What's inside a nicotine pouch? Ingredients explained

Plant-based fibres

The majority of a pouch by weight is plant-based fibre. Most UK brands use microcrystalline cellulose, listed on the can as E460, sometimes alongside eucalyptus pulp or other food-grade plant fibres.

Cellulose is the same material used in many oral care products, dietary supplements and food applications. It's chemically inert, doesn't dissolve in saliva, and gives the pouch its physical shape. When the pouch sits under the lip, the cellulose acts as a carrier - moisture passes through it, releasing the nicotine and flavourings into the mouth without breaking the pouch apart.

If you ever cut open a nicotine pouch (we don't recommend it; it's messy), what you'd see is mostly white fibre with a small amount of liquid distributed through it.

Nicotine

The active ingredient. Modern UK nicotine pouches use purified nicotine - either extracted from tobacco and refined, or made synthetically - added to the pouch in a controlled, measured dose.

Two things to know about how nicotine appears on a label:

• Mg per pouch - the actual nicotine content per pouch. The figure that determines what you'll feel.

• Mg per gram (mg/g) - the concentration in the pouch material. Less directly useful as a comparison.

The nicotine in a pouch is dissolved into the moisture of the pouch material; it isn't a solid powder. When the pouch sits under the lip, salts and pH regulators help that nicotine release at a controlled rate through the gum.

Read more about nicotine pouch strength

Flavourings and sweeteners

The flavour part of a pouch is two ingredients in most cases: a flavouring blend (mint, berry, citrus, fruit, coffee, herbal) and a sweetener.

Flavourings are food-grade and the same kind used in soft drinks, sweets and oral care products. Brands typically don't disclose specific flavour compounds beyond a general "Flavourings" entry - the recipes are proprietary.

Sweeteners balance the taste of the pouch and offset the slightly bitter character of nicotine. The most common ones in UK pouches:

• Sucralose (E955) - a high-intensity sweetener (about 600 times sweeter than sugar), used in tiny amounts. Found in many soft drinks and tabletop sweeteners.

• Acesulfame K (E950) - another high-intensity sweetener (about 200 times sweeter than sugar), often paired with sucralose for a fuller sweetness profile.

• Xylitol (E967) - a naturally occurring sweetener (birch sugar) that gives a mild sweetness without affecting blood sugar. Also used in chewing gum and lozenges.

• Stevia (E960) - a plant-derived sweetener used in some "natural" or "clean-label" pouches.

Some pouches also contain a cooling agent (often menthol or a synthetic equivalent like WS-23) to add the cooling note common in mint pouches.

Salts, pH regulators and humectants

The "less obvious" ingredients on a label, but the ones that determine how a pouch actually performs.

Salt and acidity regulators

A small amount of common salt (sodium chloride) is included in most pouches as a flavour enhancer and moisture balancer. It works alongside the pH regulators - typically:

• Sodium carbonate (E500) - the most common pH regulator; reduces acidity so nicotine releases at a steady rate. Also used in traditional snus.

• Sodium hydroxide (E524) - a stronger pH regulator, used in smaller amounts than E500 in some pouches.

Without pH regulation, the nicotine release would be inconsistent and the pouch would feel either too sharp or too weak.

Humectants and binders

These keep the pouch at the right moisture level so it doesn't dry out before use, and help hold the pouch contents together. The most common in UK pouches:

• Glycerol / Glycerine (E422) - a clear, slightly sweet liquid humectant; standard in food, cosmetics and oral care

• Propylene glycol (E1520) - a humectant and flavour carrier; used in many vapes too, plus a wide range of food and pharmaceutical products

• Sodium alginate (E401) - a thickener extracted from brown seaweed that helps shape the pouch and hold its contents together

More complex recipes can also include emulsifiers (E471) to help blend fat- and water-based ingredients, improving consistency and shelf life.

What's NOT in a nicotine pouch

Three categories of ingredient are deliberately absent:

• Tobacco leaf. Nicotine pouches use plant-based fibre, not tobacco. That's the main difference between pouches and traditional Swedish snus.

• Combustion products. Nothing in a pouch is burned or heated. There's no smoke, no tar, no combustion residue.

• Vapour-forming liquids. Pouches don't generate vapour. Unlike vapes, the contents stay in the pouch - there's nothing to inhale.

A pouch also doesn't contain caffeine (unless it's specifically a caffeine pouch - a separate product category) or any plant-based stimulants beyond nicotine itself.

How ingredients differ between brands

Most UK nicotine pouches use a similar core recipe - cellulose base, water, nicotine, flavourings, salts, pH regulators, sweeteners, humectants. The differences between brands tend to be in:

• Cellulose source and grade. Some brands use eucalyptus pulp specifically; others use a blend or add separate plant fibre.

• Sweetener choice. Sucralose and acesulfame K are the most common; some clean-label brands lean on stevia or xylitol instead.

• pH regulator choice. Sodium carbonate (E500) is the standard; stronger pouches sometimes also use sodium hydroxide (E524) in small amounts.

• Binder choice. Some recipes include sodium alginate (E401); more complex blends add an emulsifier (E471).

• Specialist taste notes. Liquorice and salty-mint pouches sometimes contain salmiak (ammonium chloride) for that characteristic salty edge.

• Cooling agent presence. Mint-heavy brands often include menthol or WS-23; mild-flavour brands may skip cooling entirely.

• Moisture content. Drier pouches use less humectant; moister pouches use more. This affects release pattern.

• Pouch material weave. Not technically an ingredient, but the way the cellulose is woven affects how the pouch feels under the lip.

If you have a specific allergy or want to avoid a specific additive, the ingredients panel on the can is the source of truth - and it's required to be accurate under UK consumer-product labelling rules.