Insights and Discoveries

The global Heated Tobacco Products (HNB) market is entering a stage of rapid maturity, marked by significant shifts in user structure, motivations, and decision-making logic. Female users are steadily increasing, making the gender landscape more balanced. Adults aged 30–49 remain the core demographic, while older smokers are gradually transitioning to HNB products driven by health awareness. Users prioritize functional benefits such as risk reduction, low odor, cleanliness, convenience, and product experience, while flavor quality and device technology strongly influence brand preferences.

This insight analyzes the global regional landscape of the heated tobacco (HNB) industry, highlighting the dominance of Japan and Italy, the rise of Eastern Europe, and the growing maturity of South Korea and Southeast Asia. By 2024, Japan alone accounted for over 32% of global HNB sales, while Europe collectively represented more than one-third of total market volume. This distribution reflects both regulatory readiness and cultural acceptance of harm-reduction products, marking Asia and Europe as the twin engines of the world’s HNB growth.

Between 2019 and 2024, the global heated tobacco (HNB) market evolved from rapid expansion to steady maturity, becoming a cornerstone of the tobacco industry’s transformation. Driven by product innovation, regulatory adaptation, and consumer demand for harm-reduction alternatives, the market nearly tripled in size, reaching USD 40 billion in 2024. Despite the slowdown in growth rates, the HNB category continues to dominate next-generation tobacco revenues — with cartridges (heat sticks) accounting for over 93% of sales and maintaining strong profitability through a high-frequency consumption model.

New Generation Products (NGP) represent a global shift toward harm reduction and innovation in nicotine consumption. Unlike traditional cigarettes, NGPs deliver nicotine through non-combustion mechanisms — significantly lowering exposure to toxic compounds while offering more personalized user experiences. This article explores the three major NGP categories — E-cigarettes (ENDS), Heated Tobacco (HNB), and Oral Nicotine — comparing their principles, health impacts, market dynamics, and regulatory trends.

On the world map of the tobacco industry, the InterTabac trade fair in Dortmund is undoubtedly one of the most influential stages of the year. Every September, it serves not only as a showcase for products but also as a barometer for industry trends. In 2025, this stage welcomed a particularly notable presence — Hong Kong Nanyang Brothers Tobacco, a company with over a century of history.

This insight examines the evolving user landscape of oral nicotine products through two representative markets — Sweden, where oral nicotine has deep cultural roots in snus, and the United States, where regulation and innovation drive adoption. In Sweden, nicotine pouch usage is rapidly expanding among younger and female consumers, signaling a lifestyle-driven trend. In contrast, U.S. consumers remain predominantly male and middle-aged, often combining oral nicotine with other nicotine products. Together, these cases reveal how policy frameworks, cultural acceptance, and health perceptions shape the global oral nicotine movement.