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Information / What is nicotine?
What is nicotine?
Nicotine is an addictive drug found in tobacco and used in many vapes and other nicotine products. It is what drives dependence, but it is not what causes most of the serious disease linked to smoking. Nicotine can also be produced without extracting it from tobacco; see our guide to synthetic nicotine.
Last reviewed: 25th September 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Nicotine is addictive. Smoking is far more harmful than nicotine on its own.
Most of the serious harm from cigarettes comes from burning tobacco and inhaling toxic smoke. Nicotine keeps people using the product. That distinction matters when talking about smoking, vaping, nicotine replacement therapy and newer nicotine products.
Where is nicotine found?
Tobacco
Cigarettes, roll-ups, cigars, shisha and heated tobacco can deliver nicotine alongside other substances from tobacco.
Vapes
Many e-liquids contain nicotine. Strength, device and pattern of use all affect how much nicotine a person receives.
Nicotine pouches
Tobacco-free pouches release nicotine through the lining of the mouth. Some products can contain high nicotine levels.
Quit-smoking medicines
NRT such as patches, gum, lozenges and sprays provides nicotine without cigarette smoke and is an established treatment for tobacco dependence.
New consumer products
Products entering the market include dissolvable nicotine strips and nicotine pearls, with other delivery formats likely to appear.
Why is nicotine addictive?
Nicotine acts on reward pathways in the brain. With repeated use, the brain adapts and starts to expect nicotine. When nicotine levels fall, a person may experience cravings, irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, low mood or sleep problems.
Using nicotine again can relieve withdrawal for a short time, reinforcing the cycle. How quickly nicotine reaches the brain also matters: cigarettes deliver nicotine rapidly, which helps make smoking particularly addictive.
Does nicotine cause smoking-related cancer?
Nicotine is not the main cause of smoking-related cancer, lung disease, heart disease or stroke. Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals, and it is exposure to those combustion products that causes most smoking-related disease.
This does not make nicotine harmless. It can create dependence, and nicotine products are not intended for children or people who do not already use nicotine.
What about children and young people?
The main concern for children and young people using nicotine products is addiction. Young people who have never smoked do not need nicotine, and products such as vapes and pouches can make repeated nicotine use easy to hide or repeat throughout the day.
For adults who smoke, the comparison is different: switching completely away from cigarettes to a substantially less harmful nicotine source can reduce exposure to the toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke.
Parents & carers
Get practical help with conversations, signs of use, products and support.
Schools & youth workers
Use lesson resources, practical guidance and the Nicofiends prevention programme.
Need to stop?
See free NHS support and options for quitting smoking or managing nicotine dependence.
Nicotine is not one product
One reason nicotine information gets confusing is that the same drug can be delivered in very different ways. A cigarette, nicotine patch, vape and pouch do not have the same risk profile simply because they all contain nicotine.
When judging a product, ask: Does it contain tobacco? Is anything being burned? How much nicotine can it deliver? Who is using it, and why?
Related information
Nicotine addiction
Why cravings and withdrawal happen, and why repeated nicotine use can become hard to stop.
Nicotine pouches
What they are, what we know about risks and how they differ from snus.