The nicotine category doesn’t fit in one box anymore.
A quick look at how the category has evolved, and why it isn’t one thing anymore.
The short version
Nicotine no longer has one familiar shape.
The numbers aren't a contest between formats. They show how varied the market has become.
Source: ASH estimates, July 2026.
For a long time, nicotine was easy to picture.
Now, not so much.
Vapes. Pouches. Strips. Pearls. Mist.
The category got broader. The language is still catching up.
So why should you care?
Retailers need to know what they're stocking. Distributors need to know where it sits. Customers need to know what's in front of them without a glossary.
Regulation is catching up too. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 defines a nicotine product widely, from devices and nicotine itself to items containing it. It then excludes vaping products from that definition. So the law is already drawing lines between formats.
Where mist fits
New formats only help if people understand them. Innovation gets attention. Clarity makes it usable.
One category. Lots of formats. Plenty to talk about.
That's what NIC BITS is for. No lecture. Just the bits worth knowing.
Sources
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH): Use of vapes and other novel tobacco and nicotine products among adults in Great Britain, July 2026. Read the ASH report
Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, section 51: Meaning of "nicotine product". Read section 51