How Flavor Preferences in Nicotine Pouches May Be Driving the Youth Crisis todayheadline

As nicotine pouches continue their meteoric rise in popularity—with US sales skyrocketing over 600% between 2019 and 2022—new research suggests that the flavors used in these products may be fueling addiction patterns that differ significantly between males and females.

A study published today in by Oxford University Press reveals that sweeteners and flavor additives play a crucial role in determining how appealing nicotine products are to users, with surprising gender differences in how these flavors influence consumption patterns.

Researchers from Yale School of Medicine conducted experiments with rats to investigate how different flavorings affect nicotine consumption behaviors. Their findings could help explain why certain flavored nicotine products have gained such traction, particularly among young consumers who may underestimate their addictive potential.

“The study examined the choice behaviors between sweetened and flavored solutions,” said lead author Deniz Bagdas of Yale School of Medicine. “Females rats showed the highest preference for nicotine when combined with sweeteners, while males showed highest nicotine preference when combined with cinnamon. Understanding the role of sweeteners and flavorants in oral nicotine product appeal can inform regulatory policies and harm reduction strategies.”

This gender distinction proved consistent throughout the research: female rats consistently consumed more nicotine when it was combined with sweet flavors like sucrose or saccharin, while male rats showed stronger preferences for nicotine paired with cinnamon flavoring (cinnamaldehyde).

The timing of this research is particularly relevant as oral nicotine products have emerged as a significant shift in how people consume nicotine. These products—including gums, pouches, and other novel formats—are increasingly seen as alternatives to traditional tobacco products like cigarettes.

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use remains a major global health threat, with 1.3 billion users worldwide and approximately 8 million tobacco-related deaths annually. While cigarette smoking continues to be the most prevalent form of tobacco use, alternative nicotine delivery systems are rapidly gaining market share.

The study’s methodology involved a four-bottle choice test with adult Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes. Researchers first established that the rats could distinguish between sweet and bitter tastes, confirming their ability to detect flavor differences. They then performed dose-response analyses with various concentrations of sucrose, saccharin, and cinnamaldehyde compared to plain water.

In the final phase, researchers tested how these various flavor additives influenced the rats’ preference for water containing nicotine at a concentration of 10 micrograms per milliliter.

The results were striking: both male and female rats significantly preferred solutions containing sucrose (1%) and saccharin (0.1% and 0.32%), but showed no particular preference for solutions flavored with cinnamaldehyde alone. However, when nicotine was added to the mix, gender differences emerged dramatically.

These laboratory findings parallel what some public health experts have observed in human consumption patterns. A recent American national online survey highlighted a strong preference for flavored nicotine products among youth consumers, who may perceive nicotine pouches as less addictive due to their non-combustible form and youth-oriented marketing.

The appeal of flavored nicotine products appears to go beyond simple taste preferences. Although flavors don’t significantly impact how nicotine is absorbed by the body, they substantially influence user satisfaction and increase the likelihood of continued use, according to previous research cited in the study.

For those concerned about the rising use of nicotine pouches, particularly among young people, this research provides valuable insights into how product formulations might be driving addiction. The differential responses to sweeteners versus flavor additives suggest that blanket approaches to regulating these products may miss important nuances in how they appeal to different users.

The study also noted that there is “interest in and use of nicotine pouches among adult smokers planning to quit.” This highlights the complex public health calculus surrounding these products, which may simultaneously serve as cessation aids for some while potentially introducing nicotine addiction to others.

From a regulatory standpoint, the research points to the need for evidence-based guidelines that take into account how different additives enhance product appeal and potentially influence addiction patterns. As the market for oral nicotine products continues to expand, with increasingly diverse flavor profiles and nicotine concentrations, the implications for public health remain a moving target.

The researchers suggest that understanding these preference patterns could help develop more targeted harm reduction strategies and inform regulatory policies around oral nicotine products. By identifying which additives enhance product appeal for different populations, this research could eventually contribute to the creation of safer formulations that meet the needs of those using these products as cessation aids without creating undue appeal to new users.

As legislators and health officials continue to grapple with the rapid evolution of the nicotine product landscape, studies like this one provide critical data points for understanding not just what people are consuming, but why certain products prove irresistible to some users while holding little appeal for others.

For parents and health educators concerned about youth nicotine use, the findings serve as a reminder that the sweet, candy-like flavors that dominate the market may be doing far more than simply masking nicotine’s bitter taste—they may be actively shaping patterns of consumption and addiction in ways we are only beginning to understand.