Nicotine Content in Swedish-Type Snus Sold in Norway From 2005 to 2020

Area of Science:

• Tobacco Product Analysis
• Pharmacokinetics
• Public Health

Background:

• Snus (moist smokeless tobacco) use is prevalent in Scandinavia and growing in the U.S.
• Snus products exhibit variability in nicotine content, design, and portion size.
• Previous market studies on temporal nicotine content variations in snus are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze nicotine content variations in snus products sold in Norway between 2005 and 2020.
• To investigate changes in nicotine concentration per gram (mg/g) and per serving (mg/s).

Main Methods:

• Calculated nicotine content (mg/g and mg/s) for the top 10 snus products from major manufacturers.
• Data included nicotine, water content, and portion size for 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020.
• Market share weighting was applied to represent overall product trends.

Main Results:

• Overall nicotine content per gram of snus increased from 16.3 to 24.1 mg/g.
• Nicotine content per serving remained stable at approximately 13.0 mg/s.
• Portion snus showed increases in both mg/g and mg/s, while loose snus saw a decrease in mg/g and stable mg/s.

Conclusions:

• Despite increased snus use, nicotine per serving remained constant.
• The stability in nicotine per serving is attributed to the reduced market share of loose snus.
• Loose snus, traditionally high in nicotine per serving, decreased from 54% in 2005 to 5% in 2020.