Richard Crosby 12 March 2025

 

The nicotine pouch space is well-known for innovation. Whether it’s BAT’s use of synthetic nicotine in a new range of pouches or Bengt Wiberg’s Sting Free line, many manufacturers are pushing the envelope to find ways to broaden the appeal and effectiveness of pouches.

Now, we have KLAR, the world’s first widely available bioceramic nicotine pouches. Now I say ‘widely available’ as I actually had a chance to review their previous incarnation ‘Småå’ back in 2023 after meeting the team behind the technology at GFN23. You can read my interview with them here.

But let’s take a fresh look – what are bioceramics, and how can they improve pouch user’s experience?

What is KLAR?

KLAR is a new Swedish nicotine brand. First introduced in 2024, the pouches are produced by Emplicure Consumer AB, a bioceramic laboratory based in Uppsala, Sweden.

Emplicure has used its expertise in bioceramics to produce SERATEK, a new material for its nicotine pouches. According to KLAR’s marketing, the technology can deliver nicotine twice as quickly as other popular brands.

To achieve this feat, SERATEK infuses calcium compound granulate with nicotine and flavorings. When placed in the mouth, this material hydrates quickly, allowing for greater absorption, more comfortable fitting pouches, and a more efficient delivery of nicotine.

Slower delivery is one of the criticisms that people have about nicotine pouches. Typically, it takes around 10 or 20 minutes to get satisfaction from pouches. By comparison, vapes and cigarettes deliver near-instant results. If this characteristic is a stumbling block for people who want to quit vapes or cigarettes, KLAR could carve out a corner of the market by solving this problem.

What are bioceramics?

Ceramics are hard, non-metal materials like pottery or porcelain, often used in dishes and decorative items. Bioceramics are similar materials made to work with living tissues in the human body. Their properties make them suitable for use in hip replacements and dental implants.

At first glance, bioceramics don’t seem like something you’d even want in a nicotine pouch. However, the material comes in different compositions. Perhaps the best way to think about the different forms of bioceramics is to explore them through the lens of biodegradability.

Are bioceramics biodegradable?

To answer this question, we need to look at the different types of bioceramics available on the market.

  • Bioinert Bioceramics, such as alumina and zirconia, are not biodegradable by design. They are used for things like hip replacements.
  • Bioactive Bioceramics like hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass can very slowly or partially biodegrade.
  • Bioresorbable Bioceramics like tricalcium phosphate or calcium sulfate are biodegradable, though the speed at which they degrade depends on how they’re made.

KLAR pouches fall into the Bioresorbable Bioceramics category. In other words, yes, KLAR pouches are biodegradable because they are made from calcium sulfate.

Why should we care about bioceramic pouches?

Despite being a relatively new product, nicotine pouches exist in a crowded market. There are several well-capitalised players and many pretenders, so standing out from that crowd is not easy. However, bioceramic production offers more than a mere point of differentiation.

On its website, KLAR supports this claim by referencing a “2024 clinical study measuring nicotine delivery against the world’s most popular brand.” Unfortunately, the full details of this clinical study are not available right now, so it’s impossible to verify the claim thoroughly.

KLAR marketing also suggests that quicker nicotine delivery means that less nicotine is required per pouch for user satisfaction. This situation is also interesting, especially because some regulators in Europe are fixated on limiting the maximum strength of nicotine pouches.

If KLAR can deliver on their promise of faster and more efficient nicotine absorption, it can help navigate excessive regulations while offering a product with a delivery mechanism more like cigarettes and vapes. If you use pouches, that should resonate.

Where are KLAR pouches available?

KLAR pouches are available in the UK. You can buy them at most reputable online retailers, such as Haypp, or in shops like Sainsbury’s and Nisa. So far, flavours are limited to Citrus and Mint, with strengths at 3mg, 6mg, and 9mg.

Final thoughts

As the hostile regulatory environment surrounding nicotine pouches continues, manufacturers need to think creatively. KLAR’s innovative approach offers quicker and more efficient nicotine distribution, which could potentially help pouch users overcome restrictive limits, such as Denmark’s recent 9mg regulations.

It’s a shame that manufacturers must work in such tight quarters, but that’s the absurdity of modern public health.