Why Are Influencers Suddenly Pushing Nicotine Pouches? Are They Actually Good for You?

The New Nicotine Trend Taking Over Social Media

If your social feeds feel overrun with influencers flashing cans of Zyn, Velo, On!, Rogue, or other nicotine pouch brands, you’re not imagining it. There is a deliberate and strategic push happening right now — and it’s worth understanding why.

People are asking:

• “Why do I keep seeing so many influencers promoting nicotine pouches?”
• “Are pouches good for you?”
• “I thought nicotine was supposed to be bad — is it not anymore?”

The short answer:

Nicotine is still addictive and harmful. Influencers are promoting pouches because the industry wants a new generation hooked.

Influencers Didn’t “Discover” Nicotine Pouches — They Were Targeted

Nicotine pouch companies have modernized the old tobacco marketing playbook, swapping out billboards for TikTok and Instagram.

Here are some real examples of how this trend exploded:

Cheddy / Freezer Tarps – Zyn Promotion

A University of Tampa graduate whose comedic TikTok content (rapping about “lip pillows,” “gum pillies,” and “6-milli bangers”) helped make pouches look fun, harmless, and socially normal. His viral style contributed heavily to the “Zynfluencer” movement.

Stefan Kohut – Promoting Flavored Pouches

This Australian fitness influencer promoted flavored nicotine pouches on TikTok to a young audience before his account was ultimately banned. His posts framed pouches as clean, healthy, and workout-friendly — all misleading impressions.

The TikTok “Zyn Culture” Trend

Across TikTok and Instagram:

• gym influencers pop in a pouch mid-workout
• livestreamers “double-lip” as a joke
• creators show off favorite flavors like snacks
• pouch challenges spread like memes

These posts overwhelmingly glorify pouch use while hiding addiction and health consequences.

Are Nicotine Pouches Actually Good for You?

Absolutely not.

They may avoid smoke or vapor, but they still deliver high levels of nicotine, often equal to — or more than — a cigarette.

Confirmed health risks include:

• Addiction (fast, powerful, and expensive)
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Anxiety, irritability, and withdrawal symptoms
• Gum recession, mouth sores, and dental issues
• Potential long-term effects still unknown (products are too new for decades-long studies)

“Tobacco-free” doesn’t mean “safe.”
It simply means no tobacco leaf.
The nicotine is still there — and your brain still becomes dependent on it.

Why This Trend Is Extra Dangerous

1. It targets people who never smoked

The influencer push is reaching:

• teens
• college students
• gamers
• gym culture
• young adults who never had a nicotine habit

This is the first nicotine product designed specifically to hook non-smokers.

2. The marketing makes pouches feel harmless

Clean packaging, cool flavors, jokes, memes, and vibe-driven content trick viewers into believing there’s no downside.

3. Influencers rarely mention the bad stuff

You’ll never see posts about:

• withdrawal
• cravings
• anxiety
• heart palpitations
• gum damage
• loss of control
• the cost of addiction over time

The truth kills the aesthetic — so they hide it.

Do Pouches Help You Quit Smoking?

Not at KillTheCan.org — and not in reality.

Nicotine pouches are not quitting tools.
They’re nicotine delivery systems designed to keep you addicted.

KillTheCan.org has always supported quitting cold turkey because:

• it breaks your chemical dependence
• it allows your brain to heal
• it stops the cycle of replacing one nicotine source with another
• it puts full control back in your hands

Pouches don’t help you quit.
They help nicotine companies keep you hooked.

Why You Keep Seeing Them Everywhere

You’re seeing nicotine pouches all over social media because:

• brands are spending huge money to buy influence
• influencers get paid (or compensated with product)
• “tobacco-free” makes them easier to promote
• the target demographic spends all day on TikTok and Instagram
• companies know teens and young adults will never pick up cigarettes — so they need a new addiction pipeline

It’s not accidental.
It’s not organic.
It’s marketing.

Bottom Line: Nicotine Is Still Harmful — No Matter the Form

Despite the jokes, memes, and influencer hype:

• nicotine is addictive
• nicotine is harmful
• nicotine affects your heart, brain, and mood
• nicotine keeps you in a cycle you don’t control

Pouches might look cleaner than cigarettes — but they’re still a trap.

If you want to be free from nicotine, the path hasn’t changed:

Quit completely.

Quit clean.
Quit cold turkey.

Kill your addiction — and take your life back.