‘Here is my stack: complementary promotion of nicotine and ‘productivity pouches on social media

As nicotine pouches have exploded in popularity, a parallel market of ‘energy’ or ‘productivity’ pouches (dietary supplements in oral pouch form) has appeared across US and EU markets. A key feature of this landscape is not merely the parallel existence of these products, but their active co-promotion with nicotine as complementary components of multisubstance ‘stacks’: combinations of performance-enhancing substances consumed together for alleged mental or physical benefits.

Energy pouches closely resemble nicotine pouches in both form and manner of use (see figure 1). Active ingredients vary widely: nicotine (eg, Athletic Nicotine)1; nicotine analogues such as Ceretine (Sett), which claim to ‘deliver the same satisfaction as nicotine with fewer downsides’2; or caffeine.3–5 Most energy pouches also include allegedly ‘nootropic’ or performance-enhancing substances such as L-theanine, citicoline, kava, mushroom extracts and alpha-GPC (eg, Sett, Grinds, Mojo, Loosey-Goosey, FlowBlend).2–9

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