Why Do Some Nicotine Pouches Feel Icy?

• Some nicotine pouches have an icy sensation.
• This sensation can come from menthol or from synthetic cooling agents.
• Cooling agents activate cold receptors in the mouth.
• Menthol and synthetic cooling agents have different cooling intensities and duration.

Some nicotine pouches contain ingredients that create a cooling or tingling sensation in the mouth.

This is different from the mild burning sensation that can occur when using pouches (especially stronger ones). This sensation is typically related to nicotine itself, which you can read more about in our Why Do Nicotine Pouches Burn? guide.

The icy sensation, by contrast, comes from cooling compounds that stimulate specific sensory receptors in the mouth. These compounds make your brain perceive cold, even though the pouch itself is not physically cold.¹

Mint and menthol flavours are also commonly associated with a noticeable cooling sensation (explore mint-flavoured pouches on Northerner for the full range).

The mouth contains specialised sensory receptors known as Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels.³

The receptor primarily responsible for the icy feeling is called TRPM8.

Normally, TRPM8 responds when something cold touches the mouth. 

However, certain compounds–including menthol and modern synthetic cooling agents–can activate the receptor without any actual decrease in temperature.³ Go to the section “What Are Cooling Agents?” for more information.

This is why an icy nicotine pouch can feel cold despite being at room temperature.

That icy feeling in your mouth is not actually a flavour.

Scientists describe these sensations as chemesthesis, which means sensations caused by chemical stimulation rather than taste alone.³

For example:

• Mint flavour comes from taste and smell
• The cooling feeling of cooling agents comes through the activation of specific receptors

Different receptors produce different sensations:³

• TRPM8: responds to cooling compounds
• TRPV1: detects heat and spicy compounds (typically present in chilli flavoured snus)
• TRPA1: responds to compounds found in mustard, wasabi, and garlic

Because different receptors are involved, a pouch can produce a cooling sensation, a burning sensation, or even both at the same time.

Cooling agents are ingredients that create a sensation of freshness on the skin or inside the mouth without lowering the temperature.²

Menthol is the best-known cooling agent, but many nicotine pouches today also use synthetic cooling compounds.

Because each cooling agent has its own sensory profile, two mint-flavoured nicotine pouches can produce noticeably different cooling sensations, even if they contain similar flavours.

Many of the synthetic cooling agents used today can trace their origins to research carried out by the razor company Wilkinson Sword in the 1970s.¹ 

At the time, the company wanted to develop alternatives to menthol for products such as shaving creams and aftershaves, due to menthol's strong odour and tendency to irritate the eyes and nose.

Researchers at Wilkinson Sword developed a range of synthetic cooling compounds that produced a cooling sensation without some of menthol's drawbacks.

Several of the best-known compounds are now widely used in foods, beverages, confectionary, oral care products, and cosmestics–as well as nicotine pouches.

Wondering why some pouches feel colder than others?

Cooling intensity depends on more than just the flavour listed on the can:

• Cooling ingredients: Products with higher amounts or combinations of cooling agents generally produce a stronger icy sensation.
• Pouch moisture: Moist nicotine pouches release flavour and nicotine quicker, which can create a more noticeable tingling sensation
• Product flavour: Mint and menthol are commonly associated with cooling sensations.

Explore Northerner’s selection of icy pouches, with a distinct tingling sensation.

Some nicotine pouches feel icy or tingly because they contain cooling ingredients that activate the mouth’s cold receptors rather than physically lowering the temperature. 

This sensation is different from the burning feeling that nicotine can sometimes produce.

Order nicotine pouches online at Northerner UK to explore the full range of tobacco-free snus options.