Ask a Swede what snus is and they'll describe moist, ground tobacco tucked under the top lip. Ask most people in the UK and they'll show you a can of ZYN, Pablo or Killa, which contain no tobacco at all. It's one word for two different products, and only one of them can be sold here. This guide covers what each is made of, how it's used, what the mg on the can means and where the law stands.
Quick answer: Snus is a Swedish oral tobacco product made from ground tobacco, water, salt and sodium carbonate, held under the top lip loose or in a pouch. As of October 2026 it can't be sold in the UK under the Tobacco for Oral Use (Safety) Regulations 1992, so the "snus" sold here, including at SnusBox, is tobacco-free nicotine pouches, which still contain addictive nicotine.
What snus is and how it's used
Snus is a Swedish oral tobacco product. Swedish Match describes it as air-dried ground tobacco mixed with water, salt and flavourings, pasteurised by heat treatment and placed under the upper lip. Cambridge Dictionary puts it more simply: "ground tobacco that is kept in the mouth but not crushed between the teeth".
It comes in two forms. Loose snus is a moist powder you pinch into a "prilla", and portion snus comes in ready-made pouches. The formats section below covers the detail.
Using it is simple. The pouch sits between your upper lip and gum, and nicotine is absorbed through the lining of the mouth. Nothing is lit, there's no smoke, and you don't chew, swallow or spit it.
People who already use nicotine use snus and pouches to take it orally, with no smoke or vapour.
Is snus tobacco? Yes. True snus is tobacco by definition, and that's exactly why the UK treats it differently from the tobacco-free pouches we sell. Whichever form it comes in, nicotine is addictive.
What snus is made of, and what's in a nicotine pouch instead
Swedish Match's snus production page and FAQ set out the tobacco recipe. For the pouch column, we've used Swedish Match's ZYN ingredient list and the FDA's description of a tobacco-free pouch from its January 2026 advisory committee briefing.
| Tobacco snus | Tobacco-free nicotine pouch | |
|---|---|---|
| Nicotine source | Air-dried, ground tobacco leaf. One recipe can blend up to 30 tobacco grades | Nicotine, "without any whole, cut, or ground tobacco" |
| Base or filler | Ground tobacco "meal" | Fillers |
| Salt | Ordinary cooking salt, for taste and to help preserve it | Not on Swedish Match's ZYN ingredient list |
| pH adjuster | Sodium carbonate, which regulates pH and turns into bicarbonate in the snus | pH adjusters |
| Moisture agent or stabiliser | Glycerol or propylene glycol, to keep it moist | Stabiliser |
| Flavour and sweetener | Flavourings, added after cooling | Flavours and sweetener |
| How it's processed | Ground, mixed with salt and water, then heat-treated (traditionally called "sweating") | No tobacco to grind or heat-treat. Check the brand's ingredient list |
One detail people often get wrong is that Swedish snus is heat-treated, not fermented. A 2010 literature review prepared for Swedish Match draws exactly that line between snus and other smokeless tobacco. If you want every pouch ingredient explained one by one, see our ZYN ingredients breakdown.
'Snus' in Sweden vs 'snus' in the UK: a name decoder
This is where most of the confusion starts. The same words mean different things depending on who's talking and which side of the North Sea they're on.
| Term | What a Swede means | What most Brits mean | What can be sold in the UK (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Snus" | Tobacco snus, often called "brunt snus" (brown snus) | Tobacco-free nicotine pouches | Tobacco snus can't be sold. Tobacco-free pouches can be sold to adults |
| "White snus" | Popularly, nicotine pouches ("vitt snus"). It can also mean white-portion tobacco snus | Nicotine pouches | Depends on what's inside. Check the can for "tobacco-free" |
| "Nicotine pouch" | Vitt snus | Tobacco-free pouch | Can be sold to adults |
| "ZYN, Pablo, Cuba, Killa" | Nicotine pouch brands | "Snus" | Tobacco-free nicotine pouches, which can be sold to adults |
Careful: "white snus" can also mean white-portion tobacco snus, so check the can for "tobacco-free".
In the UK, "snus" nearly always means tobacco-free pouches like Pablo, Cuba, Killa, ZYN and 77. Everything SnusBox sells is a tobacco-free nicotine pouch, not tobacco snus. So is snus the same as ZYN? Not strictly. ZYN is a tobacco-free nicotine pouch, while true snus contains tobacco.
Why you can't buy tobacco snus in the UK (as of October 2026)
As of October 2026, selling tobacco for oral use (traditional snus) has been illegal in the UK since 1992 under the Tobacco for Oral Use (Safety) Regulations 1992. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, and it re-enacts the ban from 29 October 2026 (s.8).
Pouches sit on the other side of a simple legal line, which is tobacco. The Act defines a "nicotine product" as any substance containing nicotine that is intended to be delivered into the body, other than tobacco, vapes and licensed medicines (s.51). Tobacco-free pouches fall into that category, which has its own rules, rather than under the oral tobacco ban.
One of those rules starts soon. From 29 October 2026, it's an offence to sell a nicotine product, including nicotine pouches, to anyone under 18 in England and Wales (s.10). Scotland and Northern Ireland bring their rules in separately. For the full picture, read is snus legal in the UK?
Snus vs snuff vs chewing tobacco vs American 'snus'
Swedish Match splits smokeless tobacco into oral snuff (snus and moist snuff), nasal snuff and chewing tobacco. Here's how they line up against each other, with the pouches we sell added for comparison.
| Product | What it is | Where it goes | How it's processed | Spitting? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish snus | Ground tobacco | Under the upper lip | Heat-treated (pasteurised) | Not needed |
| American moist snuff (dip) | Grated or ground tobacco | Under the lower lip | Fermented | Often |
| Nasal snuff | Dry, strongly aromatic tobacco powder | Sniffed into the nose | Ground to a dry powder | No |
| Chewing tobacco | Coarsely chopped or cut tobacco | Held as a wad in the cheek, or chewed | Cut rather than finely ground | Usually |
| Tobacco-free nicotine pouch | Nicotine, fillers and flavourings, with no tobacco | Under the upper lip | No tobacco involved | Not needed |
Nasal snuff is mostly used in certain parts of Europe. "American snus" is a muddier term. Some US products sold as snus resemble the Scandinavian kind but aren't equivalent, and the fermentation contrast in the table is with traditional dip, not with everything sold as snus in the US.
The common thread is simple. Snus, dip, nasal snuff and chew all contain tobacco. The pouches SnusBox sells don't.
Where snus comes from (and how to say it)
Swedish Match says Swedish snus "has its origins from the end of the 18th century", and the 2010 review prepared for the company says it has been used in Sweden since the early 1800s. The format most people picture today arrived much later. Swedish Match launched the first portion snus, "snus in pouch format", in Sweden in 1973 (Swedish Match Annual Report 2020).
The word itself reached English a while ago. The OED's earliest evidence for "snus" in English dates from 1916.
On pronunciation, Cambridge gives the UK form /snʌs/, which rhymes with "fuss", and the US form /snuːs/, which rhymes with "loose". In Swedish it's closer to "snoose".
Snus formats explained: loose, portion, white, mini and XL
Loose snus is a moist powder you shape by hand. Portion snus comes in pre-filled pouches. According to Swedish Match, portion snus is sold in plastic cans because portions dry out faster than loose snus.
Within tobacco snus, "original portion" uses a moistened pouch, so it looks brown and releases faster. "White portion" uses an unmoistened pouch and releases more slowly. Both are tobacco-snus terms and describe the pouch style, not the contents.
With tobacco-free pouches, the size word on the can tells you more. ZYN Mini 3mg Cool Mint (£4.19) and ZYN Mini Strong 6mg Cool Mint (£4.19) are the small, discreet end of the range. At the other end, Greatest Cold Dry XL (13.3mg, £3.99) is the XL option.
Don't assume mini means mild. 77 Ghost Mini is 20mg (£3.99), which makes it a small pouch with a big number on it. It's only for people already used to strong pouches.
You'll also see "moist", "dry" and "slim" on cans. Moist and dry describe how much moisture is in the pouch, and slim describes a thinner, flatter shape. These terms vary from brand to brand, so check the product page rather than assuming. For how ZYN labels its formats, see our ZYN strengths chart.
How strong is snus? Reading the mg on the can
Before comparing numbers, watch out for the units. Swedish tobacco snus strength is usually given per gram, while UK pouch cans usually give mg per pouch, so the figures don't compare directly. The table below shows strengths as listed on our product pages. For how Cuba's 43mg figure should be read, see our Cuba Black Line guide.
| Band | In-stock examples | Price per can |
|---|---|---|
| Lower strength | ZYN X 1.5mg, ZYN Medium 3mg, 77 Light 5mg | £4.19, £4.19, £3.99 |
| Regular | Pablo Silver 10.2mg, Cuba White Line 10.4mg, ZYN Medium 11mg | £3.79, £3.79, £4.19 |
| Strong | Killa 13.2mg, Pablo Gold 17mg | £3.79, £3.79 |
| Extra strong (20mg+, experienced users only) | Pablo Exclusive 24mg and 30mg, Cuba Black Line 43mg, Maggie Extreme 45mg | £3.79, £3.79, £3.79, £4.55 |
Lower strength. Our range starts at 1.5mg with ZYN X. ZYN Medium Spearmint is a 3mg spearmint pouch at £4.19.
Regular. This is the 10–11mg middle ground, where Pablo Silver, Cuba White Line and the 11mg ZYN Medium sit. Cuba White Line Cola is 10.4mg per pouch (16mg/g, according to maker Nicotobacco) and costs £3.79.
Strong. Killa 13.2mg and Pablo Gold 17mg are a clear step up from the regular band. Killa Cold Mint is a 13.2mg mint pouch at £3.79.
Extra strong. Pablo Exclusive (24mg and 30mg), Cuba Black Line (43mg) and Maggie Extreme (45mg, the top of our range) are only for people already used to strong pouches. Nausea is more likely at higher strengths. If you've seen "150mg snus", that figure is on energy and caffeine pouches, not nicotine pouches (more in the FAQs).
"Medium" isn't a strength. ZYN Medium comes in both 3mg and 11mg, so read the mg rather than the name. This advice is for people who already use nicotine. Match what you use now and step up gradually: if you're coming from 6mg, don't jump to 30mg.
What does snus do to your body? Nicotine and side effects
Snus and nicotine pouches both deliver nicotine, which is absorbed through the lining of the mouth. Nicotine is an addictive substance.
As of October 2026, tobacco-free pouches are nicotine products sold to adults, not licensed medicines. The Act's definition of a nicotine product excludes licensed medicines (Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, s.51).
Common side effects include hiccups, gum irritation where the pouch sits, and nausea, especially at higher strengths. Our nicotine pouch side effects guide covers these in more detail.
These products are for adults who already use nicotine. Follow the manufacturer's guidance and use one pouch at a time.
FAQs
What is snus used for?
Adults who already use nicotine put a snus or nicotine pouch under the top lip to take nicotine orally, without smoke or vapour. Nicotine is addictive.
What is snus made of?
Traditional Swedish snus is ground tobacco, water, salt and sodium carbonate, plus a moisture agent and flavourings, and it's heat-treated rather than fermented (Swedish Match). Tobacco-free nicotine pouches swap the tobacco for nicotine, fillers, pH adjusters, sweetener and flavourings.
Is snus the same as ZYN?
Not strictly. True snus contains tobacco, while ZYN is a tobacco-free nicotine pouch used the same way. In UK slang, though, people call ZYN, Pablo, Cuba and Killa "snus".
What's the difference between snus and nicotine pouches?
Snus is made from ground tobacco, while nicotine pouches contain no tobacco leaf, just nicotine, fillers and flavourings. Both sit under the top lip, and both contain addictive nicotine. As of October 2026, only the tobacco-free kind can be sold in the UK.
Is snus the same as nicotine?
No. Snus is a tobacco product, and nicotine is the addictive substance found in it. Nicotine is also in tobacco-free pouches.
What does 'white snus' mean?
It's the popular Swedish name ("vitt snus") for tobacco-free pouches, but it can also mean white-portion tobacco snus, so check the can for "tobacco-free" (see our name decoder).
Is snus illegal in the UK?
As of October 2026, selling tobacco snus is illegal in the UK under the Tobacco for Oral Use (Safety) Regulations 1992. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 re-enacts that ban from 29 October 2026 (s.8). Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a separate legal category.
Why is snus banned in the UK but nicotine pouches aren't?
The legal line is tobacco. The ban covers tobacco for oral use, while the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 treats tobacco-free pouches as "nicotine products" with their own rules (s.51). Those rules include no sales to under-18s in England and Wales from 29 October 2026 (s.10).
Is snus a drug?
Snus and pouches contain nicotine, which is an addictive substance. As of October 2026, tobacco-free pouches are sold in the UK as nicotine products for adults, and they aren't licensed medicines (Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, s.51).
What does snus do to your body?
Nicotine is absorbed through the lining of the mouth, and it's addictive. Common side effects include hiccups, gum irritation and nausea, especially at higher strengths. The side-effects guide linked above has more detail.
Where do you put snus?
Swedish snus and nicotine pouches go between the upper lip and gum. You don't chew or swallow them. American dip traditionally goes under the lower lip.
How much nicotine is in snus or a nicotine pouch?
Swedish snus strength is usually given per gram, while UK pouches usually give it per pouch. Our in-stock pouches run from 1.5mg (ZYN X) to 45mg (Maggie Extreme), so read the mg on the can rather than the strength name.
Is 150mg snus real?
Not as a nicotine pouch. The 150mg and 75mg figures are on Iceberg Energy pouches, and 100mg is on Denssi caffeine pouches; Denssi's maker says the 100mg is caffeine and that its pouches contain no nicotine (Denssi FAQs). Both are sold as energy or caffeine pouches, not nicotine pouches, though Iceberg's 35mg "Energy" and "Energy Mango" are nicotine pouches and Killa "Energy" is just a flavour name. The nicotine pouches we stock top out at 45mg, and anything 20mg or above is only for people already used to strong pouches. Our caffeine pouches guide has more.
Is one snus equal to 50 cigarettes?
There's no reliable source for that claim. Mg per pouch isn't a like-for-like measure against cigarettes, so it isn't a meaningful comparison.
How do you pronounce snus?
Cambridge Dictionary gives the UK pronunciation as rhyming with "fuss" and the US one as rhyming with "loose". In Swedish it's closer to "snoose".
For adult nicotine users only (18+). Contains nicotine, which is an addictive substance.
