New Delhi: American tech companies are setting a new trend. They’re moving from Kombucha-fuelled wellness to nicotine pouch-fuelled productivity. Startups are distributing free nicotine pouches to employees. From vending machines to office refrigerators, everything is stocked with flavoured nicotine.
Nicotine pouches, once popularised as a smoking-cessation aid, are now being used as a productivity hack to sharpen focus. A small pouch of nicotine placed between the gum and lips has become the new formula for staying alert and getting more work done. They’ve been dubbed the new vaping.
Software company Palantir’s Washington DC office now has special vending machines from nicotine pouch startups Lucy Nicotine and Sesh. The machines dispense “complimentary nicotine pouches to employees and guests over 21.”
Other companies have installed “nic fridges” to keep the supply of nicotine going.
AI healthcare startup Hello Patient has a ‘nic fridge’ at its Austin office. Founder Alex Cohen discovered nicotine pouches after seeing tins of oral nicotine pouches on the desk of the software engineers.
“They were very productive, so I thought maybe there’s something here,” Cohen told Wall Street Journal. And soon, the engineers demanded having complimentary ZYN, a brand that has become eponymous with the product, in the office.
Now, Cohen consumes around two to three pouches a day with his chosen flavours of mango and mint. For him, it was an antidote to his ADHD as it boosted his productivity.
“It helps with reining in my focus because it is a stimulant,” he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nicotine pouches can be highly addictive and can harm brain development and affect pregnant women.
“Nicotine is toxic to developing fetuses and is a health danger for pregnant women. Using nicotine during adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control,” CDCP said.
A growing trend
Nicotine pouch companies have begun gaining traction in the US market and are expanding at a rapid pace.
The US nicotine pouches market was estimated at $5,415.7 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $32,570.5 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 24.2 per cent between 2026 and 2033.
The Swedish nicotine pouch brand ZYN has surged in popularity among Americans. The brand has captured an impressive 76 per cent retail market share in the US nicotine pouch segment in the third quarter of 2023.
In December last year, the US Food and Drug Administration authorised six nicotine pouch products.
“Today’s marketing authorisations confirm that rigorous and efficient standards of scientific review are not mutually exclusive,” said Bret Koplow, Acting Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “As a result of the FDA’s nicotine pouch pilot program, adults who smoke cigarettes and would like to switch to a lower-risk alternative tobacco product will now have an expanded array of options.”
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)