White snus: “A new generation of nicotine addiction has been born”

Rosa Ingemarsson

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the consumption of tobacco and nicotine among young people in Sweden has been decreasing. However, in 2016, the trend suddenly reversed completely. What happened? 

The white snus happened.

Glasses with iced coffee and empty soda bottles. People talking and plates with bread crumbs on them. It could be a café anywhere in the world, but something indicates that we are in Sweden: On every other table, there is a small colourful round box. 22-year-old architecture student Sofia Epsmark spins one of the boxes in her hand. “I love it, but at the same time, I genuinely hate it. It’s a toxic relationship.”

The little box she is holding in her hand is snus, and Epsmark is neither the first nor the last Swede to use it. It is a tradition that can be traced back to the 17th century. According to Katarina Lindqvist, museum host at the Snus and Matches Museum in Stockholm, it is in some ways part of the Swedish cultural heritage. “The fact that there is a cultural history museum about snus indicates its significance.” Lindqvist gives a tour of the museum’s collections – numerous boxes from different centuries and social classes in all possible shapes, colors, and materials. But for a young girl from the big city of Stockholm to sit with a can of snus in her hand has not always been obvious. “Historically, many people found it a bit dirty and disgusting. It didn’t attract women, young people, or urban dwellers,” says Lindqvist. But in recent years, something has changed in the perception of snus.

Epsmark looks down at the little round box. “It may sound silly, but I don’t think I would have started using snus if it weren’t for this rebranding. I almost feel deceived.” What Epsmark is talking about is the type of the snus. She is not using the classic “brown” tobacco snus, the box in her hand contains white snus, tobacco-free nicotine pouches.

Colourful and Fancy

In 2015, the company British American Tobacco launched the product Epok in Sweden, presenting it as an alternative to traditional tobacco snus. This new product contained no tobacco and was marketed as “The white snus that doesn’t stain your teeth.” The packaging was lighter, with colorful text and flavours reminiscent of candy, such as licorice, blueberry, and melon. Around this time similar products were launched by other competitors, like Zyn and Volt from Swedish Match, and Loop from the brand Another Snus Factory.

Sweden has strict tobacco laws, including a complete ban on the advertising and marketing of tobacco products. However, since the white snus does not contain any tobacco, companies were able to circumvent these laws. Social media was flooded with sponsored posts and collaborations with influencers, all advertising snus. The products were presented as something new and fresh. Many of the biggest lifestyle and entertainment podcast were sponsored by the companies and discount codes where handed out on an assembly line. The same when it comes to festivals and the white snus was given away on the streets like candy. A survey showed that the three largest brands appeared in 181 Instagram posts in collaboration with 34 Swedish influencers in 2021, to an estimated cost of 11.8 million Swedish crowns.

“Young people love the shit”

Simon Ghidey, who works as a consultant at the PR agency 500 Stockholm, believes that the companies’ launch of the white snus has been clever. Statistics show that women, especially young girls, have generally used snus significantly less than men. “Tobacco companies have an enormous consumer group to capture – but how? Well, they create a fresher and more youthful product:  the white snus.”

Ghidey continues, 

“The product is communicated as a delightful, summery, invigorating experience. This, combined with the fact that they taste like fruit, makes young people love the shit”

Ghidey argues that the fact that the product is not covered by tobacco laws provides great opportunities for marketing. “As a PR person, it’s incredibly advantageous because you can distribute the stuff on the street.”

He continues, “Moreover, it becomes easier to involve influencers since it’s not as controversial to advertise for white snus, as it is not associated with ‘Big Tobacco’ and it’s evil. So, cool, young, attractive influencers start promoting the products and thus lure in all the hundreds of thousands of teenagers who follow them.”

From fathers to fresh

Looking back, Epsmark says it was almost impossible to avoid the snus advertising. “And the worst thing is that the marketing really worked,” she says. Epsmark hardly has a single friend who don´t use the white snus. It has became a part of life, as well as a part of an identity. “It used to be associated with old men, suddenly it was hip and cool.” She explains that she has friends who used to matched their snus boxes to their outfits, and flavors to their moods. “Yeah, when you’re swimming, you want the one that tastes like a summer evening, and when you’re out, you want the one that tastes like a party.”

The increase Epsmark experienced among her friends is also reflected in the statistics from the public health authority in Sweden. In 2014, 4 %of girls in the second year of high school, 17-year-olds, used snus. By 2022, this figure had risen to a whopping 22%.

The fact that advertising was allowed was due to the product being classified as tobacco-free. Louise Adermark, associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Gothenburg, opposes this. She explains that the nicotine is still extracted from the tobacco plant. “One might think it’s a bit strange because if you were to launch a meat-free sausage that contained brains, it might not really be considered meat-free. But here they say it’s tobacco-free,”.

Adermark also points to marketing as a driving factor for the product’s popularity. “It’s presented as a fresh product that makes you curious. You want to try all these different flavours. Because it’s classified as tobacco-free, you also feel it’s safer than regular tobacco products. It seems risk-free to try”

Less dangerous?

To some extent, white snus is less dangerous than traditional tobacco products like regular snus and cigarettes. When tobacco leaves are dried, various carcinogenic substances are produced. In white snus, on the other hand, nicotine is extracted from the tobacco plant, thereby avoiding certain hazardous substances. “But the nicotine in these products can have extremely high levels, which also affect our brains and bodies in various ways,” Adermark says.

Nicotine affects heart rate and blood pressure, among other things. Adolescents are also particularly vulnerable. Those who start early with nicotine are at greater risk of developing other dependencies, such as alcohol and drug abuse. Early nicotine exposure can also carries the risk of disrupting brain development according to several studies from, for example, Yales school of medicin and The Pennysylvania State University.

Adermark even says the flavors are a potential health risk. “There are more and more studies discussing the risks of these flavourings. It is observed that some flavorings cause damage to the cells in the mouth, for example. There can be cell death and a lot of inflammation due to these additives they have.”

She continues, “But we have still had these products for such a short time, so it’s a bit difficult to say what the consequence might be at the moment.”

Legislation catching up

During the summer of 2022, the Swedish Parliament made the decision that new regulations regarding tobacco-free nicotine products were necessary. This was done with the aim to “limit the health risks associated with the use of tobacco-free nicotine products and to strengthen the protection of children and young people.” The legislation is divided into three parts:

Despite the now limited marketing from the laws,  a survey conducted by the organisation A Non-Smoking Generation shows that access to the product among young people is still high. 65 % of young people aged 14-18 report that it is easy to obtain white snus even though they are under 18 years old. One-in-four youth also state that they often see advertisements for these products on social media, while only one-in-five adults report the same.

DMJX in motion has attempted to contact several companies but has not received any response. In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Patrick Hildingsson, Vice Communications Director at Swedish Match, states, “We don’t have a strategy to recruit those who don’t use nicotine. I see a challenge in teenagers tending to try adult habits before turning 18, but a young person who tries snus doesn’t have to become a snus user.”

Sufficient legislation?

Adermark is skeptical about whether the current legislation is sufficient as it stands. “We see that young people still consume large amounts of advertising, and it is easy to obtain the product.” She believes that one way forward could be to ban flavourings. “Surveys show that flavours are a contributing factor to wanting to try these products. They taste really good and make it easier to become addicted.”

Epsmark also believes that the current legislation is not sufficient. “A new generation of nicotine addiction has been born; it’s a snowball that has already started rolling.”

When asked about her thoughts on a flavour ban, she hesitates before saying, “Yes, it would probably work. It would be good in the long run, but I would be devastated. I’m addicted. If my favorite flavor disappeared, I would be very upset. This type of snus has been a part of my life for so long; it’s a part of my identity.”