Packaging labels for smokeless nicotine products to be harmonised – law to enter into force on 1 August 2026
The amendment to the Tobacco Act will enter into force on 1 August 2026. The change particularly concerns smokeless nicotine products, such as nicotine pouches, whose packaging labels and appearance are being harmonised. In addition, starting from the beginning of August, the obligation to place labels indicating smoking bans will also extend to smokeless nicotine products.
The mandatory packaging requirements for smokeless nicotine products already came into effect on 1 February 2026. The regulation, which will come into force in August, concerns the permitted and prohibited markings on retail packaging and the appearance of products. The aim is to reduce both the attractiveness of products and the marketing of products through packaging labels and product appearance.
Permitted and prohibited packaging labels for smokeless nicotine products
The unit packet of a smokeless nicotine product may contain:
- the product’s product name and product category
- the manufacturer's or importer's business name and contact details
- the package size, flavour and barcode of the product.
Markings must be presented so that the labelling does not help the unit packet stand out from other unit packets of smokeless nicotine products and the labelling does not promote the sales of the product. The retail packaging must not bear any markings other than those which are required or permitted on the retail packaging, unless otherwise provided by law. Read more about mandatory packaging labels in our previous news article.
The unit packet of a smokeless nicotine product must not stand out from other unit packets of smokeless nicotine products with regard to its shape, colour, material or other appearance, and the appearance of the unit packet must not promote the product. The smokeless nicotine product itself must not differ in shape, colour, surface, or other appearance from other smokeless nicotine products of the same product group, and its appearance must not promote the product.
The labelling of a retail package of a smokeless nicotine product must not:
- give a false impression of the product’s characteristics, health effects, risks or emissions
- give the impression that the product is less harmful than other similar products
- suggest that the product has vitalising, energetic, healing, rejuvenating, natural or organic properties
- suggest that the product has health or lifestyle benefits
- resemble a food or a cosmetic product
- suggest that the product has environmental advantages.
Manufacturers and importers are responsible
The manufacturer and importer of smokeless nicotine products are responsible for ensuring that the product and its packaging labels comply with the relevant regulations and requirements. There must be no smokeless nicotine products on the Finnish market that do not meet the legal requirements.
In addition to the responsibility of manufacturers and importers, business operators in Finland who engage in sales have a self-monitoring obligation. Business operators must ensure through self-monitoring, that, for example, the retail packaging of products for sale complies with the requirements set out in the Tobacco Act.
Read more
- News by the Finnish Supervisory Agency on 12 February 2026: Amendments to the Tobacco Act entered into force on 1 February 2026
- Instructions by the Finnish Supervisory Agency: Smoke-free nicotine products and their retail packaging (in Finnish)
- Instructions by the Finnish Supervisory Agency: Smoking bans in accordance with the Tobacco Act (in Finnish)
Enquiries
lawyer Minnamari Pigg, tel. +358 295 255944