Nicotine pouches are growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional smoking and vaping in Bermuda, especially among younger consumers, according to a representative of The Smoke Shop, one of the island’s two licensed tobacco sellers.

The pouches are made with either synthetic nicotine or nicotine derived from tobacco but they do not contain tobacco leaves. Users place them between their lip and gum and they release nicotine over time. They are marketed as a cleaner option, without the need for combustion or vapour.

A representative from The Smoke Shop said: "The biggest emerging trend that we’ve seen is nicotine pouches. Nicotine pouches don’t contain tobacco. A lot of people, especially younger people are getting off vapes and going to nicotine pouches.

Some of the new products do not even contain nicotine.

“Our zero-nicotine pouches and vapes are getting a lot of buzz, lately,” he added. “We’ve seen a big uptick in interest for these, especially with our Nois nicotine pouches doing so well.”

The days when restaurant patrons would have to step outside to smoke or vape may soon be gone.

The representative added: “In my opinion, just based on the research that I’ve read, [it’s] a healthier option [to] tobacco. It’s nicotine … mixed with some flavouring and it doesn’t affect anyone else around you, which is great.”

Globally, the nicotine pouch market has seen major growth.

The representative highlighted that the product was “recently FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approved in the US” and had “always been pretty big in Europe, especially Scandinavia”.

The World Health Organisation said there had been a global decline in the use of tobacco. About one in five adults consume tobacco compared with one in three in 2000.

The WHO said smoking rates had fallen 73 per cent among adults from 42.6 per cent in 1965 to 11.6 per cent in 2022.

Despite industry efforts to counteract this trend, the overall decline in tobacco use continues.

Since January, the FDA has authorised 20 nicotine pouch products.

Tobacco sales in Bermuda, like many industries, face challenges from outside pressures.

Increasing American trade tariffs are yet another one.

The Smoke Shop sources its tobacco products from one specific supplier in the US that it has developed a close relationship with.

“We just were contacted this week by our tobacco supplier about tariffs - the taxes are going up,” the representative said.

These rising costs are creating additional pressure on a sector already navigating a complex market with many regulations.

However, the representative noted that the company’s Nois pouches came from Europe and so were less likely to be affected by the tariffs.

Additionally in Bermuda, tobacco products face significant taxation. Importers of mass-produced cigarettes pay duty of 40 cents per cigarette, which partially explains the high retail price of the products.

While the precise market share taken up by the pouches remains unclear, the representative felt they were gaining momentum.

“It's not like a huge, huge market yet. But it is growing,” he said.

Notably, the pouches are gaining attention for the potential for alleged health benefits. The representative mentioned “interesting research about nicotine and Alzheimer’s”.

Some studies have explored the use of nicotine in cognitive disorders. For instance, research published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia suggests that transdermal nicotine may lead to improvement in attention and memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, which often comes before Alzheimer's disease.

The Smoke Shop representative said: “No one can predict the future with certainty but considering consumer health/ local tobacco industry sales trends, I believe these alternative tobacco products will only continue to gain popularity and become a mainstay.”