Wellness company introduces latest obsession to the US that could finally break your nicotine pouch addiction

For years, gummies ruled the wellness aisle. Then powders, collagen sachets and fizzy hydration sticks had their moment.

Now, a new startup is betting that the next big thing won't be swallowed at all.

Instead, the latest wellness trend is designed to sit discreetly between your cheek and gum - borrowing the same format that helped make nicotine pouches, like Zyn, a Gen Z sensation. What makes this product unique, though, is it replaces the nicotine with brain-boosting ingredients instead.

New York-based startup Blip has launched what it calls Energy + Focus Pouches, nicotine-free oral pouches packed with nootropics including L-theanine, paraxanthine, Alpha-GPC, NAD+ and B vitamins.

The company believes the products could appeal not only to wellness enthusiasts looking for an alternative to caffeine, but also to people trying to kick nicotine pouch habits altogether.

'Pouches are what gummies were five years ago,' Blip CEO Katherine Prime told Inc. 'This is becoming a much more normalized format that Gen-Z is familiar with.'

The launch marks a major shift for Blip, which was founded in 2023 selling FDA-approved nicotine gum and lozenges aimed at helping younger smokers quit.

Since then, the company expanded into nicotine-free products, including flavored toothpicks designed to curb oral fixation cravings, and has secured shelf space in more than 7,000 stores, including Target, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens. 

Now it is betting oral wellness pouches could become the next mainstream supplement format. 

Unlike nicotine pouches, Blip's products contain no nicotine, caffeine or sugar. Instead, they use a blend of functional ingredients designed to promote alertness, concentration and mental clarity without the jitters or crashes often associated with coffee and energy drinks.

Users place the pouch between their cheek and gum for around 30 minutes, allowing ingredients to absorb through the lining of the mouth rather than passing through the digestive system.

Prime believes that delivery method offers significant advantages, saying oral absorption allows companies to deliver more predictable doses than pills or drinks because the ingredients bypass the digestive system.

However, she cautioned that not every supplement is suitable for the format.

'You want to make sure that the cells are small enough to actually permeate. Otherwise, it's like snake oil,' she said. 

Prime expects many more companies to embrace oral wellness pouches as consumer demand grows. 

'Energy drink consumption, adaptogen consumption is just skyrocketing through the roof,' she said.

The company says its pouches are formulated with clinically studied ingredients including ginseng extract, paraxanthine, L-theanine, Alpha-GPC, NAD+ and B vitamins, which are designed to support energy and focus without relying on stimulants like caffeine.

According to Blip, users may experience a mild tingling sensation when first placing the pouch in their mouth - something the company says is normal and indicates the ingredients are being released.

The expansion comes as younger consumers increasingly seek alternatives to traditional stimulants while also reassessing their relationship with nicotine.

Blip was originally created to modernize smoking cessation products for Gen Z after co-founder Josephine Pearl Lee struggled to quit smoking herself.

Speaking previously about the inspiration behind the brand, Lee said existing quit-smoking products felt outdated and failed to connect with younger consumers.

'The feelings I was getting for wanting to quit were rooted in shame and guilt,' she told Highsnobiety.

Rather than simply selling nicotine replacement therapies, Blip also focused on building an online community where users could support one another through the quitting process.

'It's more than just the drug facts on the side of the box,' Blip president Alyson Lord told the publication.