How to Spot Fake Nicotine Pouches

• Fake nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly common in the UK.
• Unregulated ingredients and unsafe nicotine levels are common in counterfeits.
• Price, packaging, and labelling can help you spot fakes.
• Batch numbers and QR codes can help verify authenticity.
• Northerner UK supports transparency through third-party lab testing.

Nicotine pouches are a relatively new product on the UK market, having first been introduced in 2019.¹ 

There is no specific regulation regarding age restrictions or health warnings when it comes to nicotine pouches. Because they do not contain tobacco, nicotine pouches do not fall under tobacco regulations like vapes and cigarettes. 

Instead, nicotine pouches are covered by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR), as a consumer product.² Under this regulation, nicotine pouches must: 

• Be produced in hygienic and safe environments  
• Have undergone quality control checks
• Have effective procedures in place to detect defective products
• Have clear instructions and warnings on the label, including dosage information

This lack of regulatory clarity can make it easier for counterfeit products to enter the market.

Fake nicotine pouches are counterfeit versions of legal, tobacco-free nicotine pouches.  

These imitations often look like the offerings from popular brands—such as VELO or Nordic Spirit—but are made without the same level of quality control, safety standards, or regulated ingredients. 

Often, they’re sold through unregulated channels, including brick-and-mortar stores and some online marketplaces. 

Because they contain unknown substances and often have incorrect nicotine strengths, fake nicotine pouches have the potential to be harmful. 

But just how common are fake nicotine pouches?

Yes—fake nicotine pouches are becoming a real issue in the UK.  

Adult use of nicotine pouches doubled between 2020 and 2024.³ But with that growth comes a similar rise: that of counterfeit nicotine pouches. 

Just look at these figures.  

As of April 2025, there had been a 112% year-on-year increase in the number of counterfeit nicotine pouches seized by Trading Standards (the local authority service responsible for enforcing consumer protection law).⁴ 

And in some areas of the UK, seizures of illegal nicotine pouches have risen by over 1000%. 

As you’ll see below, fake nicotine pouches—including fake VELO and fake Nordic Spirit—raise multiple concerns. 

Counterfeit nicotine pouches pose several safety and quality concerns.  

The three main issues when it comes to fake nicotine pouches are: 

• Inaccurate nicotine strengths
• Unregulated ingredients
• Health risks

Some counterfeit pouches claim to contain 150 mg of nicotine.⁵ For context, most legal nicotine pouches on the market contain 6-20 mg of nicotine.  

Even more worryingly, tests conducted on fake pouches found that actual nicotine strengths varied widely. 

These unregulated levels put users at risk of consuming far more nicotine than they intended. There is currently no legal limit on how much nicotine a nicotine pouch can contain, but high dosages can make you feel unwell. 

For this reason, Northerner only sells nicotine pouches with a maximum strength of 20 mg, in line with the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS/TS 72:2024) guidelines. 

For a deeper dive into why nicotine strength labelling matters, check out our guide to super strength pouches.

Ingredients like pH stabilisers, flavours agents, and fillers all play an important role in your nicotine pouch experience.  

For example, in legal nicotine pouches, pH stabilisers are added to control the acidity. A higher pH level increases the level of nicotine absorption, which can make a lower strength pouch feel stronger. 

If these ingredients are unregulated, and therefore inconsistent or harmful, this can impact the quality of the nicotine pouch. And harmful fillers and contaminants can lead to an unpleasant experience.

Unregulated pouches may irritate your gums or cause unpleasant side effects. 

Plus, nicotine pouches that are produced in unregulated conditions can be exposed to unwelcome bacteria and other harmful contaminants—certainly things that you don’t want anywhere near your mouth.

Price too good to be true? Then it probably is. 

Most nicotine pouches retail for around £4 per can—anything cheaper than that is potentially suspicious. 

There are exceptions, of course. For instance, Northerner has a dedicated monthly nicotine pouch deals section, where you can buy selected cans for as low as 99p.

Another giveaway is poor packaging quality. Keep an eye out for: 

• Flimsy materials
• Badly printed designs
• Missing seals
• Dull colours
• Strange fonts

Transparency is key—you should aways be able to find brand information online, including where they make their nicotine pouches and where the company is based. 

A lack of online brand presence or sparse company information is a red flag.

Maybe you bought a can of snus, and it passed the price, packaging, and labelling test. But now you’ve got it home, and you’re still not sure if it’s fake. 

Use your senses to detect anything suspicious. While not always definitive, changes in smell, taste, or pouch texture may suggest poor manufacturing quality. 

Look out for the following: 

• A bland or indistinct aroma (due to low quality ingredients)
• A bitter, sour, or bland taste
• A dry pouch
• Weak or overwhelming nicotine release

So, you’ve followed the checklist above, and there were a few red flags.  

The following steps can help further verify authenticity if you suspect a pouch may be counterfeit. 

1. Batch numbers. Make sure the batch number is legible and clearly printed. You can contact the manufacturer and cite the batch number to confirm the product is genuine.
2. QR code. Some brands have QR codes, in which case, look for a trusted redirect to the brand’s official website or a traceability page. If the link is broken, redirects to an unknown site, or lacks verification details, it could be a red flag.
3. Use trusted retailers. Reputable UK vendors, such as Northerner UK, will have an online age verification process, clear contact information, a secure checkout, and transparent privacy and terms policies. 
4. Customer reviews. Look for real customer opinions, both about the website and the products—such as these Northerner UK reviews.

If you think you’ve received a counterfeit pouch, here’s what to do: 

1. Stop using the product immediately. This goes without saying, but don’t continue testing it, especially if it tastes odd or burns. Should any unusual symptoms persist, make sure to reach out for medical advice.
2. Contact the manufacturer. Reach out to the brand directly with the batch number and pictures of the can to let them know.
3. Contact the retailer. If you purchased the nicotine pouches through Northerner UK, our customer service team will investigate the claim fully. Get in touch by email (hello-UK@northerner.com) or by calling (+44) 800 055 4855.
4. Report it. In England, you should report fake or counterfeit goods to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.

Here’s why Northerner UK is a trusted retailer of nicotine pouches: 

• We list clear product strengths and flavours
• We only sell lab-tested nicotine pouches
• We only sell nicotine strengths of up to 20 mg (following the Swedish Institute for Standards guidelines)
• We have a strong focus on adult-only nicotine usage
• We support consumer transparency via third-party testing through NicoLeaks

At Northerner UK, we prioritise product safety and transparency. 

This is why we support NicoLeaks, a third-party platform that publishes independent lab test results for nicotine pouches sold across Europe and the UK. 

Through our parent company, Haypp, we commission an independent laboratory to test products from different suppliers to analyse the contents of nicotine pouches, with close attention paid to pH value and nicotine yield.

As nicotine pouch use continues to grow in the UK, so too does the risk of counterfeits. 

Whether it’s fake VELO nicotine pouches or fake Nordic Spirit, unregulated pouches can carry real risks. 

By learning the warning signs, such as poor packaging, unclear labelling, and suspicious pricing, you can avoid low-quality imitations. 

And by sticking to trusted retailers, like Northerner UK, you can make sure that you receive genuine, lab-tested nicotine products with accurate strengths and transparent ingredients—every time.