Det slutliga domslutet: Snus vs. påsar 

Only One Can Be the Future of Safer Nicotine – And the Science Speaks 

Nicotine Pouches vs Snus: Which Is Safer – and Why It Matters

In the world of tobacco harm reduction, snus and nicotine pouches are often mentioned in the same breath. Both are smokeless, both sit discreetly under your lip – and both are miles safer than smoking. But they’re not the same thing, and the difference matters.

Snus: A Proven Lifesaver

Let’s start with snus. This Swedish invention is a moist oral tobacco product that’s been quietly saving lives for decades. Unlike cigarettes, it doesn’t burn, which means no smoke, no tar, and far fewer toxins. According to the 2019 study “Snus: A compelling harm reduction alternative to cigarettes”, countries like Sweden, where snus is widely used, have some of the lowest rates of smoking-related diseases in Europe, including lung cancer and heart disease.

Snus deserves a massive credit – it’s helped make Sweden a world leader in tobacco harm reduction. In fact, thanks to alternatives like snus, the daily smoking rate in Sweden dropped to just 5.4% in 2024, the lowest in the EU.

That said, snus still contains tobacco – and with it, certain harmful compounds. Chief among them are TSNAs (tobacco-specific nitrosamines), such as NNN and NNK. While modern snus products have drastically reduced these levels of harmful compounds (often below the strict GothiaTek standards), the risk isn’t zero.

Enter: Nicotine Pouches

Nicotine pouches are the next generation. They look like snus, feel like snus – but they’re tobacco-free. And that one difference makes all the difference. Without tobacco, nicotine pouches don’t just eliminate combustion – they eliminate the source of many residual toxins found even in low-risk products like snus. That means no tar, no tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), no heavy metals, and no polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

A 2021 chemical analysis (O’Connor et al.) of several leading pouch brands found that nicotine pouches contain drastically fewer toxicants than both cigarettes and snus. Of the 43 harmful or potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) typically linked to tobacco products, most were completely undetectable in pouches – and those that were found appeared only at trace levels. 

Nicotine pouches occupy the lowest rung on the toxicant exposure ladder among modern nicotine products. With no tobacco leaf, no combustion, and ultra-clean formulations, they offer smokers and users of other oral tobacco products a safer, smarter step toward harm reduction.

What Does the Science Say About Risk?

According to the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework from a landmark 2014 study, experts found that snus is around 95% less harmful than smoking. That’s a massive win for harm reduction.

And while nicotine pouches weren’t yet on the market at the time, their tobacco-free composition och ultra-low toxicant levels suggest they may be an even safer option – potentially placing them at the very lowest end of the risk spectrum for nicotine products.

So what’s actually in a nicotine pouch? Surprisingly little. Each pouch contains nicotine (usually in a salt form that helps your body absorb it smoothly), plant-based fibers (to give the pouch its soft shape), a small amount of food-safe sweetener, flavoring (like mint or berry), and a pH balancer (to help the nicotine do its job). That’s it.

The Final Verdict

The obvious: nicotine pouches are tobacco-free. No tobacco means no TSNAs, no combustion byproducts, and no trace of the harmful chemicals that still exist in even the cleanest forms of smokeless tobacco like snus.

Yes, we don’t have 30 years of long-term epidemiological data – yet. But we didn’t wait that long to recognize the benefits of snus, and we shouldn’t wait now. We already know enough: pouches are built on everything that made snus a success, but with fewer toxicants, no tobacco, and more innovation.

Let’s give people a choice. Let the market evolve. If someone wants snus, that option should be available. But if a person prefers something tobacco-free, discreet, and potentially even safer – let them choose too.