Tyler Le/BIWhen Eric Drymer's last startup failed in 2024, he realized the stress of "grind type shit" to keep the company afloat had led him to pick up some bad habits — namely, vaping. He largely credits hypnosis with helping him quit, but a complementary solution — nicotine pouches that eased his cravings — also gave him his next business idea.He was fascinated by the "form factor" of the pouches, he says, and it seemed like suddenly everyone around him was using them. The managing director at a friend's hedge fund had bought 1,000 cans of Zyn for the office. "It's like a productivity tool, right?" he says, albeit one with significant downsides. Nicotine is highly addictive, and it's harmful to cardiovascular health. So, Drymer started to think, why not look beyond nicotine?"I just kind of got obsessed with this idea of, what if I could do something that's not addictive, that's actually healthy for you, but that's actually better as a focus tool?" Drymer, who lives in New York, says.With that, Ultra Pouches was born. If you've never seen them, most pouches look the same — they're little white sachets filled with powder people generally stick in their lip, next to their gums. Ultra Pouches are designed for two uses — one for sleep, one for focus — and come in flavors such as cool mint, watermelon, and tropical. They don't have nicotine or tobacco but instead say they're packed with ingredients such as vitamins B12 and B6, ginseng extract, and paraxanthine, a metabolite of caffeine. Since they're classified as supplements, they don't need FDA approval for safety or effectiveness. Some of Ultra's marketing claims its pouches are as if nicotine and adderall "had a baby."We're in the era of pouch palooza. A growing number of entrepreneurs have taken a look at the growing popularity of Zyn — the nicotine pouches owned by Philip Morris International — and tried to get in on the action. Some have launched what are essentially Zyn copycats, while others are stuffing pouches with caffeine, CBD, THC, melatonin, and even teeth-whitening ingredients.The pouch has quietly become one of the hottest new delivery systems in consumer products. What began as a nicotine trend has turned into a broader race to package energy, relaxation, wellness, and performance into the same small sack. Companies are betting consumers haven't just fallen in love with the buzz, but with the pouch itself.Part of the pouch's appeal is practical. Unlike cigarettes or vaping, they don't produce smoke or vapor, and they don't have much of a smell. They can be used discreetly almost anywhere — the office, the gym, the bar. They're shareable. They've got a cleaner, more modern aesthetic than traditional smokeless tobacco. They've got a cool factor to them — especially among young men.A plethora of memes and so-called "Zynfluencers" on Instagram and TikTok have turned pouches into a cultural phenomenon. Phillip Morris shipped 880 million cans of nicotine pouches in 2025, a 37% increase from the year before. The prevalence of the product remains relatively low — 5.9% of US adults reported using them in 2024 — but it's one of the tobacco industry's only growing segments. People who use them tend to use them a lot, and most are current or former smokers, vapers, or users of other types of tobacco products.They've got a cool factor to them — especially among young men."There is a lot of social media promotion that I think drives use in smaller social networks," says Dr. Pamela Ling, director of the University of California San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. She points to news stories about Palantir and other tech companies stocking Zyn in their refrigerators, as well as online jokes about Zyn preventing workplace violence. "Something that is funny can be spread pretty widely, pretty quickly, and I do think it has this kind of normalizing effect."Makers of nicotine pouches have positioned them as a healthier alternative to smoking or vaping. The FDA recently cleared Zyn to market its product as such. But that's not the only thing drawing consumers in."They use it for stimulation, for fun, to relieve stress," says Pallav Pokhrel, a professor and program co-leader at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, adding that the different flavors help the pouch appeal.Scientists and regulators are still playing catch-up. The FDA has only authorized a handful of nicotine pouches, meaning many alternatives out there are still under review. While many doctors and researchers say they're likely better than smoking, they're not good for your overall health or your mouth. Richard Holliday, a senior lecturer at Newcastle University's School of Dental Sciences who is researching the effects of nicotine pouches on oral health, tells me pouches are "potentially quite an insult to the lining of the mouth," especially when people keep them in for 12-18 hours a day. "If you hold anything against that tissue, it's not going to be particularly h
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