Health experts warn against nicotine wellness claims promoted by influencers

Social‑media influencers are marketing nicotine in oral pouches, gum or patches as a natural shortcut for better cognition, higher productivity and weight control. The products have surged, with global sales of oral nicotine pouches growing 113 % annually between 2020 and 2024, according to U.S. National Institutes of Health data.

Senior researcher Angela Difeng Wu of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences told Euronews Health that nicotine is a biologically active stimulant that can raise alertness, attention, appetite and mood in the short term, but these effects do not make it a viable wellness treatment. She warned that non‑smokers who start using nicotine products risk a new addiction, and that there is no epidemiological evidence to suggest nicotine is harmless compared with tobacco‑related cardiovascular risks.

The trend is part of a broader nootropic boom, with the functional‑beverage market projected to reach $300‑$400 billion by the mid‑2030s. European regulators are responding; the United Kingdom recently approved a law restricting the sale of tobacco‑related products, including e‑cigarettes and nicotine pouches, to anyone born after 2008.