Finland as a nicotine market
Finland is a small but exceptional market. Its regulation is among the strictest in Europe, the retail structure is dominated by two large operators, and as a rule products may not be displayed at the point of sale — the specialist shop being the exception. That makes launching here different from launching in most other countries.
How nicotine use breaks down, 2022–2024
According to data from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, smoking is in slow decline and the use of smoke-free products has risen. The figures describe daily use among 20–64-year-olds.
Daily smokers
Daily nicotine pouch users
A nicotine product was used daily by 16% of the working-age population in 2022 and 17% in 2024.
In the data, the use of nicotine pouches is most common among men under 40, of whom about a quarter use them daily or occasionally. Daily use of e-cigarettes has stayed at about 1% in both years; occasional use is more common than that. The other figures in this section describe daily use.
Sources: the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency, the register of retail licences for nicotine products (checked 28 August 2026) · Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Healthy Finland survey, ages 20–64, 2022 and 2024 datasets. The numbers of points of sale and specialist shops are taken from the same licence register. The institute's adult dataset is collected every two years, so the most recent comparable figure is from 2024. Retail sale of smoke-free nicotine products was extended in Finland by an amendment to the Tobacco Act on 1 August 2025, that is, after the data was collected.
Two very different channels
Grocery retail
Two large operators dominate Finnish grocery retail, which is exceptional by European standards. Range decisions are made centrally, and the range is limited. Because of the display ban the products are hidden and are sold from a product list. In practice this means demand has to build without the product being visible on the shelf.
Specialist shops
A small group of shops specialising in nicotine products. The range is wider and the staff more specialised. The specialist shop is the only type of outlet where products may be displayed — the display ban does not apply to a shop with its own entrance selling almost exclusively products governed by the Tobacco Act.
What makes Finland different
Five things that differ from most European markets. They are worth knowing before you assess your product's chances here.
Marketing is prohibited
The Tobacco Act prohibits the marketing of nicotine products almost entirely. A brand cannot be built through advertising — not on social media, not at the point of sale. Sales come from distribution, availability and the competence of the staff.
Everything is hidden and looks the same
At an ordinary point of sale, products are entirely hidden and sold from a product list. A specialist shop may, as an exception, display products inside the shop, as long as they are not visible from outside. In addition, all products governed by the Tobacco Act are sold in standardised retail packaging: tobacco products, e-cigarettes and refill containers from 1 May 2023, and smoke-free nicotine products, that is nicotine pouches, from 1 August 2026. In Finland, then, packaging design plays a very limited part in selling a product.
Distance selling to consumers is prohibited
Distance selling and cross-border distance selling of nicotine products to consumers are prohibited in Finland. Lawful sales take place from physical points of sale holding a retail licence. Products therefore have to reach licensed physical points of sale, which makes working distribution a central part of market access.
Every product must be notified, but the waiting periods differ
Every product must be notified to the authorities and a notification fee paid before sale. For e-cigarettes and refill containers the notification must be filed six months before the product enters the market (Tobacco Act, section 26). Nicotine pouches have no such waiting period: a there is no equivalent six-month waiting period: the notification must be filed before sales begin.
Excise duty is the starting point for pricing
Duty is high in Finland and determines the level of the consumer price more than the factory price does. Pricing is best calculated backwards from the duty. We handle the duty liability, duty-suspended warehousing and the notifications on your behalf.
What the duty means in practice →How we proceed
The import and product notification process stage by stage, and what is needed from the manufacturer.
See the process →