What Is Imotine? The Nicotine Look-Alike Explained
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Time to read 1 min
Imotine is a substance made in a lab that is almost the same as nicotine. It is used in pouches sold as nicotine-free, such as Denssi Zeronic.
What is Imotine?
Imotine is a brand name for a substance called 6-methylnicotine. Think of it as the nicotine molecule with one tiny part added. That small change makes it a different substance on paper, but it stays very close to nicotine.
How does Imotine work?
Imotine attaches to the same places in your body that nicotine attaches to. German and Dutch health authorities therefore assume that it works the same way as nicotine.
| Nicotine | Imotine | |
|---|---|---|
| Comes from | The tobacco plant | A lab |
| Acts on the body | Yes | Yes, assumed to be the same way |
| Studies on people | Many | Two small ones |
What is the difference between Imotine and nicotine?
The difference is very small: one extra part on the molecule. Because Imotine is not exactly nicotine, products with it are sold as nicotine-free.
So nicotine-free on the can means there is no nicotine in the pouch. It does not mean the pouch has no effect.
What do we know about Imotine and health?
Not much yet. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) looked at Imotine in e-cigarettes and says there is too little data to judge the health risk properly. It expects Imotine to be at least as harmful as nicotine.
The Dutch health institute RIVM reached the same conclusion for pouches. BfR also says some early results suggest Imotine could be more addictive than nicotine.
Which pouches with Imotine do we carry?
We carry three, all from Denssi Zeronic: Brain Freeze Zeronic, Spearmint Zeronic and Watermelon Freeze Zeronic. In each of them, a pouch contains 5.6 mg of Imotine. They are in our Denssi snus collection, for adults 18+ only.
FAQ
Is Imotine the same as Metatine?
Yes. Both are names for the same substance, 6-methylnicotine.
Does Imotine come from tobacco?
No. It is made in a lab. Only tiny traces of it are found in nature.
Has Imotine been tested on people?
Hardly. Only two small studies on people have been published. A larger independent study is now running at a university in Munich, with BfR taking part.
