On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an announcement approving 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products for PMTA. This milestone event signifies official recognition of nicotine pouches; based on detailed testing analyses and scientific research results, this type of product is considered beneficial to public health and general well-being, and can effectively help smokers transition to smoke-free, low-harm products.
Currently, major global tobacco giants each possess their own core NGP product matrix: PM (Philip Morris) owns ZYN, BAT (British American Tobacco) promotes Velo, JTI (Japan Tobacco) follows with Nordic Spirit, and there are also other regionally popular brands such as On!, White Fox, Lyft, and Killa.
Sweden, the country where oral tobacco first became widespread, announced on November 13, 2024, that it had become the world’s first “smoke-free” country (the proportion of adult smokers is less than 5%), attributing this achievement to the use of alternative nicotine products.
Whether it is Sweden’s successful case of pioneering a smoke-free society or the recent approval of nicotine pouch PMTA by the U.S. FDA, both showcase the immense potential of nicotine oral pouch products. According to a report by Global Market Insights, the market size for nicotine pouches in 2023 was approximately $6.6 billion and will grow rapidly at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5% from 2024 to 2032. In some countries, such as the U.S., certain European nations, and emerging markets, this growth speed far exceeds the average.
Nicotine pouches may appear simple—consisting of non-woven fabric, filling, flavoring substances, and nicotine—but they actually hold great depth, involving in-depth research and application in the fields of chemistry, biology, and materials.
Yidao Technology initiated the development project for deep product development of nicotine pouches in 2023 and collaborated with a veteran domestic pharmaceutical company to conduct research on nicotine release in oral pouch products. In May 2024, it established a nicotine pouch production platform to provide one-stop ODM services.
Yidao’s R&D team has widely collected on-sale products from key consumer markets and fully understands nicotine pouch products by combining sensory evaluation with scientific analytical methods. They have established proprietary detection methods, repeatedly sampling to determine core active content and dissolution levels using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), etc., and have specifically analyzed the release characteristics of products. Additionally, they conducted pharmacological and toxicological research on nicotine pouches to track and compare the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of nicotine in the body, completing acute toxicity tests on six core products.
According to statistics, the pH value range of commercial nicotine pouch products is between 5.5 and 10.5; a nicotine content of 6–12 mg is the main sales range; most product specifications use a 20-pouch box, with a minority using 15-pouch boxes or pouch packaging; over 80% of nicotine pouch dimensions are Slim size, 10% are mini size, and the remainder are large size and other specifications.
Currently, the core demand of global consumers for nicotine pouches is to obtain the physiological stimulation brought by nicotine, followed by harm-reduction alternatives and scene-specific usage needs. From the perspective of physiological stimulation, focus is more on the speed of the head-rush and dizziness; from the perspective of harm-reduction alternatives and scene usage, customers pay more attention to flavor presentation and the soft release effect of nicotine. Combining actual customer needs and the standard evaluation method for cigarettes, Yidao’s R&D team has established a nicotine pouch product evaluation method, taking physiological needs as the main line to objectively evaluate its own products and competitors.
Establishing an objective consumer evaluation system helps understand direct user feedback. Combined with analytical testing data, this allows Yidao to build its unique product design model.
As a product aiming to provide physiological satisfaction to consumers, the control of nicotine release is the core focus. Yidao has developed proprietary controllable nicotine release technology, benchmarking against leading brands in the industry. Through long-term research on pH regulation, screening of granular substrate monomers, and matching functional modules with nicotine modules, it has formed two types of products: fast release and soft release, to meet the needs of different customers and markets.
Currently, dozens of formulas have been developed with rich flavors, receiving consistent positive feedback from customers. Classified by nicotine release, they can be divided into: fast release and soft release. Classified by flavor, they include: mint series, fruit flavor series, spice series, etc., with spiciness and coolness adjustable to customer requirements. Classified by size, they can be produced in: Slim, Mini, etc.
Through the analysis and in-depth understanding of global nicotine pouches, as well as current distributor storage requirements, addressing common issues in market products such as oxidation-induced yellowing and spotting during shelf life, Yidao significantly delays product discoloration time by adjusting the ratio of free and bound nicotine states and using molecular encapsulation technology and antioxidant modules, effectively ensuring a good user experience for the product during its shelf life.
Independent Production Lines, Complete ODM Services
