2024 and 1.7% in 2025, which the FDA and Park-Lee et al., Nicotine Tob Res 2026 describe as stable. Over the longer 2022-to-2025 period, high school pouch use did increase (APC +17.3, P=.012), but it held steady in the most recent year.
Is ZYN FDA approved?
ZYN is FDA authorized, not approved. FDA authorized 20 ZYN products for marketing in January 2025 via the premarket tobacco product application pathway, and in June 2026 issued modified-risk tobacco product orders for the same 20 products. "Authorized" means FDA found that marketing the products is appropriate for the protection of public health. It is not a safety endorsement or a drug approval.
What does the ZYN modified-risk claim say?
The FDA-authorized claim, verbatim: "Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis." The claim compares ZYN only with cigarettes. It does not compare ZYN with other tobacco products, e-cigarettes, or not using nicotine at all.
Why do flavors matter in these surveys?
Among student nicotine pouch users in 2025, 90.8% reported non-tobacco flavors; among e-cigarette users, the figure was 89.4%. The authors of the NEJM Evidence report recommend broad restrictions on flavored product sales as one of four strategies to reduce youth use. Flavor data helps regulators assess whether products are reaching young users through characteristics that may add to their appeal.
A Nicotine-Free Pouch for Adults Who Want Out
If you are 21 or older and use nicotine pouches, this section is for you. The adult data above tell a clear story: most adult nicotine pouch use is concentrated among people who already used or recently quit another tobacco product (Delnevo et al., JAMA Netw Open 2025). For some of those adults, the goal is not a different nicotine product but no nicotine at all, without giving up the oral ritual.
Roon is a caffeine pouch, not a nicotine product and not a substitute for one. Each pouch contains 80 mg caffeine, 60 mg L-theanine, 25 mg methylliberine (Dynamine), and 5 mg theacrine (TeaCrine). Zero nicotine, zero sugar, Cool Mint, 15 pouches per tin. It starts at $9.16 per tin on the 12-tin subscription ($0.61 per pouch) or $15.00 per tin as a one-time purchase. Roon is not a therapeutic product and makes no claims about dependence or quitting. If you need help quitting nicotine, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit smokefree.gov. If you are ready to quit nicotine pouches without losing the habit that works for you, try Roon.
Written by Roon Team
