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Nion brings dissolvable nicotine strips to the UK — timed against the new vape duty

The Manchester rollout puts Mint and Lemon strips in 1mg, 3mg and 6mg at £5.99 for 20 — outside the UK's new Vaping Products Duty, and weeks inside the Tobacco and Vapes Act age-of-sale rules.

PouchDaily Desk·
Nion brings dissolvable nicotine strips to the UK — timed against the new vape duty
NionUKdissolvableZYN Meltsproduct launchTobacco and Vapes ActVaping Products Duty

Another oral nicotine format is now on UK shelves. Nion has launched its dissolvable nicotine strips in the UK, starting with distribution in Manchester.

The product is what it sounds like: a thin strip placed under the lip that dissolves in about 10 to 15 minutes. No pouch to remove and bin, no device, nothing left over. The launch range covers Mint and Lemon in three strengths — 1 mg, 3 mg and 6 mg — with 20 individually wrapped strips per pack at £5.99. The pack includes a slot for used wrappers, and Nion is pitching the format for situations where smoking or vaping isn't practical.

Distribution starts in selected convenience stores, kiosks, vape shops and tobacco retailers in Manchester, with online retailers carrying the range as well.

Why the timing is interesting

Two UK regulatory changes bracket this launch.

First, the UK's new Vaping Products Duty came into force on 1 October 2026, adding £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid on top of VAT. As an oral format, Nion sits outside that duty entirely — and Nion's spokesperson made the point directly, saying vaping is about to get more expensive and that at £5.99 the brand wants to show innovation doesn't have to be expensive.

Second, from 29 October 2026 the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 makes it an offence to sell any vaping or nicotine product to anyone under 18 — and the government's guidance confirms the new age-of-sale rules cover all nicotine products, not just vapes. The newest format in the category is entering the market already inside the strictest sales framework the UK has had.

It also arrives into a dissolvable niche the market leader just legitimised. PMI launched ZYN Melts — fully dissolvable tablets at 1 mg and 2 mg — in the UK in late September. Nion's strip goes further on strengths (up to 6 mg) and undercuts Melts on price at £5.99 per pack.

The disposal-free pitch

The dissolvable format's clearest practical difference is what doesn't happen after use: no spent pouch to wrap and throw away. Councils have flagged used pouches as a growing litter problem, and a format that disappears entirely removes that issue by design rather than by messaging.

Whether strips can hold shelf space against entrenched pouches is the open question. Pouches have the distribution, the brand recognition and the price competition. But two launches in two weeks — Melts and now Nion — suggest manufacturers see demand for formats that dissolve cleanly, in the market where oral nicotine is about to face its first real regulatory framework.

For readers comparing formats and prices across retailers, PouchFinder lists ZYN's UK range including the new Melts.

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