# Nicotine Pouches: Chemical Composition, Toxicity and Behavioral Effects of a New Tobacco Product Category

> **NIH NIH R56** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $416,512

## Abstract

Nicotine pouches are a rapidly growing new smokeless tobacco product category introduced to the US market in
2019 by several tobacco companies. Nicotine pouches contain a white powder, claimed to be tobacco-free,
consisting of filler, tobacco-sourced nicotine or nicotine salts, sweeteners and a variety of flavors. These include
mint, menthol, wintergreen and sweet-associated flavors (fruity and candy flavors such as berry, citrus,
cinnamon, coffee), marketed in color patterns resembling advertising for popular electronic cigarette brands,
raising concerns that children and adolescents might be drawn to this new product category. Nicotine pouches
are marketed with claims of reduced risk and enable consumers to discretely consume nicotine. Currently, only
limited data are available about their exact chemical composition, their behavioral and addictive effects or
toxicological properties.
In this proposal, we hypothesize that: (i) product design and formulation of this novel smokeless tobacco product
category enables efficient and fast release of nicotine, flavorants and sweeteners; (ii) flavorants released from
nicotine pouches have adverse oral health effects; and (iii) flavorants and sweeteners in nicotine pouches
facilitate and increase product use initiation. These hypotheses are based on our published work and preliminary
data demonstrating that nicotine pouch products contain significant amounts of synthetic high-intensity
sweeteners. These sweeteners facilitated consumption of nicotine pouch extracts in naïve mice. The extracts
proved cytotoxic and compromised mitochondrial function in an oral epithelial cell line model, suggesting
metabolic toxicity. The following Specific Aims are pursued:
Aim 1: Analyze chemical composition of nicotine pouch products and evaluate nicotine and flavorant release.
Aim 2: Examine the toxicological effects of nicotine pouch extracts on oral epithelial cells.
Aim 3: Examine the effects of synthetic sweeteners and flavors in nicotine pouches on preference behavior in
mice
This proposal addresses key domains critical to the mission of the FDA CTP, including chemistry and
Engineering, Toxicity, Behavior and Health Effects (Effects of product design characteristics, sweeteners, flavors
and flavor changes on initiation, nicotine consumption, and oral health). If our hypotheses are confirmed the
project will provide a rationale for FDA to regulate levels of sweeteners, flavors and other constituents in nicotine
pouch products, thereby reducing the public health impact of this novel tobacco product category.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10673370
- **Project number:** 1R56DA055996-01
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SVEN-ERIC JORDT
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $416,512
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10673370

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10673370, Nicotine Pouches: Chemical Composition, Toxicity and Behavioral Effects of a New Tobacco Product Category (1R56DA055996-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10673370. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*