Heysnus is a tobacco product that originated from a variant of dry snuff in early 18th-century Sweden. It is placed between the upper lip and gum for extended periods as a form of sublabial administration. Unlike snuff, it is not fermented.

The smokeless tobacco is steam-pasteurized rather than fire-cured like cigarette smoking tobacco and chewing tobacco, which reduces the concentration of the cancer-causing nitrosamines in it. Snus is also very low in lead and aflatoxins compared to cigarette smoking, which significantly lowers the risk of lung damage and cancer for smokers and non-smokers alike. It is generally believed that snus is more effective than other nicotine replacement therapies in helping people to quit smoking, and is therefore much less harmful.

From Pouches to Portioning: A Comprehensive Guide to Snus Packaging

Snus can be divided into three categories based on their moisture content: dry, moist, and wet. The most common snus is dry and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes such as mini portions, normal/large, and maxi portions. It is also available as a white portion, where the sachet material is not moistened during manufacturing, and it has a milder taste and slower nicotine release.

Snus is used daily by a large percentage of Swedish men and is often used to replace other forms of oral tobacco, including chewing tobacco and cigarettes. It is thought that this trend, combined with a decrease in cigarette smoking, is the reason why Swedish men have lower rates of tobacco-related mortality than any other country in Europe.