The scent of mint and melon emanates from the package, reminiscent of sweet, synthetic chewing gum from childhood. Inside the package are five cans in various colors, each containing 20 small white pouches that closely resemble snus (snuff). But this is »snus for your sense,« promises the vendor. The nicotine has been replaced with caffeine.
Caffeine pouches have been available in the Danish market for about two years. Each pouch typically contains 50 mg of caffeine, equivalent to half a cup of coffee. Just over a year ago, TV 2 reported that the pouches had found their way among the candies at gas stations, prompting Q8 (one of the gas stations) to remove the product. Now, young people primarily encounter it on the social media platform TikTok.
Here, caffeine pouches from Wakey are marketed as a product that can help quit nicotine. However, Politiken spoke with several experts who are concerned that the product may have the opposite effect.
»My main concern is that young people might use it as a gateway to snus. So when a younger sibling sees their older brother using snus but isn’t allowed to yet, they might put it in their mouth and practice becoming a real snus user,« says Charlotta Pisinger, professor of tobacco prevention at the University of Copenhagen.
The vendor of the Swedish-produced caffeine snus Nicosub, also behind Wakey ApS, insists that the product »can replace the emotional habit and mouthfeel« and thus contribute to a successful snus cessation.
According to Lotus Sofie Bast, senior researcher in tobacco and nicotine prevention at University of Southern Denmark, the product may have worked for some, but she emphasizes that there is no scientific proof of its effectiveness, and it is not an approved smoking cessation aid.
»I find it striking that they create products that so closely resemble nicotine products if the goal isn’t to attract new users,« she says about the caffeine pouches.
Alternative to energy drinks
Experts are further alarmed that the product is also presented as an alternative to sugary energy drinks in TikTok videos.
»Do you drink a few too many of these bad boys during the week?« asks a young man in a video on Wakey’s profile.
»From a marketing perspective, I’m not sure if young people understand the product’s purpose when it is meant to help quit nicotine but can also be used as an energy boost instead of an energy drink,« says Susanne Pedersen, an associate professor at Aarhus University who has studied social media marketing.
According to Anne Marie Lynge Pedersen, professor of oral pathology and medicine at the University of Copenhagen, this marketing can create a demand among young people who otherwise wouldn’t have had a snus habit:
»I find it completely unacceptable to mislead children and young people and to try to legitimize early use of stimulant pouches,« she says.
In response to the experts’ criticism, Nicosub states:
»For some users, it can be an alternative to energy drinks, but that is not the primary purpose of the product.«
A pouch in the mucous membrane
According to Charlotta Pisinger, we know from snus users that they can quickly end up using a can a day. With 50 mg of caffeine per pouch, the caffeine intake can exceed 400 mg, equivalent to eight cups of coffee, which several scientific sources consider harmful to adults, she explains.
Caffeine is addictive but far less so than nicotine, several experts point out. Lea Bredsdorff, senior advisor at the DTU (Technical University of Denmark) Food Institute, assesses that the risk for adults is lower when using caffeine pouches instead of nicotine. However, children and young people cannot tolerate caffeine in the same way as adults.
»We have seen heart palpitations, headaches, stomach aches, nausea, and feelings of restlessness. Additionally, there can be a vicious cycle, as high caffeine intake makes it difficult to sleep, increasing the need for caffeine the next day,« she says.
Like nicotine pouches, the product can also irritate the gums, several experts point out, and Anne Marie Lynge Pedersen also believes that »the form legitimizes that it’s okay to walk around with a pouch in the mucous membrane with a stimulant.«
According to Nicosub, their best-selling product is a completely caffeine-free variant, which they claim demonstrates that the majority of consumers are former snus users looking for an alternative.
»It’s just the industry’s spin that you need this product,« says Charlotta Pisinger when Politiken asks her whether the company’s explanation aligns well with the narrative that it can replace an unhealthy nicotine habit.
»It’s the same when the industry claims that using snus is better than smoking. But it turns out that many snus users have never smoked and wouldn’t have started smoking. It’s an oversimplification to say that it’s better than something else,« she continues.
No one takes responsibility
Several experts are concerned that the primary sales now seem to have shifted from gas stations to TikTok, a platform particularly popular among children and young people.
»The fact that it’s marketed on TikTok indicates that the target audience is on TikTok. So it must clearly be aimed at young people.«
Nicosub explains that they strive to clearly inform about the age limits set by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.
»All our paid advertising on TikTok targets users over 18 years old, and we actively use TikTok’s own tools to ensure proper age segmentation,« Nicosub writes, referring to a video where they address whether children should use their products.
Based on her knowledge of TikTok, Susanne Pedersen doesn’t have much faith in the platform’s age segmentation.
»TikTok as a platform does not lead the way in terms of taking responsibility for young people. I understand that the company says they just follow the platform’s guidelines, but if the platform operates in an inappropriate way regarding a young audience, I think the responsibility is floating somewhere. And no one is taking that responsibility,« she says.
Both Susanne Pedersen and several other experts also note the colorful packaging and innocent flavors, making the products very appealing to children.
»If caffeine pouches can taste like anything, like candy, chewing gum, and fruit, it immediately becomes a product that is more enticing to younger people,« says Lea Bredsdorff, who recognizes the pattern from puff bars and vapes.
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