Swiss market now lists nearly 10,000 tobacco and nicotine products, national notification data show

The number of tobacco and nicotine products notified on the Swiss market has grown from 2,460 in 2000 to 9,857 in January 2026, according to a national analysis of product notifications published in Frontiers in Public Health. The study, led by Jérémy Cros with Karin Zürcher and Luc Lebon of Unisanté, the University Center for Primary Care and Public Health at the University of Lausanne, describes the scope, evolution and characteristics of products notified in Switzerland as of 2026.

Since 2024, the Federal Act on Tobacco Products has modernized the country’s product notification system, requiring manufacturers to use the electronic platform Tabacinfo.ch.

Electronic cigarettes dominate the notified market, accounting for 51 percent of all notifications, or 5,032 products. Smoking tobacco products follow at 40 percent (3,956 notifications), while other similar products make up 6 percent (590), nicotine products for oral use 2 percent (200) and heated tobacco products 1 percent (79). Among individual product types, cigars are the most frequently notified item, with 3,102 notifications. By contrast, cigarette notifications remained limited, which the authors attribute to a market concentrated around major tobacco companies and supermarket brands.

Flavoring emerged as a defining feature of the newer product categories. Among electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches and snus, flavor descriptors are dominated by cooling-, mint- and fruit-related terms.

Nicotine concentrations showed distinct patterns by product category. Most nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes are concentrated between 17 and 20 mg/mL, indicating a narrow and high band of nicotine strength in that segment. Nicotine pouches, by contrast, vary widely, ranging from 1.5 to 30 mg per pouch, a spread that spans both very low and very high nicotine delivery per unit.

The study is a descriptive analysis of notification data rather than a measure of consumption, sales or health outcomes. It documents which products have been formally notified as on the Swiss market as of 2026 and how the notified product landscape has evolved since 2000. Because it relies on the notification system, its scope reflects products reported through Tabacinfo.ch under the new Federal Act on Tobacco Products.

The authors position Switzerland as a distinctive case in Europe, describing comparatively weak regulations that, in their assessment, may facilitate the availability and attractiveness of a wide range of addictive nicotine products. They state that the results document products on the market and may inform policymaking, and they argue that strengthening tobacco control measures, particularly regarding flavors, nicotine concentration and product-specific exemptions, would reduce exposure to harmful products and limit their appeal, especially among young people. These are the authors’ conclusions and recommendations rather than findings demonstrated by the notification data itself.

The market diversification described in the paper began in the mid-2000s and has continued through the shift to electronic notification in 2024. The reported figures, from 2,460 notified products in 2000 to 9,857 in January 2026, represent a more than fourfold increase over roughly a quarter century, driven largely by the growth of electronic cigarette notifications, which alone now exceed the entire notified market of 2000.

The article was received on 8 May 2026 and accepted on 4 September 2026, and is published as a brief research report in the Public Health Education and Promotion section of the journal. The authors note that all claims expressed in the article are solely their own and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations or the publisher.

Subject of Research: The scope and characteristics of tobacco and nicotine products notified on the Swiss market under the Federal Act on Tobacco Products

Article Title: Tobacco and nicotine products in Switzerland: a national analysis of market notifications

Article References: Cros, J., Zürcher, K., & Lebon, L. (2026). Tobacco and nicotine products in Switzerland: a national analysis of market notifications. Frontiers in Public Health, 14, Article 1876332. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1876332

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1876332

Keywords: Switzerland, tobacco, nicotine, electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches, tobacco control, Tabacinfo, flavors, public health surveillance, Federal Act on Tobacco Products, market notifications, heated tobacco