Snus & Social Media: Are Snusfluencers & Zynfluencers Necessary

Written by The Simon Crafts 

Published on August 26, 2025

As a retail website, some may think this post is both counterproductive and dangerous. But, first and foremost, we are people, even though we sell snus. As someone who has personally used snus for a significant amount of time, I have to question some of the antics on social media in recent times. Numerous newspaper articles question the integrity of online stores, but have been disingenuous in their information. Whether or not social media should be used to promote the use of snus is a debate, not a law. I have an opinion, regardless of owning a snus website, so stick with me if you want to know more.

Table of Contents 

Tackling The Difference Between Snus & Nicotine Pouches

 

Social Media Role in The Differences

 

Snusfluencers, Zynfluencers, and Responsibility

 

Zynfluencers Followed by FDA Approval

 

Social Media Viral Trap

 

What Social Media Doesn't Tell You

 

The Conclusion

 

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Firstly Lets Tackle Snus and Nicotine Pouches

 

Snus is a product believed to have originated in Sweden many years ago. Snus is a tobacco-based product that has been illegal in most countries since before you probably ever heard of it. It was banned before I ever heard of it, and I started using snus in 2009.

 

Unfortunately, for nicotine pouches, a product that is completely legal as it is a tobacco-free pouch, most people in the world refer to them as snus. As such, the mainstream media skewed the truth, referring to nicotine pouches as snus, and blurred the lines that could have easily been drawn. As a parent myself, I can understand the concern of parents who think their child may be using an illegal product. Social media exacerbates the topic even further. I mean, I can’t get my five-year-old off of Roblox. What chance do you have trying to educate an 18-year-old on using Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok?

 

Bearing in mind that snus is illegal to sell but not to buy, it makes it even more difficult to genuinely understand the laws surrounding snus. You can import snus for personal use, provided you pay the tobacco tax in most countries. Does that sound like a product that will have you keel over and die? Of course not; it is just a taxable product that most countries tax due to its inclusion of tobacco. So, entree nicotine pouches are here to save the day with the same nicotine hit, without the tobacco. The fact that they cannot be taxed, hence the media interruption and reference to them as illegal products - using the colloquial canonical as opposed to their true heritage.

 

How Does Social Media Play a Role in the Difference Between Snus & Nicotine Pouches

 

Social media has been both a blessing and a curse for the world. Communication now has no limits, and companies utilise social media to promote their products. I am sure you know as well as I that you cannot scroll two or three scrolls without getting a promotional product flag up for you. Is that a bad thing? No, I don’t believe so. Social media has revolutionised our purchasing ability and tendencies.

 

The problem with snus and social media has typically been the type of content created for snus users. We know that snus use is predominantly among younger generations of people. Therein lies the problem with social media, which allows companies to target the media using social media to promote themselves. In reality, the gauge of age has shifted somewhat over the years. Young men or women are maturing much more slowly than they did when I was a youngster. It could be inferred that even those who are of age to use snus (or nicotine pouches) are attracted to less mature content than that of previous generations. The fact that underage people are also consuming and reacting to that content is just the nature of the beast. People who are restricted from engaging in certain activities by age will often try to do so anyway. The same could be argued in the use of online gambling, vaping, porn, alcohol, and even getting into nightclubs.

 

I agree with the media that snus and nicotine pouches should be used by those that are of age to do so. Ultimately, nicotine is an addictive substance, and should be used responsibly. Whether or not a seventeen-year-old or an eighteen-year-old could be classed as responsible these days is debatable! There is a but. I believe that retailers of nicotine products have a responsibility to educate not just on the sale of products, but the effects, and the responsibility of using such products. To not do so, is morally incorrect, especially with the wealth of knowledge that we have in brands, products, and the industry.

 

Social Media Zynfluencers, Snusfluencers, and Responsibility

 

There is none.

 

Although that may sound like a harsh statement, retailers are in the business of making money. Social media influencers will take the money. The consumers will buy products. Hence, the meaning of the word influencer. Whether that be in the form of nicotine pouches, snus, or the latest pair of Jordans, social media is a cauldron of promotional information.

 

To ask an influencer to carefully create their content based on the sensitivity of the product being sold is like asking for Trump to marry a Mexican. Unfortunately, the world we live in often refuses to hold a moral compass when it comes to money, but this is a reality nonetheless. Hence the promotion of death drinks like Prime and Monster that still poison young people, regardless of the social petitions released in social content.

 

Should snusfluencers be glorifying the use of snus? No, I believe that the dressing up as Santa Claus negates the integrity of our business, but it happens (every year). Santa Claus is synonymous with children, which raises the potential for infringement on their moral compass. But, there is a place for social media and snus to coexist, among an audience that sees it the way we do. Snus is a powerful nicotine product that saves many from using other forms of nicotine we know to be cancerous. Is it good for you? No, I am sure it is not. But is it bad for you? Also no, there is no confirmed information to the contrary. But, for sure, it should not be marketed in such a way that attracts young people.

 

Zynfluencer Outrage Followed By FDA Approval

 

I think the United States is a warning to many governments. The media attention that surrounded the monopolising products by Zyn terrorised the US. Social media accounts were banned for promoting Zyn, targeting those that the brand had recruited. Articles were written about the use of Zyn in young people, and the ramifications led to the development of multiple independent brands in the US. The moral divide was even further exacerbated when the US offered Zyn FDA approval. I sense that FDA approval means the government benefits in some way from the millions of monthly units sold. Therein lies the convoluted dilemma between money and righteousness. In reality, I doubt the US would approve a product that could be harmful in some way. So, it begs the question, what is the difference between Zyn and other brands?

 

Independent nicotine pouch brands have worked diligently to establish a market for themselves in the pouch category. The vertical niche that has shown a tremendous amount of life for those choosing an alternative to other forms of nicotine is under constant scrutiny. Maybe rightly so. The industry should be policed to ensure that brands continue to uphold the production standards for products that go in your mouth. However, there is a significant imbalance between brands that have money and power, and those that prioritize the quality of their products for consumers. Zynfluencers may push consumers to use the products that, in reality, are subpar compared to some competitors.

 

The Viral Social Media Trap

 

As a retailer, I know that all you need is one viral video that can attract thousands of customers overnight. As such, you constantly scour social media to find that one influencer who can achieve that and boost sales. The question is, should I? Knowing what I do of social media, I know that viral videos are becoming more and more outlandish. What is needed to break the internet has become more of a spectacle than it is interesting. We need something to make you laugh, make you cry, or make you feel sick. But, the ability to inform has lost its place on the road to becoming viral (unless it is bullshit).

 

So, as a snus retailer, how do you utilise social media to attract sales, and stay true to personal beliefs, and contention of your company? I can tell you right now, it is virtually impossible. To create a viral video, I would need to secure an influencer willing to do something crazy. And, we have done it before. But, is it the right thing to do? We have made mistakes while tussling with the projection of sales versus the protection of beliefs. We are human beings. Creating informational content for a majority audience that prefers entertainment makes it challenging to thrive on social media.

 

Therein lies another truth.

 

There are those out there who genuinely use nicotine pouches (snus) as an alternative to more harmful products. In a sea of social media influencers producing content for the masses, who is producing content for the minority? Currently nobody. Which is also sad. So, as a business, you have to ask yourself, are you going to promote to the marginalised or the masses? The answer to that question could well determine your bottom line monthly, and annually.

 

The Reality of Snus That Social Media Doesn’t Tell You

 

Snus is addictive, and it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have a demographic of people who should not be using them. Paradoxically, some can play with their kids, run around more, and have saved their lungs (and potentially cancer) because of snus. But, there is no news like bad news, and the media can portray snus as one of the bad guys because of blurred lines and the inclusion of health connotations to nicotine. At the same time, nicotine pouches and snus have been targeted as the next bad product, Coke and McDonald's still poison 70% of the world.

 

I am not an advocate of nicotine pouches or snus, but I am an advocate of choice. And, as adults, we should be able to make our own choices without being chastised for them. I do think, however, that social media taints an unfair image of the industry that I love, and the personal need I have for nicotine pouches after quitting smoking. The saviour from mood swings, asthma attacks, and aging skin are because of snus. I have tried over two years to find an influencer that can attest to that type of content to encourage those using other forms of nicotine to give snus a go. I have found none. Instead I have found a heap of content creators jumping around shouting at the screen pretending to use pouches. I have found a stock of people crying out for payment to promote products they know nothing about. Without social media, the audience is smaller, with social media the audience errs on the side of volatility and moral dilemma.

 

In Conclusion

 

 

Social media is an integral part of snus retailers' ability to promote their products and brands. Without it, there is a lack of options that are so crucially needed in this industry. The question is about the delivery of that content and the audience that receives it. Whether we like it or not, there will be promotion of products that individuals and parents would object to. But if delivered in such a way that offers choice, information, and knowledge, perhaps the landscape would be better. I have no idea where this industry ends up. It wasn’t fifty years ago that nicotine companies aired television adverts saying cigarettes were good for you. We have powerful connectivity tools at our disposal; how we choose to use them will be dependent on the business. While we sell nicotine pouches, we want to also stress that we offer information to guide choices. Without moral integrity, the business is a reflection of greed, as opposed to pride.