Snus history : Discovery, development and its relevance nowadays

Snus originated in Sweden in the early 18th century. This moist powder smokeless tobacco product originating from a variant of dry snuff started as a way to preserve tobacco. It is placed inside the lip (between the lip and gums) for extended periods and it does not typically result in the need for spitting

Snus is not fermented, it is steam-pasteurized which means this product undergoes heating to a specific temperature for a specific period of time.

Snuff, a pulverized tobacco was the precursor of snus, a moist snuff. According to some written history, snuff was introduced to France by French diplomat, Jean Nicot in the 16th century. It was recommended as a migraine remedy to Catherine de' Medici, an Italian noblewoman who was queen consort of France. She became a regular user of snuff and since then it became a fashion among the court and upper-class citizens of France, especially among females. It was deemed more socially acceptable than other forms of tobacco.

This trend of using snuff in the nose also spread to Sweden at the beginning of the 17th century. In the 18th century, Swedish producers began to manufacture moist snuff, which was placed in the lower lip and did not require spitting. It became known as snus. Ettan (meaning "the number one"), registered in 1822, is the oldest brand of snus still sold.

In Sweden, it was said to have helped lower smoking rates, as statistics showed more than half of Swedish snus users are ex-smokers. These ex-smokers somehow reduced their chances of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Snus also has helped Norway cut down on smoking as well. People either used it to help them quit cigarettes or as an alternative to cigarettes if they hadn’t successfully quit.

Snus is made differently in the US. While the Swedish have limited the number of chemicals that can be in their snus products, the U.S. has no such rules. Therefore, snus users must be aware of the products that are US-made.

Cigarette smoking is prevalent among adolescents nowadays, mostly teenage boys. Some of them started it out of curiosity or peer pressure; others as a means to escape from the problems they are facing in the family, school, personal life, or in the society. To help these young people quit smoking or lessen the activity, there are kinds of snus that are designed for them, which proved to have helped.

Snus since it was discovered until this moment that it is being further developed, has been helping the society to be a little less harmful from the risks that cigarette smoking is causing us.