They come in flavours like bubble gum, pink lemonade and red gummy bear.
They resemble the kind of silica gel packet you find in packaged food, but instead of sucking up moisture, they’re placed in the gums to deliver a quick, potent hit of caffeine straight to the bloodstream.
The sale of caffeine pouches is illegal in Canada, but the unregulated products can be easily purchased online. The Star has also spotted them for sale at least one Toronto convenience store. Some of the pouches purportedly contain nearly three times as much caffeine as a single can of Red Bull.
The products are popular among youth, experts say, driven by videos of young people trying them on social media platforms such as TikTok.
“The way that it’s marketed is such that I think they’re expanding their popularity, not just with adults, but also with adolescents and younger people,” said Dr. Michael Mak, a sleep medicine specialist and staff psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health who is researching caffeine pouches.
What’s particularly concerning is that the products come in fruity and candy flavours, which might make them more enticing to youth, who would be more vulnerable to adverse effects of high caffeine intake, said Dr. Nicholas Chadi, a pediatrician and associate clinical professor at University of Montreal who specializes in adolescent and addiction medicine.
They follow a trend of sweet-flavoured nicotine pouches, of which only one brand is approved in Canada and must be obtained through a pharmacist for smoking cessation, and flavoured vapes.
“I’m quite concerned by the rapid emergence of a very wide range of products that seem to be considered quite benign among young people,” Chadi said. “I’m very concerned about the fact that there’s little attention around caffeine pouches when there is still harm.”
How caffeine pouches differ from energy drinks
While caffeine is a legal substance and can be purchased in the form of pills and energy drinks in addition to common beverages such as coffee, caffeine pouches have not been reviewed for safety, efficacy or quality.
In a statement, Health Canada declared unequivocally that the sale of caffeine pouches is illegal.
“If non-compliance is found, Health Canada will act, which could include on-site visits, product seizures or public communications,” the department said.
What makes the pouches different from a caffeine pill or energy drink is that they are placed in the gums, which would be absorbed directly into the bloodstream and could cause “a very quick and drastic shock to the body,” Chadi said.
Doctors recommend that adults consume no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is equivalent to about four cups of standard coffee, or 2.5 milligrams per kilogram. The average teenage girl weighs about 50 kilograms, while the average teenage boy weighs about 60 kilograms.
The pouches range in potency from about 50 milligrams up to 225 milligrams per pouch, which would meet or exceed the daily recommended limit for youth.
Where the pouches are being sold
The Star purchased a container of caffeine pouches listed with 225 milligrams per pouch from Amazon. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said the product was sold by a third-party seller.
“We have proactive measures in place to prevent prohibited products from being listed and we continuously monitor our store,” Amazon said. “Those who violate our policies are subject to action including potential removal of their account.”
The Star sent links to three different brands of caffeine pouches, Amazon removed the products from their store, but other brands continue to be available.
LyvWel, the manufacturer of the brand purchased by the Star, said any of its products purchasable in Canada are brought in by independent distributors who handle their own importation process.
LyvWel said its guidelines emphasize “responsible adult use.” It said it is considering the possibility of expanding to Canada in the future and would follow “the appropriate regulatory pathways required by Health Canada.”
“Our focus is on transparency, safety and providing clearly labeled products that adults can use responsibly,” LyvWel said.
Chadi said he has “seen in (his) practice and heard of young people using several pouches, even at the same time, in their upper and lower gum.”
Why doctors are worried
Caffeine is addictive. A flavoured product can hit multiple reward systems in the brain, Chadi said, making it not only more appealing to youth, but potentially more addictive. Being exposed to stimulants at a young age can also make youth predisposed to substance dependency later in life, he added.
“We know that a younger brain being exposed to psychoactive stimulants … may impact how the brain actually develops,” Chadi said.
Caffeine can also harm sleep, Mak said. Over time, that could affect learning and cognition, he added.
Chadi and Mak said overconsumption of caffeine can lead to effects such as feeling jittery and generally unwell, to heart arrhythmia, palpitations and seizures. Young people with pre-existing heart conditions or sensitivity toward seizures would be at greater risk.
In rare cases, caffeine toxicity can lead to cardiac arrest and death.
Experts urge caution around youth using any caffeine product and hope more attention will be given to the emerging trend of caffeine pouches.
“This is a relatively new kind of phenomenon, and it’s going to take time for regulatory bodies to step in,” Mak said. “There’s no oversight and therefore I cannot say that it’s safe, and therefore it should never be used if people are not adults.”
