Nicotine Pouches and Gender: What the Data Says (and What It Doesn’t)

Do men and women use nicotine pouches at different rates?

In several population datasets, men report higher use than women—but the size of the gap depends heavily on the country, the year, and who is being surveyed.

Great Britain (adult population survey, 2020–2021)

A representative survey in Great Britain estimated nicotine pouch use was rare overall, and reported that men were over four times as likely as women to use nicotine pouches during that period (0.42% vs 0.09%; prevalence ratio 4.55).

United States (TUS-CPS, September 2022)

A large U.S. analysis reported that ever and current pouch use were higher in males than females, alongside differences by age and other demographics.

Important caveat: nicotine pouch markets are evolving quickly—survey cycles and product growth don’t always move at the same speed. A result from 2020–2022 can be informative without perfectly describing “right now.”

The counterpoint: some groups don’t follow the same pattern

A joint study commissioned by the Professional Footballers’ Association and conducted with Loughborough University found current use of snus or nicotine pouches was 18% in surveyed male players and 22% in female players (note: the study reports them together, and also notes players often use “snus” as a catch-all term).

That doesn’t “cancel out” population surveys—it simply shows that context matters. Subcultures, environments, stressors, team norms, and access can all shift patterns.

Why might gender patterns differ?

Researchers are still building the evidence base, but several plausible factors show up repeatedly in discussions.

1) Historical nicotine use patterns can echo into new products

In the UK, adult cigarette smoking has been consistently higher among men than women in recent years (for example, 2022 estimates reported 14.6% of men vs 11.2% of women smoking).
If a new nicotine format is adopted most by people who already use nicotine, you might see older patterns reappear—at least at first.

2) Culture and “who the product feels like it’s for”

In the U.S. media space, nicotine pouches have been linked with a certain internet-era masculinity narrative (sometimes described as “mascuzynity”).
Whether or not that label is fair, cultural framing can influence who feels comfortable trying a product—and who feels it’s “not for them.”

3) Branding, packaging, and retail presentation

Many pouch brands lean on minimalist design language that (rightly or wrongly) reads as more “masculine” to some consumers. Other brands experiment with colorways and aesthetics that signal different identities. The key idea: marketing cues can shape adoption even when the product is identical.

Do men and women use pouches differently once they use them?

This is where the evidence gets thinner. Some sources suggest men may be overrepresented among higher-volume users and women among lower-volume users—but results vary, and many surveys weren’t designed to answer detailed “how used” questions (volume, flavours, daily routine) with high confidence.

If you’re tracking trends for business or editorial purposes, the best approach is to separate:

• prevalence (who uses at all),
  
  

• frequency (how often),
  
  

• product choice (strengths/flavour families),
  
  

• and context (social vs solitary use, stress vs convenience, etc.).

What to watch next (signals that the gender gap may change)

If you’re monitoring the category over time, these are practical indicators that usage could shift:

1. New survey waves that explicitly measure nicotine pouches (not grouped with “snus”).
   
   

2. Regulatory changes (availability and age-of-sale rules can change who accesses products).
   
   

3. Marketing enforcement and retailer compliance, which can reduce youth uptake and change the broader perception of the category.
   
   

4. Broader nicotine substitution trends (e.g., shifts between cigarettes, vaping, and oral products).

Bottom line

Across several mainstream datasets, nicotine pouch use has often skewed male—but not universally, and not in every group. The most accurate takeaway today is cautious: gender patterns exist in some surveys, but they’re not fixed, and they may change as the market matures, new users enter, and branding/regulation evolves.