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Nicotine facts, with sources
Short facts about nicotine, habits and the products, each linked to where it comes from. Wane shows one on your Today screen every other day. General information only, not medical advice.
How nicotine works
Nicotine is a plant's defence
The tobacco plant makes nicotine to protect itself. In a field study, plants that made far less nicotine lost about three times more leaf to insects.
Inhaled, it reaches the brain fast
After a puff, nicotine reaches the brain in about 10 to 20 seconds. That speed links the feeling tightly to the moment, which helps a habit form.
Source: Benowitz et al., Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 2009
A small dopamine nudge
Nicotine raises dopamine in the brain's reward circuits. The brain links that boost with what was going on at the time: a coffee, a break, a drive.
The lift fades fast
Nicotine's effects wear off quickly, and the good feeling goes with them. That short up-and-down cycle is what keeps the urge coming back through the day.
Half gone in about 2 hours
Nicotine's half-life in the blood is about 2 hours. So 2 hours after the last dose, roughly half of it has left your bloodstream.
Source: Benowitz et al., Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 2009
Cotinine lingers longer
Your body turns about 70–80% of nicotine into cotinine. Cotinine has a half-life of about 16 hours, which is why tests look for it instead of nicotine.
Source: Benowitz et al., Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 2009
Tolerance is the brain adapting
With regular nicotine, the brain's reward circuits become less sensitive to it, so the same amount does less over time. This adaptation is called tolerance.
Brains mature until about 25
The brain keeps developing until about age 25, and nicotine can affect that development, according to the CDC.
Nicotine and the heart
WHO's 2026 report on nicotine pouches points out that nicotine itself increases cardiovascular risk, whatever it comes in.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Most smoking harm isn't nicotine
Nicotine is what keeps the habit going, the FDA says, but most of smoking's harm comes from thousands of other chemicals in tobacco and its smoke.
Habits and cravings
Cravings pass in minutes
A craving usually lasts only a few minutes, even when it feels endless. Riding one out is a skill, and every time you do it, you get more practice.
Cues can set off a craving
Places, people and routines linked to nicotine can trigger a craving on their own. That's why some times of day feel harder than others.
Withdrawal peaks early
Irritability, restlessness and strong cravings tend to peak in the first few days without nicotine, and usually ease within a few weeks.
Feeling hungrier is common
Many people feel hungrier for a while after stopping, as the body adjusts. Having easy snacks and water nearby helps.
Smoking and stress
Many people believe smoking helps with stress. The NHS says it actually makes things worse over time, and that quitting can lift mood and ease anxiety.
Source: NHS Better Health, 2026
Less stress after stopping
A review of 102 observational studies found that people who stopped smoking reported less stress, anxiety and depression than people who kept smoking.
Source: Taylor et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2021
Support improves the odds
Counselling and medication can more than double the chance of stopping tobacco, says WHO. A doctor, pharmacist or stop-smoking service can explain the options.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Cigarettes
A cigarette holds 10–14 mg
A cigarette holds about 10–14 mg of nicotine, but the body absorbs only about 1–1.5 mg of it. Wane's estimate of about 1.2 mg per cigarette sits in this range.
Source: Benowitz et al., Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 2009
More than 7,000 chemicals
Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, and more than 70 of them are linked to cancer, according to the FDA.
Some of it starts in the field
Not every harmful chemical is added in a factory. Some are in the tobacco plant itself, and some form while the leaves are cured (dried).
Smoke works through the lungs
Smoke from most cigarettes is slightly acidic, so little nicotine is absorbed in the mouth. It's absorbed in the lungs, which is why inhaling matters so much.
Source: Benowitz et al., Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, 2009
Filters contain microplastics
Cigarette filters contain microplastics. WHO says they are the second most common form of plastic pollution worldwide.
Source: World Health Organization, 2022
Harvesting can make farmers ill
Picking wet tobacco leaves can make farm workers sick, because nicotine passes through their skin. It's called green tobacco sickness.
Source: US CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1993
Vapes
What's in e-liquid
E-liquid usually contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine and flavourings. A vape heats it into an aerosol that's breathed in.
Source: NHS, 2026
“Vapour” is really an aerosol
Vape “vapour” is an aerosol: tiny particles that can be breathed deep into the lungs. It can also carry metals such as nickel, tin and lead.
The coil is a tiny heater
A small metal coil heats the liquid. A study of 56 devices found more metal in the heated liquid and aerosol than in the refill bottle, pointing to the coil.
Source: Olmedo et al., Environmental Health Perspectives, 2018
Nicotine salts feel smoother
Nicotine salts add an acid, often benzoic acid, to nicotine. In a trial, salt liquids felt smoother and less harsh, so a high strength can feel gentle.
What “5%” on a label means
A 5% label means about 50 mg of nicotine in every mL of liquid. In the UK and EU, nicotine liquid is capped at 20 mg/mL, which is 2%.
Source: UK Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, reg. 36, 2016
At least 16,000 flavours
WHO counts at least 16,000 e-liquid flavours on the market.
Source: World Health Organization, 2024
No tar, but the nicotine is there
Vapes heat a liquid rather than burning tobacco, so they don't produce tar or carbon monoxide, the NHS says. The nicotine is still there.
Source: NHS, 2026
Long-term effects aren't known yet
Vaping hasn't been around long enough to know its long-term effects. The NHS says the long-term risks aren't clear yet.
Source: NHS, 2026
Keep e-liquid away from children
People have been poisoned by swallowing e-liquid or getting it on their skin or in their eyes. Keep refills and pods out of children's reach.
Faulty batteries can catch fire
Faulty vape batteries have caused fires and explosions, some with serious injuries, the CDC reports.
Disposables are hard to recycle
Disposable vapes have to be taken apart by hand to be recycled, and their batteries can start fires in waste plants and leak chemicals.
Source: UK Government, 2025
Nicotine pouches
What's inside a pouch
A nicotine pouch is a small sachet of plant-based fibre with nicotine, flavourings, sweeteners and pH adjusters. Unlike snus, it has no tobacco leaf.
Source: Al-Otaibi and Althobiani, Frontiers in Public Health, 2025
Why pouches are alkaline
Pouches are made alkaline, typically around pH 8.8. At a higher pH, more nicotine is in its “free” form, which passes through the lining of the mouth more easily.
Source: Al-Otaibi and Althobiani, Frontiers in Public Health, 2025
It works through the gums
A pouch sits between the gum and lip. Nicotine leaves it and passes through the lining of the mouth into the blood.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Strengths vary a lot
Lab tests have found anywhere from about 1 to 47 mg of nicotine per pouch, across products and markets.
Source: Al-Otaibi and Althobiani, Frontiers in Public Health, 2025
Not all of it leaves the pouch
Only part of a pouch's nicotine is released while it sits in your mouth, and how much varies by product and person. That's why Wane estimates about half the label.
Snus and pouches aren't the same
Snus contains ground tobacco; nicotine pouches don't. Snus can't be sold in the EU, with an exception for Sweden.
Source: EU Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU, Article 17, 2014
Mouth effects are common
Dry mouth, soreness and a burning feeling are reported with pouches, along with a faster heart rate and higher blood pressure.
Source: Al-Otaibi and Althobiani, Frontiers in Public Health, 2025
Your body after cutting down
20 minutes: heart rate drops
Within 20 minutes of the last cigarette, heart rate and blood pressure drop, according to WHO.
Source: World Health Organization, 2020
12 hours: carbon monoxide clears
Within 12 hours of stopping smoking, the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal, WHO says.
Source: World Health Organization, 2020
2 to 12 weeks: lungs work better
Between 2 and 12 weeks after stopping smoking, circulation improves and lung function increases, according to WHO.
Source: World Health Organization, 2020
1 year: heart risk halves
One year after stopping smoking, the risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of someone who still smokes, WHO says.
Source: World Health Organization, 2020
10 years: lung cancer risk halves
Ten years after stopping smoking, the risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of someone who still smokes, according to WHO.
Source: World Health Organization, 2020
Brain receptors settle back
Regular nicotine adds extra nicotine receptors in the brain. In people who stopped smoking, scans showed them back at typical levels by 6 to 12 weeks.
Source: Cosgrove et al., Archives of General Psychiatry, 2009
No set timeline for vapes or pouches
Health agencies publish a recovery timeline for smoking, but not yet for vaping or pouches. What is known: withdrawal usually eases within a few weeks.
Around the world
Most people who smoke want to stop
In the countries WHO has surveyed, more than 60% of people who smoke say they intend to quit.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
600 million trees a year
Each year, tobacco costs the planet about 600 million trees, 200,000 hectares of land and 22 billion tonnes of water, WHO estimates.
Source: World Health Organization, 2022
4.5 trillion filters a year
About 4.5 trillion cigarette filters end up in oceans, rivers, parks and streets each year. WHO calls tobacco the most littered item on the planet.
Source: World Health Organization, 2022
23 billion pouches in one year
More than 23 billion nicotine pouches were sold in 2024, up by over 50% in a single year, WHO reports.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Pouch rules differ a lot
16 countries ban the sale of nicotine pouches and 32 regulate them in some way. About 160 have no specific rules yet, WHO found in 2026.
Source: World Health Organization, 2026
Vapes are banned in about 35 countries
Electronic nicotine devices are banned in about 35 countries, according to WHO.
Source: World Health Organization, 2024
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